Eliyokim Shtrik on Haredi Employment, Education and Military Service

The ultra-Orthodox sector, the ultra-Orthodox sector, the ultra-Orthodox sector.

I sit there thinking, what will I do, and what will we propose?

The ultra-Orthodox sector, the ultra-Orthodox sector.

This is Elyokim Stark, the new star in the United Torah Judaism party, a member of Israel's Knesset. Elyakim Stark. I have to.

His appearance conveys everything a Hasidic ultra-Orthodox man is supposed to convey.

A hat, a suit, a gartel, what they call the ultra-Orthodox layers.

But Elyokim brings a different life story with him, and therefore his own approach, too.

Do you feel at home here, or are you still, like…

taking in the event? Taking in the event.

I wouldn't say I feel at home, no, but I feel comfortable.

Blessed are You who has kept us alive and sustained us.

I am honored to serve as a public emissary, to help the general public, especially young people.

He expects you not to say the wrong things, because you're not really talking to me authentically in any way right now.

No? No, that's—please, sit down. I'm talking to you.

By the way, which member of Knesset was here before—last time?

Who was here before? Ayman Odeh, I think.

I came here and was moved, and I wasn't ashamed of being moved.

I feel I was given the opportunity and the chance to be in this sphere, in this role.

I was born in Belgium, and at sixteen and a half I came here to Israel to study.

I got married here and immigrated to Israel, because my wife lives here.

That’s the local custom, to follow the wife.

Much has already been said about the ultra-Orthodox way of life abroad.

Unlike in Israel, there they study Torah, but they also work, move around the diamond exchanges and study core subjects.

Eliokim knows this system firsthand, and unlike other ultra-Orthodox elected officials, he doesn’t ignore the ultra-Orthodox challenge facing the state.

There, you know, the breadwinners, the Jews went to the exchange.

I grew up with, uh, my grandparents. They were all Jews who got up at three or four in the morning and studied for hours during the day, but they all made a living.

Here in Israel, the ultra-Orthodox are indeed a minority, but to this minority, it’s a much bigger, broader, and more significant minority.

Does that worry you? It doesn’t worry me, but it calls for some thought beyond— I mean, Belgium’s economy won’t be affected by the ultra-Orthodox Jews living in Antwerp.

They really are a tiny minority within a minority within a minority.

The ultra-Orthodox Jews here in Israel, the minority, influence the country, They influence its economy, its indices, all those things.

Who will be the engineers and doctors of the State of Israel in 2050?

Do you, as a member of Knesset, have a plan?

It all starts with money and ends with money.

I want to focus on the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of young ultra- Orthodox people desperate for job opportunities.

We have to help them. There will be thousands more here, if not tens of thousands of families earning a living.

Do you think ultra-Orthodox people should study core subjects?

If there are ultra-Orthodox people who want to study core subjects, we have to give them the options in a way suited to the ultra-Orthodox community, and I think this is the main challenge for the state to understand: instead of educating the ultra-Orthodox,

it should enable them to have these options in their own way.

The Belz Hasidic community in Israel, which Eliyokim Shtark belongs to, is certainly a trailblazer in this regard.

In recent years, the Belzer Rebbe ordered that his private educational institutions be transferred to the state ultra-Orthodox education system, That's where they study English, math, and civics in full.

On the issue of enlistment, too, Eliyokim takes an independent position.

Do you think Haredim should serve in the army?

There are thousands of Haredim in the army right now, not hundreds, thousands of Haredi Jews, and we need to help them, and I think that's the real message.

The great rabbis of Israel, not one or two, nor three, instructed me.

I asked them, if there are Haredim in the army, should I help them?

They said unequivocally, we need to help them and I'm committed to helping them however I can.

There's no choice but to take the positive things that exist and build on them, move them forward.

Like what? What you can do behind the scenes is truly immeasurably more than what can be done in public.

The moment you publicize something, people start objecting, disruptions begin.

You need to know how to do things without taking credit for them.

And credit doesn't matter to you? Credit matters to me, but, uh, not at the expense of the substance.

People say, "I'm not, not doing it for honor, not for money."

I mean, there’s a saying, you don’t need to— I say, yes, I do want respect, I do want money.

When I feel I’m lacking them, I’ll demand them.

On the Knesset’s celebratory day, Eliokim chose to directly evade the talks between United Torah Judaism and the Change Bloc, but the principle guiding him is not uninteresting.

Can Haredim cooperate with the center-left as a matter of principle?

They have to cooperate with everyone. Do you want to go buy a pastry?

You choose which bakery you go to. In politics, you’re sent to lend a hand, you see the hand, anyone who can help you get there, you cooperate with them.

There are principles the Haredi public stands by.

This notion of cooperation, that I come along, I won’t talk to this one or that one, I won’t even look at this one or that one, won’t say hello to him—I think that’s wrong.

So, you can cooperate with the Arabs, and with— Cooperate? What’s the question?

I’ll give you names, and you briefly tell me what you think.

Torah study. The most sacred value in the world.

Arresting the empty-headed. Stupidity in ignorance, a sin that cannot be dug out.

Haredi women in the Knesset. Seems impossible to pull off.

Benjamin Netanyahu. A great politician. Aryeh Deri. A preacher of Torah, thanks to divine grace.

Yitzhak Goldknopf. A cantor, thanks to divine grace.

Avigdor Lieberman. A very seasoned politician.

Naftali Bennett. I don't know him. Seems like a lousy politician to me.

Yair Lapid. A nice Hungarian. Itamar Ben-Gvir. A troubled but determined guy.

Bnei Yaakov, what an honor! No, no filming. Okay.

Yes, at long last, and with good luck. Yaakov Asher is the new party chairman.

Good luck, man. Amen and amen. May we merit to sanctify God's name. Amen.

Do you have any suras, though? Gabi from the news. Bring it, please.

Wait, wait, wait. And indeed, Israeli politics is waiting for the dramatic decision that United Torah Judaism may make, to join the Change Bloc and replace the government.

I think I'm very good at talking to people, even if they're secular, and finding common ground with every single person.