Can you understand? There will be z-e-r-o rentals that day. You also have an issue with airplanes flying the day after Yom Kippur if people bought tickets the day before? No difference. If people rent bikes and do not return them, there is no charge for the day--which proves they are not "renting" that day, or working to allow returns--it is a NON rental day. You know, it's bad enough that such resentments happen between religious and non-religous without making crap up. It only serves to make religious men look even more mentally flaccid.

I don't see that trying to rid the country of religion is progress. If you see separation as progress then why do secular Jews bother staying here, they could emigrate to other countries where very few people are religious, they can earn more money, no wars. What exactly is an Israeli state supposed to be anyway, Israel, Israeli its just names its not culture or anything else so whats an Israeli state. Israel doesn't even have a dominant culture because its a stew of cultures so whats an Israeli state. Israel was created to be a Jewish state so why not keep the religious identity inI Israel and those who hate religion move. The Tel Aviv fanatics are also on the losing side because the haredi have a much higher birth rate and pretty soon they will end up as the largest demographic sector.

what's more important than bicycles is dealing with the corruption of the KOl Nidrei prayer.....a mandate for deception, mendacity and unreliability. Yom Kippur has become a farce, a mockery of piety, an exercise in hypocrisy.

It's a huge turn off, as an Oleh is somewhat religious. I worked in TA and my lifestyle was on a daily basis, called into question, challenged, and even attacked in indirect ways. I would have to say it is hard enough to be an Oleh Chadash without having ppl like this constantly try to bring you down for being sentimental about your heritage. It's a huge turn off. Israel is a hard place to live and I wouldn't have come if I wasn't Jewish, and people like this make me think my coming here was a mistake, if not the creation of whole this state. If Israel is not tolerant of being Jewish or of Jews who practice Judaism, then what is Israel, and who needs it? I guess that was a bit of a spin on Hillel......uh oh I referenced a great rabbinical sage, I must be a primitive fascist. Seriously though, a modern nation state with no heritage, ethnicity, or history, which everyone hates, and claims does not belong in the Middle East. Attacking Judaism really just defeats the only premise which legitimizes Israel.

Does this apply to also to the roughly 1 in 4 Israeli citizens (and also non-citizen residents) who are not Jewish or do they just not count in Mr. Eckstein's estimation of who is Israeli?

from the states and you can do WHATEVER you want there, so go live there and live like a non-Jew everyday of your life.

and NOT an Israeli State. Israelis live in California Germany and many other states where they can make big money. Herzl s goal was to establish a JEWISH haven.

It's an Israeli holiday (most holidays in the world have a religous/pagan background), if you don't want to associate Israel with Judaism at all, then what the heck are you doing here? As I said earlier here, I'm not religious but I try to fast and rest on Yom Kippur.

to convert all jews to christianity and that is why he refused to circumcise his son Hans. Read his book. His dream was to save the jewish people by eradicating their judaism. or so says Rabbi Mizrachi. Dont believe me. read Herzl's book.

There are no bikes being distributed on the holiday. Just rabble looking to make trouble.

Religion is a private matter ,so just go ahead with your private life but dont expect others to identify with you. Religion has no place in politics, especially in a democratic system it should be not present at all. A jewish state OK ,but with equal rights for other minorities, otherwise you are into aparheid, again non democratic. Maybe you did not think these things over carefully before you came here, but now is the time to do so. Its democracy or theocracy, think about it while you are young and have the time ponder your choices.

It is really just the next step, if you don't want to celebrate any jewish holidays, including yom kippur, then why not just let it be a usual day and nobody will be able to ride bicycles in the streets, as they do on yom kippur today. It will just be a normal day and nobody will need the rent a bike program. If the secular like the freedom of a day without cars, then at least do without the bike rental, otherwise let everyone just live like every day and there will be nothing special at all about yom kippur. Why bother at all, either be jewish or don't be, but don't try to have it all your own way! Shame on anyone who is for this idea of the bike rental.

Don't see the many that are either atheists, Jews, and others screaming about it. Only the fricken Arabs are never happy about anything but making the life of Jews in Israel crappier. My entire Jewish family is in USA for generations and never even thought about complaining that Christmas is a national holiday. We would enjoy the Christmas lights of others and put presents under the trees of our friends and visit them. Not complain like you are doing!

self deep introspection with yourselves and with a higher spiritual essence no matter how you perceive it. The more narcissism you espouse the more pathetic our situation becomes as a nation.

