"Wear a kippa? Unsuitable" • Haredi who wanted to work relates

The rift between the Haredi and secular leaves the Knesset corridors and penetrates the Israeli street: Behadrey Haredim editorial received numerous complaints of haredim who tried to get a job, but were rejected because of their sector.

Shimon Vaknin was born in Tel Aviv and changed his way of life and became haredi, under the influence of Rabbi Shimon Harari. Prior to doing tshuva, he worked in various fields, including waitressing, sales, and more.

After turning Haredi he was looking for a job in his home town at the time, Bat Yam, to find alternative work appropriate to his new lifestyle. To his surprise, his skills and his resume did not help to be accepted. What blocked his option to a source of income was his kippah.

"I went into shops which bore signs outside or inside 'need workers'," says Simon to Behadrey Haredim, "but that was not enough to pave my way in. There were some shop owners who did not refrain from throwing me in the face: "You're wearing a yarmulke, not for us." I was terribly hurt. Will I not excel at work because of my kippah? Does it prevent me from doing my work faithfully? On the contrary."

Vaknin also tried his luck in Tel Aviv, but there too the phenomenon repeated itself. The kippah on his head was a buffer to receiving a job. The only place which was willing to accept Vaknin was the Postal Authority, and to use him as a postman: "I was told that since I'm walking around on the street and I don't have to serve customers, they don't mind my kippah."

Currently, Vaknin is studying all day, but still expects to be able to find a job to combine Torah with Derech Eretz.

Vaknin's story came to the 'Works for Haredim' organization, which helps with employment solutions for the haredi public, and is currently trying to adjust a place of work for him.

Avigdor Rabinowitz , CEO of 'Works for Haredim' says in response that during his daily assistance in finding jobs he often encounters difficulties posed by employers on haredi employees.

"Unfortunately, today the job market has a negative opinion about the haredi employee. We have the obligation to prove that there are many in the haredi sector who want to enter the labor market and the haredi employee is dedicated and responsible at the highest levels," says Rabinowitz.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!