Israel operate within his own community, leaving the fold is not limited to the moment, Boaz is not in any educa- where he knows everyone. In this way Dati Leumi (National Religious) sec- tional framework and spends his time the problem spreads more quickly. A tor; Chareidi youth in Israel “go off hanging out at Kikar Tzion in year ago, only two teens were taking the derech” as well. However, because Jerusalem. “Society and the establish- drugs in a certain small Yesha communi- Chareidim live in a more closed soci- ment look upon me as a loser and that ty. Today there are 15” (March, 2002). ety, the issues facing such teens and is exactly what I am—a loser, worth- A significant percentage of the kids their families are different. Thus, for less,” Boaz says. from Yesha communities are treated at example, Chareidi teens who drop out Romano says that a religious teenag- the Returno Center in Beit Shemesh. tend to do so with great secrecy so as er who drops out of school and takes Danny,* who grew up in a small com- not to affect the shidduchim of the rest on a secular lifestyle differs from a sec- KIKARISTIMKIKARISTIM munity in Yesha, has been at Returno of the children in the family. ular teen who drops out of school. since the beginning of the year. According to experts working in the When a religious teen enters the secu- Danny’s mother, Malka, recalls that field, the reasons for the rise in the lar world, he experiences total freedom her son first began exhibiting odd number of disaffected youth are var- and feels that rules and regulations no ComeCome HomeHome behavior when he was in 8th grade. ied. Some attribute it to the tense longer apply to him. Thus, he can eas- “Our blinders were firmly in place. All security situation; others believe that ily find himself abusing drugs and get- By Sara Bedein of a sudden, religion became last on the state religious school system is to ting involved in petty crime to support the list. There was no more getting up blame. There is often stiff competition his habit. The scenario for girls is more to daven….Danny would sleep until to get into a “good” yeshivah high severe. Under the influence of drugs, the afternoon and stay up until it was school or ulpanah (high school for girls become easy prey and are subject almost dawn. When he would stagger girls). “The state religious school sys- to rape; in order to support their into the house totally stoned we would tem tends to be elitist and academic,” habit, they may even engage in prosti- tell ourselves that he was just ‘exhausted’ stated Dr. Stuart Chesner, the founder tution. from his night out. He had a new set of of Bnei Chayil, a yeshivah for students Many of the formerly religious friends who dressed and behaved simi- with learning disabilities, in a recent youth, also known as datlashim (an Their appearance gives them away: larly. There were extreme mood swings, article in The Jerusalem Post .3 Those acronym for dati l’sheavar, formerly The boys typically have spiky or long hair; the girls have multiple body When a religious teen enters the secular world, he experiences total piercings and hair colored in unnatural hues. freedom and feels that rules and regulations no longer apply to him.

and a lot of anger was thrown our way. who don’t get accepted into the religious) are also disillusioned with th th They are Israel’s street youth, a and roughly 5 percent of 9 -11 out there on the street that we have We found excuses for every bit of unac- schools of their choice endure feelings religious life. They frequently see reli- number of whom were formerly graders are dropping out of school— contact with, 40 percent are religious. ceptable behavior, telling ourselves that of rejection, which at times can lead to gious practice as dull and irrelevant to From that 40 percent, fully 90 percent Orthodox but who, for one reason or and religious students are dropping this rebellion was just an adolescent depression. Rejected from school after contemporary life. Moreover, too 1 of them come from settlements.”2 another, call the streets of Jerusalem out at the same rate as secular ones. phase and would soon blow over. school, some students are compelled to often, they fail to receive adequate With the outbreak of the current home, often falling victim to drugs, Indeed, Jerusalem’s Zion Square (Kikar “Our delusions ended after Danny apply to third- and fourth-rate high answers to the questions they ask—if promiscuity and violence. Having Tzion), which has become a hangout intifada, many youth find solace in went to visit his grandparents for schools. This can wreak