"God is like a standup comedian in front of an audience where nobody"s laughing"

not to return to.

After the Shoah Jews should know better than to discrimminate against each other. Moreover, what would these insular people say if they were discriminated against. Just imagine them discriminating against a soldier who would lay dow his or her life for these social parsites. Maybe all religious-specific based subsidies, grants and doles should be eliminated. What arrogance!

This people, that treat their fellow jews like that, did not learn anythink from the Holocaust. I am not surprized, they do not read or watch anything anyway exept their prayers. They make me ashamed of being an ashkenazi jew.

Too many articles lately on Ynet obsess about intolerant and narrow-minded people among secular/religious or sephardim/ashkenazim. When will you write about us, the vast majority of mainstream Israelis who embrace all Israelis/Jews and LOYAL minorities?

"Hey Reuven, did you actually add a comment amongst all those requotes. In some places thats known as plagiarism." Yes, I did. Look at the very end. It is not plagiarism if you quote your sources. I did in each case, #59.

Why would you allow the racism and discrimination in housing decisions to go on and why would you want it hidden? By not doing anything about it once you know, you are in fact supporting it. Tell me that you've already called or emailed a knesset member to address this issue? No housing decisions in a democratic country should be based on national origin, color, or language.

Groundhog day and we fell asleep before we reached the end. Not many of our boys live in Raanana, now I know why.

The so-called "orthodox" penguinim are just a fring cult with heavy pagan influences - they do not represent the real humanist values of the Jewish people - the values of the reform movement and the enlightenment which brought us Einstein, Freud & Herzl. The only thing the Orthos ever brought us was sweaty caftans and embarrassment.

first we demonize the arabs then we demonize all gentiles after that we go for the leftists and make sure we demonize gays as well and then we will attack the secular and include the feminists -particularly the ones who claim to observe mitzvot even better we will demonize the government, followed by the IDF not finished yet we will go after the baale tshuva and then of course the russians and for our grande finale.... the sepharadim or are they done yet???

No I am NOT supporting this and this extremism should be fought. New York is a good example where ethnic groups stick to themselves and you can count on that it that it would not be popular for white people to live in China Town. However, the international media is more than willing to demonize Israel so I think that the Israeli media has an obligation to balance constructive criticism of the Israeli society with the many positive news and facts about Israel.

HaShem, forgive us, we pray You forgive us, for allowing Eretz Yisrael to become spiritually declined and perverse, almost completely out of conformity with Torah as interpreted by our good true righteous prophets. These "religious" people need to reread the Torah and consider Isaiah Chapter One. They know how many Shabbat laws of the Rabbis can be inscribed on the head of a pin but they do not know the essence of Torah, hate evil and love good. Under a Torah government in Israel, these behaviors would result in spiritual cut off. You people in Brachfeld, you are being watched by HaShem, and as HaShem lives, you are bringing on His wrath. Let us all pray to HaShem for forgiveness of yet another sin committed in the name of a perverse reading of His Torah in Eretz Yisrael. Blessed are You, HaShem, who in His Mercy lifts His People from Chaos. Amen.

HAVAL! THEN THOSE WHO ACT IN THIS MANNER ARE NOT TRULLY RELIGIOUS OR PIOUS, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT IN ALL SECTS, GROUPS RELIGIONS THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MISREPRESENT THE REST OF US AND THE TRUE MEANING OF JUDIAISM YOU CAN BE RELIGIOUS AND NOT BE LIKE THESE PEOPLE. THEY HAVE TURNED THE RELIGION INTO SOMETHING MATERIAL AND QUANTATIVE, ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY. DEREKH ERETZ KADMA LA'TORAH, THESE PEOPLE LACK THAT BASIC PRINCIPLE. NO MATTER HOW MUCH TORAH THEY KNOW DOES NOT MAKE UP FOR IT.

the shulchan aruch was written by a sfardi who couldn't cut it in zfat among the school of Isaac Luria... having failed at intelligient Jewish philosophy he wrote a mechanistic cookbook of halachot complete with every old wives tale and puritanical nonsense he could dream up. He found a ready audience in the semi literate Jewish tundras of Europe... the mediterranean Jewish world was smart enough to stick to the Rambam's mishne torah noted for its erudition, excellent grammar and thoughtful and moderate consistency.

It will work like a charm.

I DATED A SEPHARDIC JEWISH MAN FROM BEERSHEVA WHILE HE WAS VISITING AMERICA. HE WAS SO HANDSOME THAT WHEN WE WERE OUT ON A DATE, HOLDING HANDS, OTHER WOMEN WOULD SMILE AT HIM AND START TALKING TO HIM. THEY COULD NOT STOP THEMSELVES BECAUSE HE WAS SO GORGEOUS--THEY WERE JUST DRAWN TO HIM. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE TO ME WITH ANY OTHER MAN. HE WAS ALSO VERY POLITE AND SWEET. IN AMERICA HE WAS LOOKED UPON AS A SUPERSTAR. I NEVER KNEW THAT IN ISRAEL HE WOULD BE CONSIDERED SCUM.

the questionis, if some sefardim ruin a neighborhood, would you deny it , just to be politically correct. The question then is, are you being politically correct, or do you actually know the situation.

