demands to all Jews in Israel. How can they fullfill Torah/Jewish ideals without teaching to ALL Jews what we are about. The education in Israel has excluded our History ,our roots,inclusively ,and more importantly, our biblical roots. How can Israel be unite as a People if our condition of Jews keeps being something abstract,and idea that seems distanced from ourselves. The meaning of being a Jew must be brought to the ground ,allowing us the hability to make conexions. 200 years ago we lived in shtetls and the religious life was part of the social life, thus our history and roots were granted for us to know.With the advent of French Revolution(I think this is the reason,I am not sure)we became "part of the nations "and our roots have been being distanced from us,mixed with different concepts,too many concepts. The Rabbis keep our Treasure (for our great luck!)but now,I think,it is time to re-spread It again among our selves and not kept only to a little previleged group. I hope the religious political parties start considering this,and at the same time I hope secular political parties start getting rid of their own inexplicable prejudice towad their own history and start being more receptive to religion. If we don't know WHY we are here,how can we have the strenght to KEEP and love what is ours?

these Israelis disgust me - the haredi only looking out for their interests, Bibi acting like an absolute imbecile flirting with the Tsipimonster - dilly-dallying about wasting everyone's time. It's just disgusting, I will never go there, what's the point? To live with such stupid schmendricks?

Both of my kids had to take exams on the Tanach in order to graduate high school. They had several years studying Israel, its history, and biblical heritage. On the other hand they also needed to learn math, science, and English. Maybe it would help the Orthodox to learn subjects that will enable them to take care of themselves in the modern age rather than just Tanach? Somehow Orthodox in London, Brooklyn, etc. are able to live enough in the modern world to hold jobs along with their religious studies and prayers. Why not here?

I beg to disagree. We are jewish and we are secular. It is the indivividuals right to choose his or her level of religious observence or not at all. . You have the right to be religious but we all so have the right not to be religious. I reserve the right to freedom and democracy and not to be dictated to by the ultra orthodox. What will they be teaching our children? how to live off state benefits, how to dodge the draft, how to attack buses, how to riot , how to attack women and the gracefull art of street demonstrations and stone thorwing?

Why so aggro...I certainly don't believe in everything Keren has said, but what she did say is, "If we don't know WHY we are here,how can we have the strenght to KEEP and love what is ours? " She's absolutely right...and you are entitled to be secular but if you want your children to be proud, and not apologists for being Jewish, how will they apire to stay living in the land when Chutz L'Aretz seems so much more attractive. Although I don't believe my children should be taught Shtetl style, I do believe they should know the beauty and wisdom of their religion's festivals, not on a superficial level, which is currently the case at schools at the moment, so that they are learned in the treasure of their own culture and religion, and proud of it !!

With the limited resources available any funds available should be directed at creating employment possibilities so that people have regular work a regular salary and the ability to support their families. It can not be done on the basis of sectoral needs. So the answer is not in the rightly discarded child support payments, but in some negative income tax or job training grants. Growing a debt in order to create a better trained and educated workforce is 100% benefit. Just throwing money (which we don't have) will just make things worse. Time for everyone to grow up and realize that without compromise on some issues there will be no effective government in Israel.