The times, they are a-changing

By PEGGY CIDOR
Soldiers who will serve in the IDF’s Nahal Haredi unit are sworn in (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Soldiers who will serve in the IDF’s Nahal Haredi unit are sworn in
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
One of them is being accused of destroying the Torah and the haredi way of life.
Another has experienced repeated aggressions – from threatening pashkevilim (posters) on Mea She’arim walls to the arson of an employment bureau he runs.
Yet another is continually suspected of not behaving according to the strict rules of her hassidic sect.
These are the stories of three Jerusalemites, two men and a woman, who while still part of the haredi society, have – each in his or her way – taken a bold step in a different direction. They have made some choices that are not, to put it mildly, easily accepted in their own communities. What they all have in common, though they do not know each other, is a dedication to remain part of the haredi sector, even if such a choice is becoming more difficult.
They do so mostly for one reason: the desire to make things better for their communities, whether it is a matter of easing the burdens of daily life and financial strain or helping a society that has increasingly stopped hiding its own failures, such as domestic abuse or violence.
The story of Bezalel Cohen, a rabbi and an educator, has reached the press more than once over the past two years. He first came to light for his bold decision to open a haredi yeshiva that would teach its male students a broader curriculum and prepare them for bagrut (matriculation exam). For this, he faced violent opposition.
From his native haredi sector, Cohen was accused of “destroying the world of the Torah.”
He also faced criticism from the secular side. Suspected of being a haredi intrusion into the neighborhood, Cohen’s yeshiva, located between Bayit Vagan and Kiryat Hayovel, has aroused fierce opposition from secular residents. In fact, his students have been forced to study in a tent provided by the municipality.
Cohen hopes that soon Chachmei Lev will finally move to a permanent facility, on the campus of the Boyer high school. That was the only solution offered, after haredi representatives at city council warned Mayor Nir Barkat – who otherwise supports Cohen’s aims – that if he dared establish the yeshiva in the new haredi campus being built in Ramat Eshkol, his coalition would crumble immediately.
Cohen came to public attention for the first time some 15 years ago, when he approached the late Bambi Sheleg, then editor-in-chief of the prestigious Eretz Acheret magazine, and proposed an article on the urgent need to bring some significant changes to haredi society. His theory (which has since proved prescient) was that this society would soon implode from the inside, mainly due to the unbearable level of poverty. It was thus in dire need of economic solutions: “Only education and employment will save this society,” Cohen asserted.
Almost two decades after proposing this new approach, Cohen says today that the most important contribution he brought to his own community is granting the haredim more freedom to decide for themselves.
“Even those who opt to remain in the yeshiva, or others who decide not to study and work, are not doing it automatically as before,” he explains. “Today, each young haredi [man] makes a decision – more of their own making – to remain in the traditional program of the yeshiva and the kollel [Torah study hall], or not. That’s a tremendous change.”
RABBI SHMUEL Pappenheim has gone even further.
Raised totally disconnected from the outside world in one of the most extreme hassidic sects, Eda Haredit, Pappenheim is today an ardent supporter of incorporating the ultra-Orthodox into the employment market.
Moreover, despite still being a member of this anti-Zionist sect, he encourages young haredim to enroll in the IDF, within a special program led by the Malben/JDC.
Coming a long way from the most extreme part of Mea She’arim, today he is a representative for Gesher – an organization that works to bridge the gaps between different segments of Israeli society – among Jewish communities abroad, and is on a mission to the Jewish community in Moscow – a Zionist group.
Life was not easy for Pappenheim within his own community. He decided not only to leave the kollel to study and work, but also joined organizations very close to the official mainstream – namely the State of Israel – which many haredim disavow. Pappenheim says he is not a Zionist, that he does not work for and with the government, but at the same time, he doesn’t hide the profound ways he has changed.
In any case, up until 10 years ago, he was still the spokesman for Eda Haredit and supported some of their most violent protests. He also edited its journal, Ha’eda.
Things have slowly but surely evolved for him over the years. It started with his bold decision to study political science and communications at the Open University. Then he headed programs for the integration of young haredim into professional workforce training, as well as the IDF. Now he works for Gesher.
Pappenheim has had to deal with strong and violent opposition to his proposals from his own community, but says he is convinced he is on the right path. He sees most of the violence in the haredi sector as signs of underlying social degradation, and rejects the claim that it is intended to “save and protect haredi values.”
The need to earn a livelihood and provide a decent life for one’s children has been the major reason behind Pappenheim’s choices.
AVIGAIL HEILBRUNN-Karlinski is part of haredi group Lo Tishtok (You Will Not Be Silent), which aims to raise awareness about sexual abuse in the haredi sector.
About a year ago, the group opened a Facebook page to fight the tendency of haredim to hush up allegations of abuse; many such cases do not involve state authorities.
Heilbrunn-Karlinski, a mother of two, studied sociology and works in hi-tech. The main idea of her group is to raise awareness about the problem and provide a forum where such cases can be discussed anonymously.
The cases are sent in by people who have either been witnesses or were harmed themselves; they are then edited and published on social media in a way that protects the identities of those involved.
But the problem is compounded by a double layer of silence. First, victims often do not tell others what happened to them. If they do, they are often silenced by those around them. The idea for Lo Tishtok is to offer them a place where they can find empathy and support, while their identities are kept secret. It is hoped they will understand they are not to blame.
A few weeks ago the group received an unexpected letter from Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau, who expressed support for their initiative. Heilbrunn-Karlinski noted that following their efforts, there has been more openness about the problem within the haredi community.
“Even in the most radical and closed circles in haredi society, there is today an understanding that these things have to be talked about and brought to attention. Silencing them is becoming less and less an option, but there is still so much work to do,” she contends.