havoc with a they are allowed to ask at all. dropped out of school, they leave for rebellious youth, attracts hundreds drugs and other forms of escapism. In Shabbat. We went away for the week- student’s self-esteem. Rabbi Daniel Tropper, director of home without means of support, and of dropouts from across the country. a recent article in Nekuda, the Yesha end as well and when we returned Children with learning difficulties Gesher, an organization dedicated to oftentimes have little if any relation- So many youth have, in fact, taken to [Judea, Samaria and Gaza] monthly home Saturday night, Danny wasn’t have an even harder time. Many par- religious-secular dialogue, describes the ship with their families. dwelling in Kikar Tzion that locals have magazine, Rabbi Eitan Eckstein, direc- there but the house reeked of smoke. ents cite the fact that there are simply datlash phenomenon as one of the According to Israel’s Central Bureau coined a term for them: “Kikaristim.” tor of the Returno Rehabilitation When I got home from work Sunday not enough high schools that specialize effects of postmodernism on the reli- of Statistics, 10.4 percent of 17-year olds Center for Addictions, was quoted as afternoon, I found Danny sleeping in in learning disabilities. Thus, students gious community. “It is very difficult saying: “Usually the emotional distress Ms. Bedein is a writer and translator The Root of the Problem my bed, fully clothed with his shoes with learning problems are often com- to be a religious person in a world whose articles have appeared in the which leads to drugs comes from with- on—he smelled like a corpse. I made pelled to attend mainstream schools where there is no final authority,” he Jewish Spectator, Intermountain in the family, society or the communi- him get up and then suddenly it hit where they are inevitably singled out explains.4 “During the last year, there has been ty of the teen. In the Yesha communi- me. Danny’s eyes were as red as a bat’s. as failures. Avi Romano, a youth work- Others blame the philosophy of Jewish News, The Canadian Jewish a worrisome rise in the number of ties there is also the security factor, News as well as various other publica- youth from the settlements who roam He was not able to walk straight and er who specializes in dealing with Religious Zionism. One instructor in a tions. She lives with her husband and around [Jerusalem] with nothing to which brings with it uncertainty and kept walking into the wall. He finally dropouts, tells of one of his boys by Jerusalem yeshivah notes, “Religious six children in Efrat. Menachem Persoff, do,” according to Noam Hess, confusion. managed to stumble out the door and the name of Boaz. A 14-year-old who Zionism’s educational thrust is on director of the Seymour J. Abrams OU Jerusalem coordinator of ELEM, an “Another problem, especially in the I alerted my husband that we had a doesn’t have the head for Talmud or nationalism, meaning that a personal Jerusalem World Center, assisted in organization that provides services for small Yesha communities, is that a drug problem on our hands.” math, Boaz was rejected from every connection with God is underempha- researching this article. troubled youth. “Of the 1,000 youths teenage drug dealer finds it easier to Of course, the problem of youth high school he applied to. At the sized. When a young person questions

Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION youth seem to question more. Indeed, here [hangouts such as Kikar Tzion] Romano recruits youth by initiating SnapshotSnapshot ofof aa problems seem to arise when mitzvot are problematic kids whose parents a conversation with them and asking performance is rote and superficial, don’t want them home anymore… for their names and phone numbers; akin to table manners: We eat with a there are also kids who come to Israel slowly a relationship is formed. fork and knife and we make a with their families…leaving behind “Usually the kids are eager to talk. SpecialSpecial DadDad berachah over the food. their friends in America. They don’t There are not many adults who take By Sara Bedein Romano believes that in order to want to be here. They don’t get accli- an interest in what they are doing and instill an abiding emunah in our mated at school because they don’t want to know what they think. These youth, we must employ “the same pick up the language. Here…they kids are normally shunned by the him into a rehabilitation center except for me. I want- Though his five sons are all grown, Rabbi Mordechai methods used to teach a secular person meet other kids like them