JONATHAN ROSENBLUM How It All Began way through both college and law school. themselves in disagreement about how to Dr. Avraham Mattisyahu (Mati) Fuss, By the time he founded the Mercaz proceed. Interestingly, it was Dr. Fuss, who z”l, a successful international commercial Chareidi Institute of Technology, he had had never learned in mainstream Israeli lawyer, went to college at Yeshiva long since escaped the poverty of his yeshivos, who insisted that the first step, University, earned a doctorate in Jewish youth; but from the large number of without which nothing else could history, and received a law degree from collectors who came to his door soliciting proceed, was to gain the haskamos of the New York University. funds just to feed their families, he knew Gedolim. Weinberger feared that formal He had, however, grown up in poverty well how rampant poverty was in the haskamos for what was at that time a and knew its bitter taste. He worked his chareidi community. And he was totally innovative idea would not be determined to do something about it. easily obtained. The best that he hoped When Dr. Tzvi Weinberger, his old for was that the Gedolim would offer their friend and classmate from Yeshivas tacit support for the idea by their silence. Rabbeinu Yaakov Yosef, approached him But Dr. Fuss didn’t agree. Precisely for legal assistance in setting up a small because the idea of vocational training high-tech company in 1994, Dr. Fuss told for chareidim was so new, he knew that it him to put the company on hold and would never succeed without the explicit assist him in setting up a vocational support of the Gedolim. And he trusted training center for chareidi men. Dr. their sagacity and daas Torah. Weinberger was eminently suited for the Dr. Weinberger first approached his task; he was at that time the president of longtime Rav, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo the Jerusalem College of Technology, had Steinmetz, a Vizhnitzer posek in Har Nof, learned as a bachur in Yeshivas Chevron, for his opinion. To his great surprise, and held a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Rabbi Steinmetz greeted the idea with Institute of Technology (MIT). great enthusiasm and agreed to present the concept to Harav Yosef Shalom Gaining the Support Elyashiv, shlita. Of the Gedolim Rav Elyashiv supported the plan and Dr. Weinberger agreed to help, but the even appointed two other respected two friends immediately found Rabbanim to join Rabbi Steinmetz on the (Above) Dr. Mattisyahu Fuss Harav Chaim(Above) Kreiswirth, Dr. Maƫ z”lsyahu, Chief Fuss Rabbi of Antwerp,Harav visiting Chaim Mercaz Kreiswirth in its z”learly, Chief Rabbi years. of Antwerp , visiƟng in Mercaz in its early years. 30 Hamodia May 9, 2012 rabbinical board of the proposed center: his son-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yisraelson, zt”l, and, ybl”c, Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Stern, a leading member of the beis din of Rabbi Shmuel Wosner, shlita. Rabbi Yerachmiel Boyer, who was then the mayor of Bnei Brak, approached Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Schach, zt”l, for his approval, which was also forthcoming. That which had been deemed impossible just a few months earlier had been achieved, especially after Dr. Fuss guaranteed that at every stage of the process he would comply with whatever rabbinical conditions were placed on the new Mercaz. Thus, no man was allowed to sign-up for the new program unless he was at least twenty-three or had received a letter from his Rosh Yeshivah or Rosh Kollel stating that the program would be suitable for him. All classes are given in the evenings so that the students could continue learning Dr. Zvi Weinberger at graduation ceremony. in kollel. Dr. Fuss also insisted that there be no beis medrash or designated room for generally outnumbered the men, though brings groups of students twice a week to prayer at the center, in order to emphasize the numbers are moving closer to parity pursue academic studies in a fully chareidi that Mercaz Chareidi was purely a with each passing year. environment. vocational center and not some sort of Today, Mercaz Chareidi operates five At present, Mercaz Chareidi offers amalgam of secular and religious studies. campuses — in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, thirty different courses, though some are Haifa, Ashdod, and Modiin Ilit, with the only available in Jerusalem and Bnei The Institute Takes Off largest in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. The Brak. These vary from a one-year course Once the crucial rabbinic approbations student body for the current academic leading to certification as a medical were obtained, Dr. Fuss took out his year is over 1,800 (55 percent women and secretary to three-year courses in checkbook and wrote a check for $10,000. 