Bridging Between Jewish Ultra-Orthodox and the Start-up Nation: A Case Study

Abstract

The paper describes an innovative undergraduate program aiming to be sensitive to the increasing demand for higher education by the multi-cultural population in north-eastern part of Israel. The program interweaves societal, economical, informational, and technological facets of businesses, organizations, and communities in order to prepare students to successful Information Systems careers. The paper’s focus is on a group of ultra-Orthodox students who graduated in 2017, including the unique case of an elderly caregiver who became a startupist. In light of recent calls for increasing the low employment rate of Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews and for enabling their employment in fields that offer higher-paying jobs, such program might suggest a fruitful path.