Growth of State-Haredi Education Stream Slows, Hindering Haredi Draft Integration Efforts
The state-Haredi education stream (Mamlachti-Haredi, or Memach) continues to expand but far more slowly than anticipated. For the upcoming school year, the number of Memach schools is expected to rise modestly from 120 to 128, with student enrollment increasing by 2,000 to 36,600. Kindergarten classes are projected to grow by 12.5%, from 400 to 450. This contrasts sharply with two years ago when Memach saw a surge of 30 new institutions and about 10,000 new students in a single year, partly driven by some Hasidic groups transferring their schools to Memach to secure full core curriculum funding, including for special education.
The Haredi education sector comprises four types of institutions: Memach, party-affiliated Haredi networks (Agudat Yisrael’s Independent Education and Shas’s Bnei Yosef), recognized but unofficial schools, and exempt institutions. The party-affiliated networks receive equal funding to Memach under a controversial budget law clause deemed discriminatory by Israel’s Supreme Court, which nonetheless upheld it due to constitutional protections for religious practices. Memach was established in 2014 by Education Minister Shai Piron to offer an alternative funding model after legal opinions ruled that party-affiliated networks could not be denied equal funding without an alternative.
Two main factors have driven Memach’s growth: a rising population of modern Haredim seeking core curriculum education for their children, and strong Haredi leadership groups moving schools into Memach to gain budget increases. However, this growth has stalled, with only 12 new schools added in 2022-23 and eight this year. Challenges include difficulties integrating students from different Haredi streams, concerns among modern Haredi parents about religious standards, and competition from nearby Haredi schools improving their core curriculum to retain students.
Shai Piron, now head of the organization Penima, attributes much of the slowdown to political obstacles, including the appointment of a Shas minister in the Education Ministry who opposed Memach expansion, and municipal leaders reluctant to open Memach schools due to pressure from Haredi coalition partners. Dr. Tali Farkash, director of Friends of Memach, highlights legal and bureaucratic barriers, noting that unlike other state education streams, Memach is not legally mandated to open schools based on demand. The Supreme Court has urged the Knesset to regulate Memach’s status, but political realities have prevented this.
Experts warn that without strengthening Memach, the broader issue of integrating Haredim into the workforce and military service will remain unresolved. Piron states that sending a child to a Haredi education system controlled by political-religious figures and then expecting military enlistment at 18 is unrealistic. He concludes that ending draft evasion depends on expanding Memach and its core curriculum.
