Minister of Industry & Trade Shalom Simchon in his Knesset address on Monday, 1 Adar 5773 recapped his term in office over the past two years.

“During the past two years I met a man wishing to earn a decent living and find his place in the workplace. I saw small business owners trying to survive oppose the bureaucracy and the many barriers. I saw firsthand how residents of the periphery became anxious as they lost their source of income in their area and I learned to understand the working mother simply seeking a reasonable daycare alternative for her children.”

“My office’s policy was to integrate the various aspects of society into the workplace whenever possible. This is critical to the future of the state, for both our society and economy. This is one of the formidable challenges facing us.”

Simchon called for the creation of 700,000 jobs by 2020. He added that his office is in the advanced stage of creating eight centers to provide a workplace for the chareidi tzibur, beginning with Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak.

“As one who is totally familiar with the matter, I can say that in order to see success, Israeli society must take the necessary steps to accommodate the chareidim towards integrating them in the workplace. Coercion is not the way and it will only result in failure. We are not trying to forcibly change the chareidi lifestyle. We will respect this lifestyle but simultaneously integrating them into the workforce and find effective ways to accomplish this.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)