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Prey, work, study Torah
In this article, Prof. Shlomo Maital discusses the integration of ultra-Orthodox society into the labor force in Israel, the historical circumstances that led to the current situation, and the various incentives that are pushing more Haredi men to join the labor force, concurrently to their torah studies
The illusion of the “National Plan 38”: Earthquake reinforcement is just an excuse for economic profits
The plan to reinforce buildings against earthquakes – National Master Plan 38 – creates an illusion of “readiness” but because it is economically feasible only in areas of high land prices, it contains an inevitable preference for better-off regions in Israel. These, it so happens, are less prone to earthquakes. In practice, NMP 38 is mainly a tool for the upgrading the value of non-substandard units through permission to add a few additional units to each building. Ostensibly, the plan “does no harm” but in fact it takes away tax revenues from less affluent areas of cities and destabilizes stable neighborhoods. To date, there is no a national program of expenditures for reinforcement according to real earthquake risks, not only for housing, but also for public buildings, roads and bridges.
Baby Boom
AN UNUSUAL Israeli reality TV series is about “one of the most intimate moments of [young couples’] lives. It’s a hospital delivery room….” I doubt there is anything like it on foreign television. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis watch the program.
There are a great many blessings that building a life and a family in Israel confers. Babies are a major one. Over the past 12 months, 177,000 babies were born in Israel. Each one is a tiny blessing.
I have traveled the world ,I was always struck by the paucity of babies and pregnant women. All of East Asia, Europe and North America are experiencing birthrates that are below replacement level, i.e. 2.1 births per woman. Even Iran and Brazil are on this list. But Israel: 3.1 births per woman! Baby boom.
Hatikva-The Real Story behind Israel’s anthem
In this article, Shlomo Maital reviews the history of the Israeli anthem Hatikvah – the history of the writing of the anthem, the history of its words and music, and other (surprising) historical connections (Herzl hated it). In addition, Maital reviews the attitude of Israeli society and the Zionist movement to this anthem, which dates back a half century before the State of Israel was founded.
Speaking truth to power
One of the key foundations of democracy is under assault, in Israel and the US. It is the ability of experts to speak truth to power and the willingness of political leaders to listen to what they say.
In the US, President Donald Trump appointed Larry Kudlow as head of his National Economic Council. Kudlow thus becomes a key architect of US economic policy. Many believe he will speak power to truth, rather than truth to power. In Israel, Finance Minister Kahlon may not reappoint Bank of Israel Governor Flug, in November, because she has dared to criticize his housing policies, by speaking truth to power.
what lies ahead in 2018?
In this paper, Prof. Shlomo Mei-Tal reviews the important statistics and trends in the Israeli economy in 2017, and the forecasts for the changes that are expected to affect the economy in 2018
Opportunity for national civic service for Arabs
The fact that the Board of Arab Mayors started to discuss the establishment of Arab youth volunteering should be welcomed. Integration of Arabs in the National Civic Service would benefit everyone; however it should not be forced.
Mightier than the dollar
The shekel continues to soar, making exports more costly, but Israel’s economy remains strong, defying the doomsayers
ALIBABA! SABABA!
In this article, Prof. Shlomo Maital analyzes Israel’s influence on the entry of foreign companies that employ many high-tech workers, such as Alibaba and Amazon.
In this analysis, the economic effects on Israel are investigated (the ideas and skills of Israeli high-tech workers are sold to foreign companies, local high-tech
companies cannot compete with the salaries of international giants like Amazon), and the social effects (average salaries in these companies
affect wage gaps in Israel and consequently the social balance)
The importance of the academic colleges of engineering
The time has come to refresh the thinking and recognize the contribution of the colleges of engineering to a balanced academic system and the personal development of their graduates.
