Hasidic Women Train for Jobs

In the Hasidic world, it’s traditional for men to spend their time studying Talmud at donor-supported institutions that provide them with a small stipend (not much more than $300 a month) while their wives take care of running the household. With the recession, donations have fallen off, leaving already large-families with even less income. Daniel Estrin reports that in Jerusalem the situation has motivated some ultra-Orthodox women to undertake job training at rabbi-approved institutions where they learn how to be hairdressers, make-up artists, and events photographers, trades always in demand for the community’s various celebrations—weddings, brises, and bar mitzvahs. Some also are learning computer skills, a particular challenge for people who, in a few cases, have never before seen a computer. “At first I was very scared to touch the keys,” Devorah Ozeri said. “I didn’t want it to get a virus from me.”

Ultra-Orthodox Women Go to Work [World Vision Report]