In probably the oddest exchange ever broadcast on Israel Radio, Israel Radio and Television correspondent Ayala Chason opened the “It’s All Talk” program that she anchors on Israel Radio Thursday by stating that it is clear that there is an organized publicity campaign against the chareidim.

She then asked analyst Chanan Crystal to comment.

Crystal stated that in the past the chareidim were neutral on Arab-Israeli affairs but that now that elements of the chareidim have aligned themselves with the dati leumi camp, they are now being attacked.

The message-warning-threat was clear.

Various politicians and others in recent weeks have expressed concern over the low participation of chareidi men in the labor force (according to a survey recently released by the Bureau of Statistic 37% of those who studied in a “yeshiva gvoha” [post high school level studies] are employed as compared to 80% of secular and traditional Jews) as well as the large number (60,000) who are now deferring army service to study in yeshivos – this particularly in light of projections that over the course of the coming decades the chareidim will become a significantly larger portion of Israeli society.

Some of the reports have focused on the dramatic difference in labor force participation rates of chareidi men overseas (where most work) and in Israel.  Other reports on developments in Israel have focused on the tension between chareidi immigrants from the United States and elsewhere who have professional training (academic and otherwise) and work in their professions in Israel and want their children to follow their path and their Israeli counterparts.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / IMRA)