"I believe that this is a difficult social problem for Israel, and that they should combine their study with work."
I very much support the hesder yeshivot, where the men learn part-time & serve in the army. These people to me are the future of Israel & Israeli defense.
As far as kollel . . . I very much support learning the first few years of marriage. I don't know what percentage in Israel actually commit themselves to longer. Of course, the charedi (ultra-Orthodox) communities emphasize learning over everything else, and these communities exist all over Israel, especially Jerusalem.
Certainly, we Jews need Torah scholars. Some people belong there. And they're hardly idle. (Or violent.) Maybe the problem, as Rodney King may have been trying to say, is that the kollel system is being exploited. There are men who use it to stay out of the army, or to get a meal ticket, or, to find a wife.
Kollel life isn't for everyone. Those who don't belong there, shouldn't be there.
The Yeshivot and Kollelim struggle for funds and if a student is there just filling a seat, they won't allow him to stay. Either you learn or you're out. Token gestures aren't accepted or tolerated. Usually, there are waiting lists, especially for Kollel bachurim, so they won't tolerate a slacker.
My nephew is at Yeshivat Moshe..it's a smaller Yeshiva with limited capacity and a waiting list a mile long. The level of commitment required, is incredible.