The problem is that housing discrimination, as it is defined in the US, is perfectly legal in Israel. Its not that there is a law saying, "Housing discrimination is OK in Israel" as much is tha there are no laws against housing discrimination and decades of pandering to the likes of the Haredim by giving them money and control over the Housing ministry, for instance, have created a climate where people think they can decide that only people like themselves will live in their neighborhood or town and those who are different can and will be kept out. It starts with things like apartment complexes built especially for Haredim and if you are not Haredi you cannot buy there. It continues with the fact that it is perfectly legal to make up some BS excuse to not rent an apartment in Tel-Aviv to an Arab student (or not even bother to rent the apartment to the Arab student) and have it be perfectly legal. Granted, this is exascerbated by teh fact that Arabs have not launched a national campaign to end such discrimination and win teh right of ARabs to live where they want in Israel, notwithstanding the couple of cases of Arabs wanting to move to moshavim in the Galil. And if I remember correctly a court decided that the moshav CAN keep them out. A city is different from a moshav, however, and it is possible that such a court case could be won in a place like Tel-Aviv. The State of Israel needs to make laws outlawing this commonplace housing discrimination ASAP and then enforce these laws (then again, expecting Israelis to follow laws like this and expecting serious enforcement of such laws, even if they were on the books, is perhaps asking too much, knowing the Israeli government and Israelis). Part of this enforcement means possibly forcibly "integrating" housing complexes built only for Haredim, for instance. Granted secular people might not want to live there, but maybe, say, some Dati Leumi/Modern Orthodox types might start the integration process. They would then have to be strong enough to withstand the crap the Haredim might throw at them, including possible physical harassment and rioting. The government would then have to be prepared to back them up (though it would be difficult to deploy troops for this as the US did with desegregation efforts in the 50s, given all the fighting with the Arabs). Basically, people in Israel are going to have to learn that you cannot just design an neighborhood or even a town just for a certain type of people. Israeli citizens should be able to live wherever they want without harassment. Right now, the government is not really supporting this. Then again, the Israeli government has a lot on its plate and has had a lot on its plate for 58 years... But then again, if teh peopel stood up on a grassroots level against this type of discrimination, it could get done without having to distract the government and Army from it's duties vis a vis the macro situation (security, the economy, etc.).

I could understand if you used the word "throwback," but "pagan"? Are you even remotely aware that words have meanings and using them incorrectly demonstrates not only ignorance, but an open refusal to use the little gray cells under the dura matter? Lets be frank, you have just proposed the real values of a three and a half thousand year old people who gave monotheism (as its understood today) to the world emerged two centuries ago and is represented by largely secular thinkers. That alone, speaks for itself.

Reform enlightenment? Intermasrriage and Christian grandchildren. It was Orthodox dream which brought us the State of Israel. Reform enlightenment brought the Holacaust--We are better Germans than Jews and now We are good American, British whatever what do we need Jewish too.? Your enlightenment while it may have brought some equalit for women also brought the idea that Judaism is passe--even listening to you. and can well mean the end of Judaism.----and into the corruption and captivity of Islam

In American Sephardic Jews consider themselves above the Ashkenazi who came later and discourage marriage with them. After all Sephardic Jews were with Columbus--even if you don't believe that Columbus himself was one. The first Jews in NYC were Sephardic Jews refugees from Brazil and the Inquisition. When I lived in Isrel way back when , Moroccan Jews reminded me of Puerto Ricans in the US., but I really expected that after a couple of generations it would work itself out. I am very upset about this recent bigotry. --against our own. My own husband while of Germanic background can trace his ancestry through his grandmother to the first chief rabbi of Portugal back in the 12th century. So if people start doing geneology one would be surprised what you can find.

I am fully aware of the power of words and I do not use "pagan" lightly: what I refer to is Orthodoxy's idolatrous attitude towards the Tanakh, which is reduced to a mere idol thru their interpretation rather than a living document, as well as the general paganism shown by their fanatical adherence to ritual - as if rituals defined the faith! Finally, it is you David, who show your ignorance when you claim that Judaism was the first monotheistic faith. I recommend you read your history - particularly the Egyptian religion of Aten-worship (Freud has a very good book on how YHWH worship sprung from this) as well as Zaroastrianism (see also Nietzsche's "Zarathustra"). These forms of monotheism are truly pagan - but they are older than the Torah. Learn your history - study is greater than prayer.

How many African-Americans and Hispanics live on your street, righteous John? How many white sheets do you have in your closet, John? What's the name of the Jew you pray to, John?

Not an excuse for becoming chiloni. G-d's always available with or without middle men. Rabbis are teachers. If you don't like what they teach, learn on your own.

They're killing each other, your dear Palestinians. We're only disrespectful toward each other, though I find it unacceptable. And keep your political crap out of this. Greece has very little to be proud of politically.

(Pirkei Avot) I think people should be hesitant before convicting whole groups from a distance based on newspaper accounts.

So it'll be evacuated anyway. So there's no point to this argument..you can't ban anyone from a "town" that won't exist in 20 years.

All Jews hate each other. This fact has been well established by the treatment Ashkenazim and Sephardim give each other, highlighted in these articles, and we are supposed to a light unto nations, hah! But if you really want to see racism, hatred for other Jews, try marrying into a Syrian or Sephardic family anywhere if you are Ashkenazi. They don't even consider you Jewish, let alone human.

My comment #38 about the "Maybe the true Jews in God's eyes are the Sephardim, and the imposters are the Ashkenazim", I retract. Maybe that is a little too biased. However, I would be classified as Ashkenazi because of my grandparents. I'm sure God knows those who belong to Him whether they are Ashkenazim or Sephardim. I don't like to see anyone made to be the "lower" citizen by the "higher" citizen, in any race. Whether it is Russian, Arab or type of Jew. It's ugly. I grew up with it in America, and it is just plain ugly. And it is all over Israel, I hear Jews discriminate against other Jews because they are Morroccan, or any of a hundred different reasons. God knows those who are His. He gave His Son for the sins of the whole world - it's in the Tenach. God has not forsaken the Jews because of the covenant with the patriarchs (Abraham, Issac and Jacob). Though the Jews have turned away from God, God has not turned away from the Jews.