Because most varieties of secular education are frowned upon, few haredim hold professional degrees. Most adult men devote themselves to full-time Torah study, and their wives commonly assume the role of breadwinner. Because most haredim live in single-earner households with large numbers of children, haredi communities are generally characterized by extreme poverty, requiring subsidies from charities and governments in order to subsist. However, in recent years, a new haredi upper-class has emerged, Children of the haredi upper-class attend the same yeshivot as their less-privileged peers, while their parents direct a very large portion of their income to communal charities and funds that support major rabbinic figures and their projects.
When it comes to education, many children studying in ultra-Orthodox schools focus on religious subject matter to the exclusion of a general curriculum. As a result, they lack the basic education needed for vocational training and higher education. There is increasing debate around continuing to provide public funding for schools that do not teach basic subjects such as English, math and more.
When you walk along the main commercial street you can hear English, French, Hebrew, Yiddish and even Spanish. Some of the current residents have arrived within recent years and others, the most orthodox and members of a small anti-Zionist group, refuse to speak Hebrew. They don’t recognize the State of Israel and, therefore, they don’t acknowledge its official language. They are not a majority but they do make their mark. Unlike other neighbourhoods of Jerusalem and Israel, Mea Shearim doesn’t display Israeli flags on windows or doors. The symbol that marks the neighborhood is Judaism, not nationalism. Book stores are fully devoted to religion. Jewish crafts and kosher food are available. Clothing stores offer little variety, most of the clothes are black and look the same.
