A poll conducted by the Knesset Research and Information center shows that Hareidi-religious Jews and immigrants to Israel are widely discriminated against in hiring by local authorities around the country. In a Thursday session held by the Knesset's Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, the findings of the report helped convince the committee to amend a new anti-discrimination bill to include the two demographic groups.
According to the poll, only 10 of the 4,623 people employed by the Haifa Municipality are Hareidi, and only 5% of the Ashdod municipality workforce consists of new immigrants, even though some 35% of the city’s residents are recent immigrants. The study, which looked at figures from eight municipalities, found that while Hareidim comprise 2% of Israel’s population, they represent only 0.2% of municipality employees nationwide.
The figures also show that the presence of new immigrants in municipality workforces is also half of their total demographic percentage. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv the numbers are more favorable to new immigrants. The Jerusalem municipality currently has 390 workers who are recent immigrants, while in Tel Aviv the number stands at 609. These numbers are still relatively low.
The disparity for new immigrants can be attributed partially to the fact that many of them do not have the Hebrew skills necessary for government jobs. However, there was apparently enough evidence of active discrimination against new immigrants to prompt Knesset to add new immigrants, as well as Hareidi Jews, to the new list of demographic groups that are named in the anti-discriminatory bill, after women, Israeli Arabs and the disabled.
The bill has already passed preliminary readings in the Knesset plenum, and the two new groups were added following Thursday’s committee meeting.
After the presentation of the study’s findings, MK Ophir Pines (Labor) called for another, more comprehensive study of the employment of Hareidim, as well as the handicapped. “When sectors are equally employed by the municipalities, the service provided to the residents will be egalitarian,” he said.
Moshe Gafni, another MK from United Torah Judaism, spoke at the committee session. He said that Hareidim, many of whom his party represents, are “the most discriminated against publicly. We are accused of being parasites who don’t want to work, when in actuality, Hareidi applicants are being turned down.”
According to the poll, only 10 of the 4,623 people employed by the Haifa Municipality are Hareidi, and only 5% of the Ashdod municipality workforce consists of new immigrants, even though some 35% of the city’s residents are recent immigrants. The study, which looked at figures from eight municipalities, found that while Hareidim comprise 2% of Israel’s population, they represent only 0.2% of municipality employees nationwide.
The figures also show that the presence of new immigrants in municipality workforces is also half of their total demographic percentage. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv the numbers are more favorable to new immigrants. The Jerusalem municipality currently has 390 workers who are recent immigrants, while in Tel Aviv the number stands at 609. These numbers are still relatively low.
The disparity for new immigrants can be attributed partially to the fact that many of them do not have the Hebrew skills necessary for government jobs. However, there was apparently enough evidence of active discrimination against new immigrants to prompt Knesset to add new immigrants, as well as Hareidi Jews, to the new list of demographic groups that are named in the anti-discriminatory bill, after women, Israeli Arabs and the disabled.
The bill has already passed preliminary readings in the Knesset plenum, and the two new groups were added following Thursday’s committee meeting.
After the presentation of the study’s findings, MK Ophir Pines (Labor) called for another, more comprehensive study of the employment of Hareidim, as well as the handicapped. “When sectors are equally employed by the municipalities, the service provided to the residents will be egalitarian,” he said.
Moshe Gafni, another MK from United Torah Judaism, spoke at the committee session. He said that Hareidim, many of whom his party represents, are “the most discriminated against publicly. We are accused of being parasites who don’t want to work, when in actuality, Hareidi applicants are being turned down.”