Today we had the opportunity to listen to a fascinating lecture given by Tali Farkash, a journalist for Ynet newspaper, about the contemporary challenges of the Orthodox community and their reaction to modernization and secularism.
The Haredi community was established in Europe two centuries ago. In every country, the Haredi community is a little bit different from the next. In Israel, there already existed a small Haredi community before the mass aliyahs in 1882 and 1904 and the formation of the state of Israel. With the aliyahs came more Haredis from around the world, especially Europe, as well as secular people. These Haredis tended to be more involved politically, served in the army, and were more educated than the traditional members of their group. However, they felt affronted by the influx of more secular people, and this created an atmosphere of conflict and hostility. Despite efforts by the traditional Haredi, more and more of their community assimilated into the new community and became more secular. About half of the new generation of Haredi turned toward secularism.
In response, Haredi completely separated themselves from the secular people to try and stop assimilation. Additionally, new Israeli laws in the ‘70s that increased aid for poor people allowed for a Haredi society in which the men could study Torah all day and working women, aided by the government, supported their families. This was the situation up until 2003, when Benjamin Netanyahu cut most of the government funding to these families, resulting in a situation where uneducated, unskilled Haredi workers suddenly needed to find a job in order to keep their families above water. However, because none of these men had served in the army, they were required to enlist before working.
In response to this, the IDF created special programs for older men to be in the army, as well as programs to give these Haredis knowledge and degrees so that they can obtain a decent job after serving. This merge back into society, however, exposed the Haredis to modern technology and information, and this was potentially dangerous to the community. For example, Haredis could now get information and guidance from the Internet, potentially replacing the rabbis. it provides more points of view and angles that the rabbis of the Haredi might not want the common person to know. The change brought about by the 2003 cuts caused Haredis to be more engaged in modern society and create more of an impact on society as a whole.