and that is final, there is no occupied lands or anything. If you arabs want peace, the ball is in your court, you lost the wars that you tried on us, you pay the price. Everytime they attack just annex their land, who gives a damn what the UN or what the EU or Bush or WHOMEVER SAYS, do you think they will actually love us if we do this or that. They despise us because we are still a living breathing entity, we are immortal and that kills them. STATE TO THE GOYIM: WE ARE NOT LEAVING AND WE WILL BRING DOWN THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST IF WE ARE THREATNED

Headmistress, her/ his manner, way of talking to both teachers and pupils, his/ her dress code, and I'll show you exactly what his/ her school looks like. Therein lies the key, nowhere else. Look at the top and you'll see the whole picture, for better, for worse.

Who are you to tell them what they must do! The only power that can claim absolute authority is the Torah given on Sinai. Since Israel's secular school system carefull shields its students from any contact with Torah, there is no absolute moral authority to control behavior. The results are self-evident.

If a child is properly trained at home, he/she does NOT engage in such actions as presented in this article. Much like the United States, the parents expect the "system" to raise their children!

thing such as defending its very citizens, you cannot expect that your education system will produce quality citizens. Mr Netayahu..you ought to know..you were once PM of the country. When you were in the Knesset. What did you see? Selfless people working for the betterment of the country or half baked criminals looking to enrich themselves and their families. Leadership comes from the top. When the debate of Gush Katif was going on ,which was akin to a father abondoning his child, where were you sir? Did you stand resolute with conviction or did you dally about looking for the right moment to dazzle us with a sound bite? Where were you when the youth, who you wish to have exemplary dicipline, were being bashed about by your diciplined Police Force in Amona? Indeed where were you? You get the point...Children learn by example. If you want the Children of Israel to have midos, respect and idealism then its high time that the political leaders of the country show by example thru their own lives.

are you that insane? how dare you talking about your "values" for our childrens...??? look at yourself, mister.... a corrupted, blood spilling warmonger, a visionary of the end of the world, a national thief, a real political looser, a economical disaster fro what you have done ...should i continue? ...go and exile yourself and your kids to Guantanamo republik 's of freaks and make your boots shine. Kiss any flag you want ...your are evil , mister, true evil for a world you should forget.....

Bibi himself. And all his cronies in the Knesset be that left or right, Likud/Labor/Kadima/Shas/Meretz. The education sytem in this country is bad because it has been underfunded and left in the 1960's by successive governments. And the best Bibi could do was come up with the brilliant line: "The till is empty." Good grief! The public coffers are barren, said Bibi the famous reformist finance minister! But who emptied them in the first place? Bibi and his cronies. The education system is in critical need of reforms in how it is run. That means making the system more modern and better, not by simply cutting budgets and telling schools to tighten belts. The bagrut exams have to be eliminated. Teachers and schools have to be rated on annual grades, not on how their kids past a set of tests after grade 12. Schools have to be ranked - it's done all the time in other countries. Curriculums have to be enriched. Kids have to be tested regularly and by the time you finish high school your grades are set (ok, you can always do a mo'ed bet afterwards). Teachers have to stop teaching 3 hour classes to grade 8 kids, just because it fits the schedules set by the system. Grade 8 kids do NOT have a 3 hour attention span. Bibi should own up to his guilt of having been the head honcho who could have made improvements to the education system, but it simply wasn't his priority. A computer for every kid? Spare us... even that didn't come to fruition.

Israeli society must change in order to survive. Bibi is the only leader who can do it, or at least contribute to the process. At the moment, we are a powerful nation, but continuing on the wrong path will lead to our destruction. Until we realize that we're not indestructible, we will slip deeper and deeper into the abyss, and sooner or later we'll pass the point of no return. Bibi for PM!

Stop hating ourselves. Haredim are increasing our population. The Israelis in Yehuda, Shomrom , and the Golan are increasing our security. Let's stop demonizing them. They are us.

#4 Are you a headteacher by any chance? Because you 'speak' like one, maybe you were in the Army, THE place for passing the buck...#6 What a charming charismatic well mannered man of wisdom you are......not.! I hope and pray you are not in charge of anyones children any where ...on the planet.

