How haredi women can help the Israeli health system
Among the graduates of the haredi educational system lays a huge group of untapped excellent human resource potential.
By ELI PALEYYoung ultra-orthodox women ride through Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv. (photo credit: MOSHE SHAI/FLASH90)
Recently, a proposed amendment was submitted to the Knesset regarding the Regulation of Health Professions Law – Licensing of Health Practitioners. The amendment proposes to allow Israelis who wish to practice allied-health professions to acquire professional training in a non-academic diploma track, without the requisite academic degree that the original law stipulates. (The proposed amendment is based on a 2016 temporary order pertaining to new immigrants.)The reason behind this bill is the shortage in quality practitioners in these professions (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathologists, etc.). While the original law’s purpose was to guarantee the professional level of the practitioners in these professions and to safeguard public health stipulating that an academic degree was a prerequisite – unlike the accepted requirements in European countries – caused a shortage in professional practitioners. This is especially true for the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector, where the percentage of university and college graduates is significantly lower than in the rest of the population.Approximately 10,000 haredi women graduate from high school every year, and most of them choose to continue their professional studies in communal seminaries as an alternative to university. Among the graduates of the haredi educational system lays a huge group of untapped excellent human resource potential. As of today, there is no other way to fill in the missing positions more efficiently than by improving training programs in seminaries.The proportion of this sector in Israeli society is increasing from year to year. Insisting on obtaining an academic degree as a prerequisite creates a solid occupational barrier that is felt across the economy, not only by the haredi population.One could argue that the best way to augment human resources in Israel is through academic programs. However, we must, remember a simple fact: about 25% of first graders in Israel go to haredi educational institutes, and this rate is on the rise. One does not have to be clairvoyant to understand the impact this could have on the Israeli economy in the coming years.In recent years, the need to provide new models for professional training alongside academic institutions has been raised in meetings between The Haredi Institute for Policy Research and the officials in the Ministry of Health. This plan continues the trend towards improved professional studies in the seminaries, which the Institute is actively advancing.Only recently, the government decided to recognize accountancy studies from haredi institutions as equivalent to training received in academia. In addition, the Institute and its partners are pursuing a national plan to offer computer science training in haredi seminaries that aligns with the training offered in academic institutions.Clearly, for these programs to work, they must meet the highest standards and be subject to professional regulatory oversight. This is even truer for health professions, where the quality of the training is crucial.Furthermore, it is important to understand that these solutions are not intended to create shortcuts for seminary students. Rather, they are intended to address the shortage in the market alongside certain realities within haredi society.Instead of waiting for the cultural reality to change, we must learn to adapt our thinking and be able to provide solutions that are culturally tailored to this population. The sooner and better we do that, the more it will benefit both the haredi population and the entire Israeli economy.The writer is the chairman and founder of The Haredi Institute for Public Affairs.
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