You don't have to be religious to be Jewish and Israeli. Ever heard of live and let live? There should be room enough for everyone without constant infighting. Isn't it enough to be surrounded by enemies without having an armed camp at home? I can point out that more people died in the US Civil war than in any other war fought by the US. Is that of interest? Besides, the religious Jews will be praying inside all Yom Kippur so they won't have to look at the seculars on their bikes and in their cars.

This article is rubbish,the so called writer has not being in Tel A on Yom Kippur; well not with eyes open or specs on. The faithfull go to the Beach,buy coffe, food etc. Shabbos l!Rav

Secular fanaticism implies give much value to the object (bike) and rides that the Yom Kippur - date to religious meditation and prayer. The author did not err in choosing the term, only viewed the obvious: Concessions will turn routines and identity of the Jewish people and Israel, and will be replaced if lost. If you are secular or religious, are compliant with the law or not, on Yom Kippur should be a date to review priorities. Shalom.

Yom Kippor is the national bike day. Since almost no cars are on the road, the bikes take over. I have seen this since 1985, and I am sure it began long before that.

the major damaging factor to my country are narrowminded people like the author who simply cannot bear a heterogenous conception of judaism

Live and let live. GOD still loves us or we would have been toast a long time ago. If a Jew living in Israel wants to ride a bike on YK so be it. If my kids and the ex want to daven all day long so be it. If I fast on YK here in Canada all day long so be it. The point is we have a land we can call our own...lets celebrate that after 2000 years of hell.

Are you arrogant enough that you claim to know the will of G-d?? Rockets are His punishment for riding bicycles is the the stupidest idea I have ever heard. Maybe He will spare me if I wear a black overcoat in the heat of Summer, or better yet a fur hat.

in you. This type thinking belongs to the past not the future, You will have a terrible time here among free thinking Israelis and i would strongly suggest you stay where you are. You are in no position to recomend anything, be well.

What a crazy term! In the author's mind, apparently it's fanaticism not to fly the white flag in the face of religious domination. What nonsense!

Yom Kipppur is an important day for our orthodox masters - For the rest of the year they steal from us - whether by the sin of not working or by the sin of electing politicians whose sole job is to extort money from the rest of us. They feel guilt every friday, when they recite 6 days you shall work in the knowledge that they have not worked. They have committed the sin of changing our religion into some bastardized from of mysogany. They have done all that they can to split our people in half. Some of them have even aided our enemies. No wonder they feel the need for solemn prayer.

Yom Kippur is the one day of the year on which our Ayatollahs and their cohorts are not stealing from us - that is reason to celebrate. Let the sinners pray for forgiveness for their sins, and let the rest of us reflect in our own way, as we feel free to ride our bicycles without the weight of our oppressors on our backs, with their hands in our pockets.

reminding me this negative side of Herzl. But didn t he change his mind when he saw that converted Jews were hated too?

is a privilege,not only a privilege,but if one s health allows it, it is a blessing. May you, be healthy enough, to be able to fast on Yom Kippur until your 120th ,and with G-Ds help in Israel. Let us indeed celebrate, having a land we can call our own :The JEWISH State ,ISRAEL.

ambitious,like having a peaceful prosperous year,don t you think so?

With inspiration from Ora - Let this be the year that the government sees sense and halts child support parents after the third child, educating people to only have children that they can afford to support, and stopping the over=population of our iver-populated country. Let this be the year that our young men and women who serve the country get paid as much as the indolent in the tents of hishtamtut, Let this be the year that the governemnt stops subsidizing housing for the sectors of the population who mock us and do not contribute to the country and redirect the money towards the children of those who serve and pay taxes. Let this be the year that the government makes redirects money away from Yeshiva students and towards university students and stops the obscenity that we have atthe present. And then without the burden around our necks we can all have a prosperous new year, the Zionists, that is

Thanks to the orthodox Jews ,Arabs are not the majority in Israel. This is worth something. don t you think so? Unless you are an Arab taxpayer. You are focusing only on subsides going to the Haredim. If you knew where exactly all the money goes,you would most probably discover many useless subsides. Tora studies are not more subsided than university studies,but in the latter, the money goes in buildings and professors from the left.