The New Generation of Haredi Men: From Torah Learning to Academic Nursing

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1 Original: The New Generation of Haredi Men: From Torah Learning to Academic Nursing For four years, 35 Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men attend the Jerusalem College of Technology where they study anatomy, genetics, statistics, biochemistry and other subjects, in a trailblazing program that will train them to become nurses with BSNs (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) "This is proof that you can spend your days doing charity and mitzvas and still earn a decent living" And what about "when they have to treat women?" They have Halachic Approval Ronny Linder-Ganz May 5, :45 p.m. Shaul (full name withheld), 35, was born in the US to an ultra-orthodox family. He completed his studies in yeshiva high schools and immigrated to Israel, where he followed the standard path for a yeshiva student, and was even ordained as a rabbi. However, he was always drawn to the medical field. "I've wanted to do something in the medical field since I was a boy, he says, "but I didn't really have a way of accomplishing that, so I decided to volunteer for MDA. A few months ago, Shaul heard about a new and unusual academic opportunity, Haredi students studying towards a degree in Nursing at Lev Campus of the Jerusalem College of Technology

2 almost revolutionary in terms of the possibilities available today to young Haredim: a new nursing program for men, which opened in the Jerusalem College of Technology. "When I heard about it, I jumped [at the opportunity]," he says with a smile. "It gives me a chance to support my family with dignity and also engage in the medical field, which has always appealed to me. I think it's good for me and good for the public in general, and this is proof that you can spend your days doing charity and mitzvas and still earn a decent living. Matan Nutzki. Credit: Yossi Cohen Shaul is one of 35 students in the pilot class of the nursing track for men at the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT). Half of the men are Haredi, who, after four years of studying, will become accredited nurses with a bachelor's degree in nursing something which seemed like fiction several years ago. Academic studies are seemingly a part of the natural progression towards Haredi employment, but it is far from a simple task: the Ultra-Orthodox ethos still supports religious studies, and many boys stop learning mathematics and English at an early age, thus graduate with little or no knowledge of the most basic subjects. In addition, there is a halachic issue that is difficult to ignore, surrounding the difficulties that may occur when the nurses are asked to treat women, sometimes in highly intimate situations. JCT officials actually believe that this is not a major hurdle, and definitely not one that would prevent the integration of men in this profession. "Everyone understands they must undergo clinical practicums and treat women, but this has the backing of rabbis

3 and halachic authorities," says Professor Chaya Greenberger, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Health at JCT. "Some of our students have already helped women deliver babies as part of their volunteer work for MDA." The women were the first to begin this track: over the last eight years, orthodox and ultra-orthodox women have been studying towards a degree in nursing, and the program is highly successful. "We started with the intention of only providing women with degrees," states Dr. Shoshi Riba National Chief Nurse and Head of the Nursing Administration in the Ministry of Health. "We reached an agreement with the Council for Higher Education (CHE), according to which, due to their cultural restrictions, they would study at a separate campus in Bnei Brak, which is affiliated to a recognized academic institution. They participate in a full curriculum we do not make it easy on them. "We went through many stages in order to integrate Haredi women into the profession and enable them to learn the occupation, with a view to improving the standard of living of the ultra-orthodox population. We encourage them to go to baby-clinics and community health clinics. They are the best ambassadors for the health care system in promoting health in their community, since they understand the needs, the audience and are well loved. Of course, they are not restricted to working solely within the community, but can work anywhere in the health system ". Academic studies are a red flag Prof. Chaim Sukenik The positive experience with the women, combined with the demand in the healthcare system and the Haredi community for male nurses, led the Ministry of Health and the Council for Higher Education to invest in the opening of additional programs - this time for men only. "The public and hospitals are eager to employ male nurses," says President of Jerusalem College of Technology, Prof. Chaim Sukenik. "This is a profession that requires not only feminine elements, but masculine ones as well." But when it comes to ultra-orthodox men, the educational challenge, both to themselves and the system, is colossal. Unlike many Haredi women, they lack matriculation certificates and psychometric scores (required in Israel in order to enter academic institutions), and in order to reach the minimum level to enter

4 academia, they must undergo an intensive year-long program simply to fill in those gaps. "While the ultra-orthodox women are high-school graduates, with some even holding matriculation certificates, the men come to us without any background in secular studies with minimal mathematic abilities and without the ability to read English on even the most basic level," says Vardit Markowitz, Director of the Pre- Academic Preparatory Programs (Mechina). "First, they participate in a prepreparatory program (pre-mechina), where they learn English and Math from the most basic level to that of an eighth grader. They then continue to the pre-academic preparatory one year program (mechina), at the end of which, they must successfully complete a mathematics matriculation exam on the level of at least four units." Within a year, you get them from a state of near ignorance to four units of math? How do you do it? Prof. Chaya Greenberger "Anyone who enrolls in the program is here by choice, so the students are very dedicated. Although they did not learn Math and English, they come from a community with extensive study routines. Finally, we must remember that it is indeed challenging - only 50% of students who begin the mechina successfully complete the firstyear of their degree. Half of them drop-out along the way. It is even more difficult [at JCT], because the academic studies take place from the late afternoon and continue into the night. In the morning hours, many of the Haredi students learn in various kollels. Imagine how much willpower is required from a young man of about 28, who is married with three children or more, to start from scratch and become a software engineer or a nurse. But even those who drop-out usually integrate into the workforce one way or another." Matan Nutzki, 29, from Beit Shemesh, married and father of three, came from the United States at the age of 11, studied in yeshivas and got married. His story is similar to that of many medical students, even secular ones: with a father who is an anesthesiologist and a mother who is a nurse. But, paradoxically, it was his parents the ultra-orthodox academics that studied in the US who preferred that he learn in a kollel. That being said, they support his decision: "I always wanted to work for a living. I took matriculation exams and the psychometric test on my own, and from the age of 19 I have volunteered with various first-aid organizations. I always wanted