and…escape adults in the community, who also Scharf, 57, is still a full-time dad. Rabbi Scharf and his ed to have a go with him first. He eventually became who comes to hear about Judaism for through drugs.... All the kids come warn their own children to keep away. wife, Shoshana, are busy caring for their two foster chil- clean [from drugs].” the first time.” Furthermore, the mis- from good homes. There is a lot of Ultimately the kids are looking for dren, ages 12 and 18. Rabbi Scharf also works to reconcile foster children with take, according to Romano, is when money floating. A kid can come to someone to hear them out, even Over the past 30 years, the Scharfs, residents of Efrat, their families. “After weeks of my badgering the father of “our children are forced to study many Israel even though he hates Israel and though outwardly they may put on a have provided a home to over 20 troubled teens no longer one my kids to spend some time with his son, he took him hours of Torah and Talmud when Judaism but his parents promised that hostile pose,” says Romano. welcomed in their own parents’ homes. The Scharfs have out for a hamburger and a movie. The teen came back so often they do not possess even a basic if he goes they’ll buy him a Porsche at Romano and Riskin are great believ- cared for up to three foster teens at one happy. I said to him, ‘I bet it’s been a long faith in God.” the end of the year” (May 31, 2002). ers in using music as a therapeutic time. “A child in trouble breaks my time since you did such a thing with your heart,” says Rabbi Scharf. “But the child Dad.’ He told me that this was the first has to want to help himself. Some kids time his Dad had ever taken him out.” ÒWe need to stop seeing every doubter as an apostate and are not ready to do this.” Rabbi Scharf has always made fami- Though the foster children’s parents ly a top priority. When his wife every questioner as a heretic.Ó pay a small stipend to the Scharfs, the decided to go to nursing school at the money barely covers the expenses. age of 40, Rabbi Scharf retired early Some teens stay at the Scharfs’ only a so that he could dedicate himself full- The Anglo Factor A Response Takes Shape tool. The clubhouse has an assortment week; others, a few years. Regardless of time to his children who ranged from Many of those who end up on the While in the past many communi- of musical instruments and Riskin is the duration of their stay, the Scharfs age 7 to 22 at the time. In the morn- street are the Anglo children of olim, ties in Yesha were in denial about the in the process of forming a band with try to stay in touch with all their foster ings, Rabbi Scharf would attend a according to Karen Green, a social growing number of troubled youth in the local talents. Romano plays a wide variety of African drums and, together children, some of whom are already kollel which he helped found, but worker who is the director of Tzomet their midst, some progress is being (crossroads), a drop-in center for made: The Shomron Regional with the youth, produces some very parents themselves. made sure to be home everyday at Rabbi Mordechai Scharf estranged youth located opposite Kikar Council, with 33 communities under beautiful music. He hopes to provide “A number of years ago, we had 1:00 PM to greet his children with a Tzion. Green explains that aliyah can its jurisdiction, is intensifying its them with professional music lessons hot lunch and a listening ear. a 17-year-old foster kid from the North who was be very difficult for young children. efforts to deal with wayward youth. and get them to the level where they kicked out of his parents’ house and sent to us,” says Rabbi Scharf attributes his great knack with children to “Some kids, who came on aliyah with Programs involving rabbis, youth can put on performances, thereby Rabbi Scharf. “Shortly before he came to us, he got in his parents. “My father taught me how important it is to their parents, never mastered Hebrew counselors, social workers and educa- greatly raising their self-esteem. trouble with drugs and was taken to prison. For some spend a lot of time with your kids. As a kid, I remember or integrated into Israeli society. Many tors have been created. Additionally, Additionally, this summer Romano time during his stay, he had to be in ma’atzar bayit the excitement of getting up 3:00-4:00 AM on Sundays to of the kids have the same problems as the Council has created prevention is planning a seminar at the Ascent (home custody); I took full responsibility for him. I go golfing with my father. We did lots of father-and-son inner-city