Nati Tucker (right), age 15, with one of the rabbis at Or Israel Yeshiva, where he studied. "The state is completely absent. There is no supervision, and the admissions process is like the Wild West." Credit: Family albumNati Tucker attended one of the elite high-school yeshivas – a system generously funded by the state, with no core curriculum requirements, funneling hundreds of millions into private hands. He explains why it closes off opportunities for generations of Haredi boys and amounts to a state betrayal03:45 PM • May 23 2026 IDTAfter a long wait in a small apartment in Bnei Brak, Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz finally made time to see us. He was short and stooped, and even through the thick lenses of his glasses, one could make out the kind eyes of a wise man.In the NewsInside Israel's 'Elite' Yeshivas That Ban Core Studies, Robbing Boys of a FutureFrance Bars Ben-Gvir From Entering Country Over Abuse of Gaza Flotilla DetaineesFive Killed in Israeli Strike on Police Post in Northern Gaza, Medics Say'Israel Is Losing U.S. Jews – and Its Security Will Suffer as a Result'Paris Mayor Seeking Honorary Citizenship for Palestinians in Gaza, West BankRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli OfficialsBen-Gvir Posts Video of Police Dragging Detained Gaza Flotilla ActivistsThe Most Consequential Republican Primary for Israel Is Happening in KentuckyIsraeli Settler Filmed Abusing Palestinian-owned Dog in West BankUnmoved by Trump's Ticking Clock, Iran Forms a New Reality in the Persian Gulf`World Leaders Summon Israeli Envoys Over Ben-Gvir Gaza Flotilla Activists Video