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| United Torah Judaism MK Eliezer Moses |
These numbers are backed up by a survey taken by the Central
Bureau of Statistics . Approximately 157,000 respondents said they were Orthodox
at home at the age of 15 , more than 12 thousand define themselves as non
Charedi.
Add to this fact is another astonishing statistic: more Charedim
in Israel leave observant Judaism than come into it as Baalei Teshuva. Now I doubt that this means that the Charedi
world is shrinking. Their very high birth rate more than compensates for the
loss. If you have 10 children and one goes
OTD, you have still added 9 people to your group. And those nine children will
no doubt have 10 each of their own.
But still, the dropout rate is shocking. Yehuda Moses, son
of Charedi MK, Eliezer Moses sees this as a revolution comparable to the Arab
Spring. There is no Charedi home that is no affected by it. One has to wonder if
the rate of dropping is increasing, will
it ever catch up and surpass the internal growth rate and actually shrink the
population?
The question is why? Why are unprecedented numbers of
Charedi young people rejecting the teachings of their parents and teachers?
What makes this question even more compelling is the fact these communities go
to extraordinary lengths to shelter their children from the outside world for a
variety of reasons. Not the least of which is this one. They live lives in virtual
isolation from the rest of society – entering it only as absolutely necessary. And
even then they try and do so with as little interaction as possible.
The problem causing this high dropout rate is obvious. Charedi
leaders know what it is. And they have tried mightily to deal with it. But by
now it should be clear that their solution to it isn’t working.
The problem is that their insular ways are not working for
10% of their population. The things they forbid become the objects of obsession
for the masses. The ‘information highway’ is now accessible at your
fingertips. Telling people not to use
it, just makes it all the more desirable. The Gemarah in Nedarim 91B (quoting Mishlei 9:17)
tells us ‘Mayim Genuvim Yimtaku’ - stolen
waters, are sweeter. The more forbidden something is - the more desirable it
becomes.
Smartphones are everywhere and are easy to hide. An as anyone who owns
one knows, they are the fastest and easiest way to get information. Questions that a young Charedi student wouldn’t
dare ask a parent, let alone a Rebbe in a Yeshiva or Beis Yaakov can easily be
researched online – on your phone.
You want to know about the origins of
the universe? Just ask Siri. (…an I-Phone application that has a name and responds verbally to your questions - or
searches the web for answers.) Very few of those answers will say God created it. Add to this the
ubiquitous pornography that shows up on your screen often unsolicited because
of the way you searched for something... and all the temptations of the world suddenly
become very accessible.
The Charedim interviewed in this article seem to be conceding that
isolationism is not working and express fears that this trend will only get
worse. Although there is still a lot of denial about this by rabbinic leaders - just as there is about the
fact that there are so many dropouts.
For those of us that use the internet responsibly and allow
our children controlled access with proper filters, the dangers are
considerably reduced, albeit not eliminated. I doubt that moderate Charedim,
Centrists, and even the far left are dropping out of observance because of that
kind of exposure to the internet. (Although I’m sure it does
happen.) Nor does it mean that they are spared from huge dropout numbers. But to whatever extent it exists it probably won’t be because of
stealthy use of internet devices.
There is another interesting statistic quoted. One that is more surprising than the one quoted above. According to some estimates, 1 in 4 Dati
Leumi (National Religious) Jews drop out of
observance! It seems to me that – by far - they have a much bigger problem.
I have no clue why that percentage is so high. But if I had
to guess it might be the fact that there are a lot of DL-Lite families whose commitment to
observance is tenuous at best. When their children enter army service many will
end up just going with the flow of an army that is populated with a majority of recruits whose lifestyles are a lot more hedonistic.
I doubt that this percentage applies to the many DLs that
are committed to their Judaism and serve in the army with distinction while being
fully committed to observance. Nor does it include those DLs that are in Hesder
Yeshivas that combine their army service with Torah study. These young people are
the cream of the Israel crop. I doubt that too many of them leave religious
life. If anything their religious commitment is probably strengthened by it.
One thing seems certain, however. The inevitable exponential
growth of observant Jews in Israel does not seem so inevitable anymore. And by
observant I include all Orthodox Jews. Not just Charedim.
I don’t know what to do about the 25% DLs that are leaving
the fold (if that is indeed the percentage). But I think I do know what can
help the Charedi world prevent more of their people from leaving. It would be
to reconsider their insular ways and allow a little bit of the outside world in.
Not only by allowing controlled intent use. But by allowing them to get an
education in addition to Torah study that will enable them achieve financial
security without reliance on charity. It won’t hurt them. It will instead help
them thrive well into the future.
