For too long kibbutzim and other violators of the "status quo" (shabbat as a national day of rest) have had an unfair advantage. Now religious business owners can compete fairly with the kibbutzim (= democracy). The religious worker will not have to decide between his job and the practice of his faith (= democracy). The religious job seeker can compete equally against the rest of the population (= democracy).

If i remember correctly-you reported about 2 hours ago that the prime minister of Italy stated that Israel must remain a JEWISH state. Unfortunately he seems to know more than these kibbutz leaders about what makes Israel unique

There is no such thing as 'kibbutzim' left nowadays. Those that are left are the ones producing products with 'betatz' labels. Funny-50 years ago someone tried convincing my father to join a kibbutz-he said: 'Where is Belz? Where is Gur-they've all gone-come join the flourishing kibbutz-that's the future!' How history has proven him wrong-Belz and Gur have 10s of thousands of chassidim and the kibbutz movement have a handful-if that. Clearly the future is remaining tora faithful!!

Interesting decision although it seems logical to me. It is promoting a fiction to have two set of labor laws in one country. Without the restrictions on businesses opening on Shabbat workers are put into the situation of either agreeing to work or losing their job. This decision reduces the imbalance where labor law violators merely move their business to another venue to avoid enforcement.

But in the JEWISH state, for Jews, the Jewish Sabbath is the Jewish day of rest- by law. PS There are states in the US where stores MUST be closed on Sunday- by law: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_law Let these kibbutznikim go there if they want to open on Shabbat.

Well, this is a blow certainly to the kibbutzim and to the jewish economic sector but will prove a boon to Arab-owned businesses in the country. Because while the ruling restricts Jewish citizens from spending their money in Jewish shops there will be no restriction on Jewish citizens spending their money in arab-owned shops --and since people like to shop on Shabbat and actually have the time and leisure to do so on only this day, shop and spend they will at the shops that are available. Arab villages here we come with money for goods in hand!

shabbat. You know some of us work 6 days a week and the only time we have to shop w/ the family is on shabbat. I don't have the choice of a 5 day work week; so shabbat is the only day I have to get everything done. At least in the states you get a normal 2 day weekend you don't have to violate your day of rest if you don't want to . But w/ 3 small kids, a husband that also works full time (6 days)how can a family get all the shopping done during the week? I don't have the car during the week, my husband does (he works in tel aviv) so my hands are virtually tied behide my back. Israel should just already in state a 2 day weekend!

Please, to Haredim: Also Jews work on Saturday, and not less Jew for that, remember our Prayers, specially at Sucot. This Intolerance atitutde Is like EL-AL boicot, if ELAL flyes until 1/2 before Shabat is Ok...give me a break...you go to Synagogue at 120 kms per hour in your car...but, there in Airport, there are people taking care for you... PLEASE BE TOLERANT

Israelis should re-think their country. Is it possible Israel to exist being it a secular state? Is that what all want? Where is the peculiarity of Israel then? What are the peculiarities of the Jewish people? In my view,Israel should have very well kept its Jewish identity,and the Jewish identity can not be separated from Torah laws,otherwise this is not a Jewish state. Really,this" psicotic " rupture among Jews is something to be re-thought. They must decide what they want for them:Israel or a new diaspora.

Did you read what it says regarding blue laws. "Most have been repealed or are simply not enforced." Even in New York City, where there are some of the strictest laws in the country governing the operation of liquor stores, the ban on Sunday liquor sales has been abolished. People in free societies simply don't want to be dictated to as far as their religious practices (or lack of them) are concerned.

With a 5 day work week like in the U.S. people can observe Shabbat and also get a day off. But that would also mean working 8-hour days Monday-Friday. No more 3-hour lunch breaks!

YOU "conveniently" missed a few items in the article: The Supreme Court of the United States held in McGowan v. Maryland (1961) that Maryland's blue laws violated neither the Free Exercise Clause nor the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. And that blue laws are in effect in MANY states. So if you want to live in a "free society", go ahead. And if you think that this doesn't include Israel, Canada, or the US, then find some place else that suits you.

kibbutzim have to close their eyes, so that they can look after and see their Shabbats.

