“I’m not a conspiracist, but I do recognize a reluctance on the part of the civil service to take in chareidi employees”
This week, Hershkowitz, a respected academic with semichah from Mercaz Harav, found himself dragged into the ugly, escalating fight between Israel’s elected officials and its unelected bureaucrats. Behind the most recent flareup is Likud MK Dudi Amsalem, who holds the portfolio “minister in the Justice Ministry,” urging Hershkowitz to fire Michal Rosenbaum, head of the Government Companies Authority. Amsalem claims Rosenbaum is stonewalling his appointments; she in turn claims Amsalem is foisting unqualified appointees on the system.
In the meantime, the press is on the attack, and protesters are gathering outside Hershkowitz’s home. In a conversation with Mishpacha, he rebuffs the criticism and focuses instead on working chareidim.
“The unique toolbox chareidim bring to the workforce is an invaluable commodity,” he says.
With all due respect to the Rosenbaum-Amsalem feud, a much more pressing concern is on Hershkowitz’s agenda: integrating chareidim into public service. The head of the Civil Service Commission is well aware of the challenges. In 2017, a year before he assumed the role, the government set its quota for chareidi recruitment to the civil service at 7 percent.
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