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17 Cheshvan 5761 - November 15, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
The Chareidi Center for Technological Studies
by Tzvia Ehrlich-Klein

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.

 

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