The moment Israel is no longer a secular state will be the moment its fate is sealed. Look at the Muslim world. They have not managed to seperate their religion from the state, and now they live like barbarians with a dark ages mentality. Then, look at the Muslims countries that have seperated the religion from the state, like Turkey, and you see the civil and technological condition of the country is much better. If you want to turn Israel into a useless country of Jewish Ayatollahs, then you should continue to advocate a Jewish theocratic state, as you are now. I. personally, do not agree with you, and will do everything within my power to make sure that your dream is never made to be a reality. What makes us Jewish is more than the laws of the Torah. The Torah is more than just a manual for how to live our lives, it is the beginning of our people's history and our contribution to the world. What makes us Jewish is more than those laws that were given to us in the TorahI It is the language, traditions, culture, and ethnic connection that we have shared for thousands of years, which unite us into a nation - the JEWISH NATION. Israel must remain a secular state in order to survive and function correctly. Albert Einstein once defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." Throughout history, we see that those civilizations that have been unable to seperate the religious institutions from the State have been uneducated, dark, intolerant, and often outright evil. Just look at Europe before they separated the church from the state - what did they accomplish other than the silencing of great minds such as Galileo Galilei, and the initiation of countless pogroms and massacres against the Jews, and several centuries of Crusades against the Muslims? Is this the future you wish for Israel and the Jewish people?

Albert Einstein objected to the making of a jewish state and called it destruction from inside.

Alas. The worlds where all Jews can breathe gets smaller and smaller. It is time for Israel to become a State for All Jews. The abolishment of Blue Laws in America recognized the freedom of the individual over oppressive religious leaders. It is time for Israel to get with it.

So wise up Kibbutzim.

Perhaps the kibbutzim should apply the same tactics as the Haredim. Riot, block roads all over the country etc. What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander.

where do you take this from ? Do you know many things were told about him , even in "serious" US papers , But he denied all this . Why was he proposed to be the Israeli president ?

Yishai from New York. If all the kibbutzim and kibbutznikim leave the country who will defend it. Are you going to come over from New York? Get real. Privatized or not the Kibbutzim on the borders are an important part of defence. Within the Kibbutz the land is private, just like in a private home and yard. Kibbutznikim do not come into your home and tell you what to do. So kindly keep your nose out of their home

let them protest. But they probably won't get a minyan to protest so they won't try out of embarrassment.

Thats a very nice line you have.. how about using it for the settlers eh? kibutzim are worthless and most are on land "stolen" from arabs, they barely serve in combat units opposed to settlers, and contribute nothing to society other then druged up arsim.

who is usually so sensible. Shabbat comes in very early sometimes, so 8 days can't apply. Imagine the chilonim if a dati dares suggest everyone goes home early. Oi vay, off with his head, oops, I mean kippa.

"I should much rather see reasonable agreement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish state. http://www.newdemocracyworld.org/Einstein.htm A theory of Einstein the irrational plagiarist : The completed field equations of the general theory of relativity were first deduced by David Hilbert, a fact Einstein was forced to acknowledge in 1916, after he had plagiarised them from Hilbert in late 1915. Paul Gerber solved the problem of the perihelion of Mercury in 1898. Physicist Ernst Gehrcke gave a lecture on the theory of relativity in the Berlin Philharmonic on August 24, 1920, and publicly confronted Einstein, who was in attendance, with Einstein's plagiarism of Lorentz' mathematical formalisms of the special theory of relativity, Palagyi's space-time concepts, Varicak's non-Euclidean geometry and of the plagiarism of the mathematical solution of the problem of the perihelion of Mercury first arrived at by Gerber. Gehrcke addressed Einstein to his face and told the crowd that the emperor had no clothes. http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=179892&y=2002&m=9&class=Features&subclass=Science&category=Feature&class_id=17

Elchonon, I beg your pardon but I think you are mistaken. Secular and religious social laid the foundation for Jewish settlement. In the early years of the state the kibbutz made huge contributions to youth aliya and aliya in general. Just during the last war many kibbutzim offered free shelter to refugees from Haifa, Tiberias and Kiryat Shmona. I know very few draft dodgers that came out of the kibbutz movement. Unfortunately I can't say that about the Haridim.

first try to write clearly , not half words or phrases . If so opposed , why are the names of all those cited forgotten , and only one EINSTEIN , was honored all over the world in 2005 , international year of physics , for the 100th anniversary of his first publications , and the 50 th of his dead ? Why was he honored as the greatest scientist of the 20 th century Probably biaised informations you have . Remember one thing : Jews are those who made the greatest contribution to humanity .

Not a mynian ? They wo'nt have a mynian of fanatic stone throwers , they are civilized ! You can easyly oppose Saturday work , where you live there is no such a problem , you can shop , if you want it , 7 days a week . I agree that everyone has to have days off , but let them make a choice wich days he wants to rest . Are Muslim shops in Israel obliged to close on Friday [ a question , i do'nt know ] So Bush , do not intervene in Israeli problems , we do'nt need your extremist advice .