The CEO of the largest Religious Zionist educational network in Israel exposed a trend that is somewhat worrisome to many in the Charedi community. According to Elchanan Galant, the head of the centralized body of Bnei Akiva High School Yeshivot and Ulpanot, over the past few years, there has been an increasing trend for Charedi families to sign up their children in religious-zionist schools. According to Galant, this trend is especially prominent in the Bnei Akiva school chain where many Charedi parents sign up their children in advance to study in these schools.
Galant made his comments during the annual council meeting of the Jewish Home party during one of the panel discussions that was focusing on the value of Torah learning in the Religious Zionist school system and recognizing Talmidei Chachamim among the ranks of the Religious Zionist community.
Galant clarified that “The doors of the Bnei Akiva yeshivot need to be held open for all those who want to enter unless there is an outstanding reason to prohibit a specific student from participating. I’ll tell you all a secret, over the past few years there has been an influx of Charedi students registering in the Bnei Akiva schools system so that they will be able to balance Jewish and secular studies. They come quietly, almost in secret in order to avoid polemics against them. They come to learn and the results are phenomenal.”
Religious Zionist leader and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Torah B’Zion Rav Yitzchak Neriah added; “When we talk about open registration for students, we need to be open to students from all directions. We are the ones who are responsible for educating students who are talmidei chachamim for future generations, so why not allow Charedi children to join our schools. Why prevent the students from attending or their parents from sending them.As we know the Jewish Home party is branching out to other communities besides our own, so why not our school systems as well. We need to grow the Rav Kook of the next generation.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Perhaps a better reading of the situation is the gap between the “frum” parts of the Religious Zionist movement (the ones with separate schools and strong Torah educatin), and the pro-zionist (meaning the accept government money and do not oppose the medinah) hareidim is shrinking, and will increasingly be a relic of the the past.
To put it sarcastically, the difference between those who say Hallel with or without a bracha on Israeli independence day is minor compared to the difference between either and those who say slichos and observe a fast day, or on the other exteme, those who never say Hallel for anything since they never set foot in a shul.
Bh kain yirbu
What’s wrong with that, as long as BA doesn’t force the children to follow their mesorah in dress, davenning etc. Who knows…. maybe this generation will grow up tolerant & won’t throw stones or call police pigs & Nazis, & might even learn skills that will help them support their families. Perhaps they will have respect and tolerance for Jews of other stripes, and respect the State that feeds them.
But then again… YK is over so we can all get back to our previous hatred & attacks.
BH. good news after YK. as everyone knows, change in a traditional community comes bottom up, rarely as the direction of the assumed einai ha’am.
Does YWN make a point of reporting unsubstantiated news items? No stats, no figures, no studies. Nada. Just the word of the eminent CEO. Who exactly is he calling Chareidi? American “Chareidi-lite” types many of whom have hashkafos that are not mainstream in the Israeli Chareidi community? To this CEO, and i guess also to YWN, doesn’t matter. It’s all Chareidi anyway. Who says? He says! An incendiary report such as this ought to be looked into by some unbiased reporter, If no substantive data is forthcoming, then this report remains without foundation. If someone did look into this, you should say so.