A new venture is seeking to integrate haredim (ultra-orthodox Jews) in the labor market, especially in high tech. Work for Haredim in High Tech, a joint haredi-secular venture, seeks to help haredim seeking work in industry by creating ties and collaborations with relevant large companies and start-ups.
The venture, founded by social entrepreneur Avigdor Rabinovich and Guy Katzovich, the manager of a high-tech company, will work under a corresponding project that Rabinovich founded a year ago, Work for Haredim. The project has helped 400 haredim find work.
The contact with jobseekers is mainly via social networks on the basis of word-of-mouth, and a personal response is provided for each inquiry. "Our goal is to provide a focused and unique response that fits the character of haredi society," says Rabinovich. "We're talking about a community that is mainly based on personal ties. We're trying to offer haredim in this society who want to enter the labor market a slightly different solution - personal and courteous, as well as very fast and professional."
The activity is a non-profit organization, and the mediation between the workers and the employers is handled directly, without collecting any brokers fee from either party.
"From my conversations with Avigdor and his friends, I realized that many of them want to work, but face problems and unreceptiveness, especially from secular companies. Bringing haredim into the workforce will increase the number of workers and increase GDP by many billions of shekels, says Katzovich.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 10, 2014
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