For years, ultra-Orthodox in Israel refrained from seeking employment in a range of areas. Thus, for instance, one could hardly see any ultra-Orthodox working as a salesman, technician, bus or taxi driver, clerk, porter or usher — occupations that were perceived by the ultra-Orthodox as "undignified."
Having grown up in the ultra-Orthodox city Bnei Brak, and having then gone on to study in a Jerusalem yeshiva, I can still recall the day when I first saw an ultra-Orthodox bus driver. I was about 16 at the time. An ultra-Orthodox man, dressed in a white shirt, was sitting at the big wheel. The passers-by watched with wonder, evidently mystified. In early June, while attending a family celebration in Beit Shemesh, I had deja vu when I saw ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students waiting on tables.
