With three children married, Channie T. decided it was time
for a change in her life. As a special education teacher in
Jerusalem for many years, she was tired of the after-hours
teachers' meetings, of the extra class preparation time, of
the constant phone calls from parents, and, with the passage
of years and her increased number of grandchildren, she
really wanted a job where she could just take off sometimes
without knowing that she was causing havoc to the principal,
her students and the other teachers.
"I decided that I wanted to become an interior decorator,"
says Channie. "But I was nervous that maybe, it wasn't worth
investing all the time and money needed to study this
profession. What if I wouldn't be any good at it? Teaching,
I knew I could do."
Then a friend told her about the Chareidi Center for
Technological Studies, with high level professional studying
in a frum atmosphere with women attending only in the
mornings and men at night.
Since professional study is pursued primarily to gain
credentials to support one's family, special aptitude tests
were designed especially for the Chareidi Center. These
unique psychometric tests rate a student's propensity for
success in a particular field before any time or money is
invested in study.
"It's a wonderful place," says Channie. "A warm, helpful,
yet very professional environment. The teachers offer the
kind of direction and learning I was looking for. And I
enjoy the student mix of post high school girls with
grandmothers from every type of Orthodox background and from
many origins."
Established in 1996 with haskomos from gedolim
and 35 students, the Center's student body today has grown
to over 1200. Branches already exist in Jerusalem, Bnei
Brak, Ashdod, Betar Ilit and Kiryat Sefer, with requests for
additional ones as new chareidi communities sprout up
throughout Eretz Yisroel.
Now women who were secretaries for years or who worked as
saleswomen are able to upgrade to better paying, more
satisfying jobs, many in areas of hi-tech. Since over 54% of
Israel's chareidim live below the official poverty
line (vs. only 24% of Israel's Arab population, according to
a research study conducted by Bank of Israel's Dr. Mumi
Dehan for the Jerusalem Institute), more and more people are
looking for (re)training. The increased salaries mean less
hours of work and thus, more time for home and children.
Yet there is more: as family size increases, a husband
sometimes feels a need to consider augmenting his
kollel check. Since it was impossible to stay in
kollel while getting quality training for a
profession, some men unfortunately were forced to leave
kollel due to force of circumstances. The Chareidi
Center for Technological Studies made it possible to stay in
kollel as well as to study in an Orthodox environment
for a profession by inaugurating special night classes for
men.
Now 25-35 year-old heads of households, who needed but could
not get training for decent paying jobs, can reeive
professional degrees in a proper environment after
kollel hours to eventually help support themselves
and their families in a respectable manner. The higher
salaries they will receive means less hours on the job and,
therefore, more time available for Torah study.
"We have made a tremendous Kiddush Hashem," says Director
General Rabbi Yechezkel Fogel. "Our students have proven
themselves to be well qualified, capable, honest, reliable,
and highly motivated employees. In fact, major Israeli
corporations and hi-tech companies actually call us to see
who and how many students will soon be graduating."
The Rambam says, "There are eight levels of charity... and
the highest is helping a man to help himself." Rabbi Fogel
sees that as the motto of the Chareidi Center for
Technological studies.
For additional information, contact the Chareidi Center
for Technological Studies, 236 Jaffa Rd., Jerusalem. Tel.
972-2-500- 2569; E-mail: mcharedi@inter.net.il.