kids: learning disabilities programs geared to nipping the prob- Center in Tzfat where the teens will escorted him to his day job–he was a delivery boy at a things together which created strong bonds….” and behavioral and emotional prob- lem in the bud. enjoy a blend of soul music concerts, local supermarket. When he was home, he was under Rabbi Scharf shares his expertise on parenting on a radio show lems…and the additional burden of Under the banner “Zero Dealers, day trips, bonfires, dipping in the Zero Users,” the Efrat City Council mikveh of the Ari at dawn, and discus- my complete supervision. Everybody wanted to put he hosts called “Teenagers in Turbulent Times.” adjusting to a new culture and lan- guage.” Tzomet helps these youth get declared war on the drug problem. sions with ba’alei teshuvah. their high school diplomas, find hous- Pamphlets on the topic were distrib- In addition to these informal pro- ing and turn over a new leaf. uted in mailboxes, lectures were deliv- grams for dropouts, a number of his beliefs regarding nationalism, it of six years, Fisherman conducted in- they learned from their parents. There The streets also attract Anglo teens ered and other community projects are schools have been established. Lachan, jeopardizes everything else.” depth interviews with hundreds of were no questions. In my parents’ whose parents sent them to study in in the making. for example, which is located in Efrat, One individual who has attempted to religious high school dropouts. home they were taught that this is the Israel in the hopes that doing so would Romano, who was hired by the Efrat attracts students from the entire Gush address the problem from a theoretical Fisherman notes, “We need to stop way of life. It is not something they miraculously resolve their problems. A Council to address the problem, meets Etzion area who have dropped out of perspective is Shraga Fisherman, acade- seeing every doubter as an apostate came to on their own. They were not recent article in the Maariv daily with youth at a clubhouse started three the formal educational system. mic dean of Michlelet Orot Yisrael, and and every questioner as a heretic.” like Avraham Avinu who one day newspaper featured Harvey, 19, who years ago by Yoni Riskin, the son of Founded by Riskin and Avi Yossef, the author of the pioneering book, Fisherman quotes Ayal, who is no looked at the sun and decided that made aliyah with his family when he Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. At the club- both of whom are 28, the school’s Noar Hakippot Hazerukot, or The Youth longer religious. “My parents were there was a God” (125). was 10 years old. “The Americans house, youth play shesh-besh (backgam- appeal lies in its charismatic principals. of the Discarded Kippot. Over a period raised as believers and believed what But unlike Ayal’s parents, today’s between the ages of 15-18 who come mon), ping-pong or watch a movie. “Two years ago, Avi and I got the

Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION Fall 5763/2002 JEWISH ACTION approval of the Efrat City Council to to go for probation appointments with school. We used to get into a lot of open Lachan,” says Riskin. “We start- the police. We had the schedule hang- fights with Gadi about everything Welcome to the Zula ed out with six students and today we ing in the teachers’ room for reference. from his slack in religious practice to By Sara Bedein ÒSome kids, who came on aliyah with their parents, never mastered Hebrew or integrated into Twelve years ago, Harel Hetzroni, 33, went through “Hetzroni’s Zula,” as it is known, is open a few nights Israeli societyÉ.Ó what many datlashim (formerly religious youth) are a week and Motzei Shabbat all night long. Every Motzei going through today. A yeshivah graduate, Hetzroni Shabbat more than 100 youth arrive. They settle down have 27, with people knocking on our Now, there is only one student who the way he dressed and what he was entered the Israeli army; by the end of his service, he was on cushions that line the floor and play drums and gui- doors from communities throughout still meets with a probation officer.” smoking. Things are a lot calmer now no longer wearing a kippah. tars until dawn. Often, storytelling is interspersed with Yesha.” Riskin and Yossef also plan on creat- at home and as Gadi’s self-esteem “I had no problem with religion itself,” says Hetzroni, the music. Occasionally, the Zula invites special guests Riskin and Yossef spent many hours ing a petting zoo to give the teens improves, he is dropping a lot of the who today sports tzitzit