The dangers of rolling back the core educational curriculum

The following appeared in the Jerusalem Post supplement, "In Jerusalem," on July 29, 2016. Reprinted with permission. The dangers of rolling back the core educational curriculum at haredi boys’ schools. By Hannah Katsman I recently ran into a speech pathologist who teaches university … [Read more...]

Channel 2 Documentary on Beit Shemesh School Battle

I had mixed feelings about translating and re-uploading this documentary about the school situation in  Beit Shemesh, which has been going on in September. There is a lot of anti-haredi feeling in the country right now, and I fear that it could get out of hand. However, we can't let people get … [Read more...]

Separate-Sex Sidewalks and Civil Rights

This year, like last year, the neighborhood of Meah Shearim posted signs indicating that during the Sukkot celebrations, men and women would be directed to separate sidewalks. Civil rights or anti-haredi activists, depending on your perspective, petitioned the court, which ruled that the sidewalks … [Read more...]

The Haredi Protest that Ynet Missed

It looks like the school crisis in Beit Shemesh has been resolved for the time being, with the teachers invited to prepare for the school year under police protection. Today's poster reminds us that disputes over religious issues in Israel can be worked out peacefully. Please welcome Naomi … [Read more...]

Beit Shemesh School Battle

School conflicts and strikes are a normal part of Israeli life at this time of year. Today we take you to Beit Shemesh (again). Several years ago the education ministry and the municipality of Beit Shemesh built a new building for  the girls of Orot, a state-religious elementary school. The new … [Read more...]

Is There Anti-Haredi Discrimination in Elad?

I spotted this sign in the lobby of an apartment building in the religious city of Elad, on Highway 444 between Rosh Haayin and Shoham. About 15 years ago, when the town was first founded, the government allocated building projects for two sectors: Haredim and national religious, also known as … [Read more...]

The Changing Cost of Shidduchim in the Haredi World

Haredi educators are noticing that the age of marriage is rising. According to an article in the Hebrew edition of Mishpacha, only 10% of students in a particular seminary got engaged last year instead of the normal 50%. According to the shadchanim (matchmakers) quoted, only 5-10% of girls’ … [Read more...]

Exclusive: Interview with a Former Kannai, Part I

In my series on Pashkevilim, I gave highlights of a lecture about the community of anti-Zionist kannaim, or  zealots, in Jerusalem. @Jewnet invited me to interview her husband Moshe Yossef, a former kannai,  for an insider's view. I've divided the interview into two parts.  Part I is about Rabbi … [Read more...]

Pashkevilim: Wall Posters in Jerusalem Part III, Spoofs and Cellphones

This is Part III of a series on pashkevilim, the anti-establishment wall posters hung in large haredi neighborhoods. The series is based on a talk by Tzuriel Rashi of Michlelet Lifshitz and Bar Ilan University. See Part I and Part II. Pashkevil forbidding the use of Zionist banknotes. Credit: Ben … [Read more...]

Pashkevilim: Anti-Establishment Jerusalem Wall Posters Part II

In honor of Jerusalem Day our synagogue hosted Tzuriel Rashi, professor of political science and communications and expert on pashkevilim, political and religious wall posters found on the streets of large haredi neighborhoods. This is Part II. See Part I and Part III. In the pre-State period, … [Read more...]