There was a great piece of journalism by the Jerusalem Post's Larry Derfner in this Saturday's magazine. It tells the story of how after 5 years, the Knesset abruptly decided to shut down Israel's version of the 'Wisconsin' Program which took people off of welfare and gave them job training and job placements and rewarded companies for placing people.
What is most irksome is that the program was just abandoned after its most successful year to date - certainly the program wasn't perfect but according to comprehensive research by the JDC, it was far more successful than the national employment office, and even more successful than similar programs in other countries. And it's a real pity, because it helped society's weakest members - 40% of the programs participants were Arab (many of them women being offered their first chance to work out of the house) and another 33% were immigrants.
So why was the program cancelled if it had been a success and was only become more effective?
According to Derfner, the Knesset caved in to the Histadrut - this country's labor monopoly, which only represents well-paid public sector employees. It was a classic socialist gambit - in the name of protecting the 'weaker' members of society and keeping away 'evil, private interests', the Knesset sided with rich, lazy unions over poor people trying their hardest to make it after many years of dejection and failure.
You see, Israeli socialism isn't real socialism. It's a system that pays homage to high ideals in name only. Its patron saints are nepotism and special interests, not to mention heavy bribery. 18,000 poor people losing their jobs is a small price to pay to uphold these sacred Israeli values. So in case you still hold that popular belief that Israel is somehow more moral than other countries, read the article. The Israeli people may have very high standards but our government is nothing of the sort. And until we find a way to make this a more just place, our leaders will continue to drag us down with them.
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I actually saw that article over the weekend and found it to be slightly shocking but at least recognizing that there are a few sides to the story. According to the article, Israel's "Wisconsin" programs were resounding failures for several years. But Derfner (real name?) remains one of the few quality voices on a dwindling stable. My favorite by him was this gem: http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726197945&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
Yep, remember that piece - nice one! I recently bit torrented Zohan - want a copy? (I can dropbox it if you do...)
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