45 percent men). That number has tripled architecture or construction engineering. He would eventually raise or donate over the last four years. (Most of the male students in the latter millions of dollars to the center. The success of Mercaz Chareidi drew courses also require a parallel six-month The Mercaz Chareidi Institute for the attention of the Israeli Council on preparatory program to make up for gaps Technology opened its doors on the Higher Education (MALAG), which in their secular education in mathematics campus of Boys Town in Jerusalem’s Bayit approached Dr. Fuss about the possibility and English.) Mercaz Chareidi is unique Vegan neighborhood in 1996. All of establishing a chareidi college that among those institutions primarily beginnings are hard, and this one was to would offer academic programs from serving the chareidi community in that all prove no exception. The first class Israel’s major universities. Once again, its courses are approved by the Israeli consisted of thirty-five men, and the only after gaining the approval of the government and involve nationally course offerings were limited to Gedolim did Dr. Fuss proceed with this administered exams. bookkeeping and graphic design. project. Prior to registration, each student takes Dr. Fuss soon realized that it made no Today the chareidi college, Mivhar, a thorough aptitude test and has a sense economically to utilize the facilities offers B.A. programs (and some M.A. personal interview to determine such of Mercaz Chareidi only at night, and the programs) in social work and a number of factors as inclinations, degree of next year he opened training programs different types of therapy. It shares a Bnei commitment, and salary aspirations. for women during the day. There was a Brak campus with Mercaz Chareidi and Though the courses are subsidized, tuition significant demand for the women’s serves approximately 1,500 students. At payments of six hundred shekels a month courses, and the women students have least one prominent Jerusalem seminary still represent a substantial commitment Hamodia Inyan Magazine 17 Iyar 5772 31 on the part of the students, most of whom community and helped to refute some only six months, have proven capable of already have families. So it is important prevalent myths. One of those myths was providing students with a working to Mercaz Chareidi to ensure that each that the lack of background in knowledge of English that enables them student will be able to complete his or her mathematics and English — most chareidi to read and comprehend texts, and the chosen course and to use the education to men end their formal math training in equivalent of a three- or four-point high- secure employment. eighth grade and know no English — school matriculation exam in math. The school makes an effort to keep represented an insurmountable barrier to Several students I interviewed said that abreast of the job market and to offer success in technical fields, especially those their instructors have frequently been courses that meet current demands. The where many of the textbooks are in amazed by the rapidity with which they Bnei Brak center, for instance, recently English, such as computer programming pick up the math, even those who started added an industrial design course. Great and networking. with severe deficits — a claim that the emphasis is placed on hiring instructors Students at Mercaz Chareidi have lecturers confirmed. A chassid from Beitar who are active in their fields and have consistently scored in the upper Ilit said that he waited for eight years for extensive experience. For the medical percentiles on national exams for Mercaz Chareidi to offer a civil secretary course, for example, almost all certification in their fields, sometimes engineering course for a second time. He the teachers are doctors. dramatically so. Recently, the students in would not take the course any place else, the construction engineering program but he did not give up on his dream. He Refuting the Stereotypes received grades among the highest added, with a twinkle in his eye, that he From the very beginning, Mercaz median scores on a national test on the and his fellow students often do better on Chareidi demonstrated the untapped properties of cement. the more difficult math tests than on the economic potential of the chareidi The preparatory courses, which run easier ones. “We like a challenge and MosheThe women’s Lieberman, industrial Mercaz design graduate workshop recieving studio. (Inset) outstanding Course coordinatorinnovaƟve Achiaemployee Grizim. award. 32 Hamodia May 9, 2012 Sir Ian Gainsford examining a therapist’s device created for Aleh (disabled children) by women’s Industrial design students Malam purchased Sapirtech, a software company started by Oren Amar, a Mercaz graduate. Judaica created in Industrial Design course study harder for the hard tests,” he said. expensive British computer program served him well, and within a few One of the center’s early graduates, proved incompatible with a specific months Lieberman had unraveled the Moshe Lieberman, is a chassid and father military platform, Lieberman asked if he problem.