Rabbi Pinchas Cohen, a lecturer at Ono Academic College, was Israel’s first Ultra-Orthodox truancy officer, and is considered an expert on youth at-risk. In an article in today’s Israel National News, he asserts that more and more ultra-Orthodox Israelis are enrolling in institutions of higher education and finding that it does not jeopardize their religious level. Cohen concludes saying:
As both a proud member of the ultra-Orthodox community and a college lecturer, it is clear to me that equity in higher education is just the beginning. The more the ultra-Orthodox community interacts with the rest of the Israeli population on campus, at work, and in all other areas of life, the easier it will be for us to shed our preconceived notions of each other and make real and meaningful connections. Indeed, our national stability and societal health depends upon our ability to truly accept one another.
We are already brothers, so it’s high time that we become friends.
The full article can be found at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22970