over his clothes and a black beard. including musicians, inspiring Chassidic storytellers, lec- devising a creative formula that would responsibility over the livestock. negative behavior that was so much a “I knew I was doing bad things, but the streets were very turers and lately even some rabbis. motivate their students to complete Moreover, the petting zoo will be open part of him.” tempting. I was unable to resist the temptation. I worked Not too long ago, many of the datlashim who frequent high school and receive their matricu- to visitors, enabling the teens to inter- Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the as a D.J. at a disco and I got as low as you can get.” the Zula would shudder at the mere mention of the lation certificate. They came up with a act with community members. “This former chief rabbi of Israel, once Hetzroni’s turning point occurred at the disco one word “rabbi.” Hetzroni remembers how rabidly anti-reli- four-day school week; small, individu- interaction will allow them to see the said that in every generation, the night when the patrons were particularly wild. “It’s like I gious they were. But after spending a few months in the alized classes (some classes have only kids in a different light,” said Riskin. methods for teaching Judaism need suddenly woke up from a bad dream…. I said to myself, Zula atmosphere, the youth often arrive at the conclu- three students) and afternoon courses Shani, the mother of Gadi, an 11th to be made relevant to that particu- ‘What has become of us?’ ‘Have we become like ani- sion that the problem is not so much with religion as it that take place outside of the class- grader at Lachan, describes how the lar age. It seems like Lachan and mals?’ Have we no shame?’” is in the way it was presented to them. room including agriculture, photogra- school impacted her son: “All through other outreach programs are attempting Hetzroni slowly began returning to Torah life. But he Hetzroni, who was dubbed by one Israeli newspaper phy, computers, art and music. There school Gadi has been a troublemaker. to do just that. JA maintained his connections with the disco and street “the Israel Center’s Pied Piper,” genuinely accepts and are a few basic rules that the students He was kicked out of two schools youth in an attempt to influence them. befriends the teens who hang out at the Zula. “If you must abide by: no drugs, no alcohol, before he went to Lachan….Lachan *Names of youth have been changed In May 2000, in response to the death by overdose of want to change these kids,” says Hetzroni, “You must no violence. Boys must wear kippot fits him like a glove….Most of the to protect their privacy. an 18-year-old formerly religious teenager—a popular accept them as they are. This does not mean that I agree but aside from that, anything goes: kids who go there carry around a lot member of Jerusalem’s Kikar Tzion crowd—the Seymour with their lifestyles—and they know this, but the first long ponytails, dyed hair, earrings, of negative baggage after years of Notes J. Abrams OU World Jerusalem Center in Israel joined step in influencing them is accepting and loving them.” body piercing, etc. Issues such as drugs being forced into a mold that was 1. Gail Lichtman, “Where Dropouts with Hetzroni to create the Zula, a den in downtown and alcohol are open for discussion at unsuitable for them. Finally, here is a Drop In,” The Jerusalem Post Jerusalem. There Kikaristim socialize after the pubs and Menachem Persoff, director of the Seymour J. Abrams OU Lachan. “We confront the problems school that has made every effort to Magazine, April 19, 2002, 16-19. discos close for the night. (A zula, which originated in Jerusalem World Center, assisted with this article. 2. Effie Me’ir, “We Are Already Lost,” head on and have many discussions on mold itself to fit the students’ needs. Turkey, is a tent with colorful rugs and Turkish coffee, a trans. David Derovan, Iton the topics,” said Riskin. “I can’t say Gadi, who had to be dragged out of place where people come to relax after work.) Yerushalayim—HaMusaf, Adar 3, 5762. A rabbi addresses teenagers at the Zula at 2:00 AM while madrichim that we are 100 percent clean but we bed every morning to attend school, (advisors) look on. 3. Lichtman, 16-19. are getting there. When the school first jumps out of bed nowadays, con- 4. Cited in, Michale S. Arnold, “Let My opened almost all of our students had cerned that he might be late for Kippa Go,” The Jerusalem Post, July 30, 1999. ersoff enachem P M tesy of hoto cour P

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