Ultra-Orthodox Leader Defends Autonomy While Benefiting From Secular World

Writer Meirav Alma Saber criticizes Eli Paley, owner of the prominent Haredi weekly Mishpacha, for advocating for Haredi autonomy while his own family enjoys secular education and opportunities. Saber, who grew up in Bnei Brak and lacks formal academic degrees due to religious restrictions, argues that Paley's defense of Haredi life prevents others from accessing the same education and career paths he benefits from. She points out that Paley's children and grandchildren attend institutions with full core curriculum studies, contrasting with the limited education often imposed on the broader Haredi public.

Saber further contends that figures like Paley, along with former MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev, who promoted segregation laws, have themselves benefited from secular education. She highlights instances where family members of prominent rabbis and former ministers, despite publicly opposing secular integration, have children studying in mixed academic settings. Saber accuses Paley of acting as a gatekeeper, censoring content in Mishpacha that challenges the status quo, citing the magazine's publication of a Satmar Rebbe's views against Zionism and its portrayal of an employed Haredi woman as a threat.

The article argues that the concept of a "secular autonomy" that Paley fears being dismantled by a religious government is a myth, as the state's secular education system is not a community institution but a contractual right for all citizens. Saber asserts that the Haredi community is excluded from this contract, while secular Israelis face increasing religious impositions, such as mandatory immersion for civil marriage registration, restrictions on public transportation on Shabbat, and rabbinical court control over divorces.

Saber details the significant economic burden the Haredi community places on the state, including low employment rates among Haredi men, substantial subsidies for yeshivas, and the high cost of kashrut certification. She notes that the state's failure to integrate Haredim into the workforce and military results in billions of shekels in lost economic potential and increased tax burdens. The article concludes by questioning Paley's definition of freedom, suggesting it is reserved for the leadership and their children, not for those denied basic opportunities.