5 to study nursing or another career in the medical profession, but it was not accessible to me. When this track opened, it was perfect for me. I love it. Now things are hard, but it is preparing me for a better future. " Nutzki is unique: he was the only one among the Haredi students who agreed to be mentioned by his full name and photographed for this article. The rest of the students still prefer to remain discreet. "It is still a highly sensitive matter," JCT officials explain. The Jerusalem College of Technology is a public college funded by the state, which is considered to be a leading academic institution among the orthodox and ultraorthodox communities. A third of the students at JCT, approximately 1,500, are Haredi, about a third of which are men. Students learn subjects such as engineering, computer science, management and accounting on separate campuses for men and women. JCT was the first to train Haredim towards high-tech and engineering professions. It boasts a highly impressive placement percentage of 90% graduates employed in their chosen field of study, and is now expanding its academic nursing programs (BSNs for both men and women) - a profession that is in high demand both by the health industry and the Haredi community. Tuition at JCT is, as in every other recognized academic institution (NIS10,200 per year), however, due to the difficult socio-economic background of many of the students and the fact that many of them are not employed since they participate in religious studies in the mornings - most students receive scholarships financed by various donors [such as Kemach and Yedidei Toronto]. The young students that we meet at JCT are in some ways breaking the ground for new academic discipline for the ultra-orthodox sector. "Students come here from the ultra-orthodox communities - Litvaks, Hassidim, and Sfardim" says Markowitz. "Their great challenge, particularly among the Litvaks and besides the educational gap, is that when they leave the world of Torah and begin studying towards academic degrees they are considered second-rate" However, JCT believes that academic studies are slowly becoming more acceptable even in the most stringent of circles in the Haredi community: "It depends on the neighborhood, and the family, but changes are occurring: There was a time when only the yeshiva dropouts would come but today there is also interest from the mainstream of the Haredi and Hasidic Shoshi Riba. Credit: Eyal Landsman

6 society. People want a career and a livelihood," says Sukenik. And what do the Rabbis say? We definitely have a position in this regard; we are backed by halachic authorities. Approval is provided on a case-by-case basis. There is no consensus; no rabbi has made a statement that all Yeshiva students can go into academia. But in our experience if there is an individual application, then they receive approval from the rabbis." According to Riba, "The students are already married when they come to the program, because rabbis only approve of academic studies for married women. Many of them are mothers with at least one child, and they all meet the technical requirements." JCT is trying to ingrain in the Haredi public that one can do both: academic studies and Torah learning. JCT recently circulated a video that quickly went viral among the Haredi public, which shows a young Haredi man rushing into a rabbi's waiting room, begging to receive a blessing for a match. His secretary shows interest in the young man's studies. "I'm learning Bava Kamma in the Bavli, Brachot in the Yerushalmi - and Physics", answers the young Haredi. The secretary continues, unfazed: "quantum mechanics or theory of relativity?" After speaking for a little longer, the rabbi offers his own daughter as a match. "The message is that you can learn Torah and physics," says Sukenik. He adds, "there were some who laughed with us, others laughed at us, and some were enraged that we were drawing this population to come to us." JCT is proud of its successes but does not hide the academic and social challenges it faces. "There is pressure, I want to make that clear," says Hila Shai-Vazan, a spokeswoman for JCT. "Our people in Bnei Brak say there are many rabbis who tell the girls: 'as soon as you go on to academics - it's a red flag.' There are families that fear that if a woman goes to an academic institution, her sister will be barred from the appropriate seminars. They fear leaving their comfort zone and coming face-toface with the outside world. But not everyone fits into the mainstream of being teachers." However, she said that words such as "self-realization" have not yet entered their lexicon, at least not openly: "If you ask a student why she learns, the common answer is 'to support the family, so that my husband can learn in a Kollel. That's always the goal."

7 How do you practice Obstetrics? With a simulator Regarding treating women, the system is flexible: "We are not hardheaded," says Riba. "The students receive no exemptions, eventually they all undergo the same licensing exams and receive the same diploma [as any other nursing students]. The only concession I agreed to was to enable the Haredi students to learn obstetrics using sophisticated simulators. The simulators are so close to life that there is no damage to the quality of studies, although this method is an expensive one." The students do not seem bothered by this prospect: "I volunteer in an ambulance and half of the patients are women," says Shaul. "There is a concept in Jewish law called 'busy with his work'". When a nurse takes a patient's blood pressure, he is too immersed in his work to think about other things. One needs to adopt a mature approach to such things. " According to Benyamin Tzair, a Senior Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Shaare Zedek Men and Head of the Nursing Track at JCT, there is a demand among the Haredi community for male nurses: "They will have no problem finding a job, there is a demand among the Haredi community for male nurses," he says. The real difficulty, according to Tzair, is catching up: "Some of the students come with little or no familiarity with secular studies; it is not simple to take on such intensive studies, especially since they must combine it with religious studies in the morning." And what's next? Does the taste of the medical world that studying nursing offers entice young Haredi men to study medicine? When we ask them if an MD is potentially in their future, they nod. "We are currently busy with getting from one day to the next, but medical studies are definitely on the minds of almost everyone in the class," says Nutzki. Would you want your children to be academics or yeshiva students? Nutzki: "I want them to do what is right for them. I want them to be good Jews, with dignity and a livelihood." Shaul: "Every person has their strengths. It is important not to predetermine a person's path."