The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (founded in 1978) is an independent, non-profit think tank, which has been engaged in the study of Jerusalem since its inception. JIIS research covers a vast range of areas of life in Jerusalem: population, economy, education, culture, tourism, environment, and more. Key to our success is our closely guarded integrity, independence, and quality.

The Challenge Israeli society, and the ultra-orthodox (haredi) sector itself, face the important challenge of finding ways to integrate the ultra-orthodox more actively into society while maintaining the communitys traditions and unique lifestyle. Jerusalem reflects a microcosm of Israeli society in this context: with a haredi population of around 200,000 (40% of the citys Jewish population), issues such as education, labor and the ability to work, welfare and poverty, geographical distribution and so on must be addressed as municipal not sectorial matters. These issues trigger profound questions about identity and values, integration and isolation, values and beliefs. In the last decade, Jerusalem has seen seeds of change emerge among its haredi residents regarding vocational training and higher education, employment and entrepreneurship. The changing reality requires both a deep understanding of the haredi sector and the development of new tools to help the authorities define policy. The challenge is to integrate the ultra-orthodox into the fabric of life in Jerusalem in a way that can contribute to the communitys and the citys prosperity and growth.

The Project Plan To map, assess and analyze changes in attitudes and behavior among the ultra-orthodox in several defined focus areas, including haredi access to vocational training/higher education, and consequently earning ability, in Jerusalem; the local labor market; haredi entrepreneurship and consumer patterns, and so on.

Anticipated Products Research papers (including policy recommendations) in 5 main areas:

The haredi family economy and consumer patterns Vocational training and higher education Employment and business entrepreneurship Distribution of the haredi population in Jerusalem Changes in haredi education

Anticipated Impact Enriching knowledge and awareness among those shaping and implementing policy regarding the changes taking place among the citys haredi populationThe creation of infrastructure and knowledge for shaping urban policy that will contribute to the integration of this sector into broader society, contributing to the citys prosperity

Lead Researchers Prof. Amiram Gonen, Dr. Maya Choshen, Israel Kimhi, Rabbi Bezalel Cohen, Dr. Gilad Malach, Dr. Lee Kahaner

Cost The cost of each report: $40,000

Changes to the Ultra-Orthodox Population in Jerusalem