A Jewish day-school enrollment boost that began during last year's COVID-19 school shutdowns is continuing, according to a new study from Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools.

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The report found that over the past two years, Jewish day schools and yeshivas reported an enrollment increase of 3.7% with more than 40,000 children from kindergarten to grade 12 now enrolled in a Jewish school. Also encouraging was the finding that two-thirds of all schools that participated in the survey saw a rise in new student admission applications for the 2020-21 school year.

The increase is across denominational lines as community/non-denominational, pluralistic, Conservative and Reform schools recorded a 4.5% increase in enrollment, rising from 22,828 students in K-12 during the 2019-20 school year to 23,180 last year and a projected 23,855 students this school year. This is the first time since 2008 there was a "net enrollment increase" in non-Orthodox schools.

Orthodox and Modern Orthodox schools also had an enrollment increase with their student body population growing from 16,618 in the 2019-20 school year to 17,306 this year.

The results were based on responses from 146 schools in the United States and Canada.

The report also found that schools in the South, particularly in Florida, have the largest enrollment increases. The 11 Florida schools participating in the survey recorded a net increase of nearly 400 new students over the last two years. Georgia's five Jewish day schools recorded more than 100 new students.

Another key finding is that 80% of students who enrolled in a Jewish day school last year because of pandemic shutdowns and shifts to virtual learning in many places chose to remain in their Jewish school this year.

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"The overwhelmingly high retention of new students who had joined because of COVID was really exciting, both for the schools and the communities, but not surprising to us at Prizmah," said the organization's CEO Paul Bernstein. "We have seen firsthand how strongly day-school and yeshiva families value the strong relationships and holistic approach to education, and we knew that new families would see this same value once they were enrolled."

He added that "Prizmah supported schools through this past enrollment season that was quite unlike any other, and we saw just how committed they were to integrating new families into their own communities and ensuring that they were able to experience the strength and warmth of a Jewish day school from day one."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Israel saw a 1% increase in both male and female Haredi employment in 2020, following a 3% increase between 2016 and 2020, according to Labor and Welfare Ministry data obtained by Israel Hayom.

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According to the data, Haredi employees made up just 60.2% of the workforce. While this decreased to 59.7% in 2017, the rate later increased again to a record 63.5% in 2020.

Haredi employment rates usually differentiate between men and women as the latter are more likely to work. Only a moderate increase has been seen in employment levels among Haredi men.

The female Haredi employment rate has been constantly rising, reaching a high of 76% in 2017.

Among men, the employment rate reached a record 50% in 2016.

Shas MK Moshe Arbel has worked for years to incorporate Haredim into the Israeli workforce. He said, "Employers and employees understand that the entrance of Haredim into the workplace is a welcome phenomenon that goes hand in hand with their Haredi identity."

Arbel noted, "The Haredim who work want to be incorporated in the job market without giving up on their unique identity as Haredim in the state of Israel."

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