Not true. I knew a framework of disadvantaged youngsters from sad and terrible backgrounds, and their headmaster did a wonderful job with them. Why? Because he went out of his way to meet the parents, treat them with respect, and treat each pupil with respect. He was therefore respected in return, as they knew he CARED. These children are now all wonderful citizens, in spite of their homes and background, and because their headmaster CARED.THAT'S the secret.

the way you write is exactly an example of what bibi is so concerned with. bibi,political loser? you didn't mean mr peres? economic catastrophe? - you didn't mean mr peretz? it's obnozious to accuse bibi or all woes of this country,where politics has already become a laughing stock and the shelter of incompetent scoundrels. bibi is a pro, bright, clever,professional, motivated, and has a vision, which is certainly blurred by petty accusations of corruption ( ahmedi case which so clearly sucks). i can only see the no 6 rushing into the battle in order to hit with more hysterical screams, Sir can I suggest that you go to Politika TV program and join this shameful bazaar, where you would shout your silliness at each other.

This article points out so clearly the real problems underlying the Jewish world today. If we could solve this problem and this one alone many issues would be solved. Respect for each other...Ahavat Yisrael is a commandment for Religious Jews, and a moral and ethical obligation for Zionists. One cannot claim to love someone to whom one shows no respect.

I believe you are doing something positive right now. I see that you are being ignored by the press. This is a very good thing. you need to come to the people. your blog is a wonderful idea. The people need to know you want to improve this country, not just keep your job. Will you lead us like a true Jewish Leader? Will you end the leardership pracices that we have now (ie like a dog...walking ahead of its master yet always turning arounfd to see if its going in the right direction) Speak to the people...all the people. What do we want? Can you fight for us? That is all we want...someone to fight for us, not against us.

Some of these comments remind me of the story of the blind men and the elephant, each one decribing the elephant according to what they are touching. It's the headmaster; it's the parents; it's the politicians. Guess what?? It's ALL of the above! As Harry Truman once said "The buck stops here." Each and every one of us has to be responsible for the lack of civility in our society., whether you are on a bus dealing with a surly bus driver or a teacher in a classroom dealilng with rowdy kids - there has to be a way to calm a situation down. Maybe there should be courses in matnasim (community centers) for this. We ALL could use it.

Both the government &, by example, the Israeli youth need to revel in their uniqueness & not try to be like other nations. Israel needs the self respect to defend itself against it's enemies, & the majesty of world approval will follow. The youth need to learn Jewish history w/ pride for its ennobling singular character that extends first parochially to concern for our own Jews & then universally to all humanity.

Lead by dugma ishi, personal example, stop stealing money from the people, you are rich guy. What gives? You are the best foreign minister Israel ever had, the best PR guy as well. If you and your like stopped pilfering the peoples coffers maybe Amcha would listen. Remember Begin, Jabotinsky and even Ben Gurion.

Ilana is right, responsibility for raising our children belongs to the parents. But through not being alert ,what has happened is we have handed over children to a 'system' .Systems are just that 'systematic' you learn but 'love' is missing because even though the 'teachers are competent and skilled they do not 'love' your children the same way. Some have confided in me there are children they can not stand but they are professional people and they do not act on their dislike. But into this mix we throw vulnerable little ones and they learn gradually to group together and woe and beside if you don't fit in. You know its very cruel little 'tots' are thrown in with people they don't know and are told 'go off and make some friends' when even grownups have trouble mixing in a gatherings where they know no one . And these little ones have had no time to aquire any skills Its all corrupt because LOVE LOVE LOVE is missing from lives. Some parents have made money God so its get rid of the kids while I become richer and richer and "I" find fulfillment, kids are just a rope around my legs.Nurturing has gone.

could have been put in a general way not a specific way. but it is not a must as the guy is expressing one of the most big problem all nation has and he hid dealing with his nation. sorry i didn't mean to interupt

bibi: I am goy. I live in the USA, yet, I love Israel. I love my Jewish brethren. I pray for the shalom of Jerusalem and I pray for the shalom of Israel daily. The one dream of my life is to someday visit Israel. I will kiss the ground if I am ever allowed to touch it. I am 60 years old, but I would gladly fight for Israel, and I am goy. It brings tears to my eyes when I read talkbacks that display hatred between Israeli brethren. You are in my prayers bibi.

Compare the stats. The drug abuse, violence, and basic lack of respect that goes on in Israeli public schools is essential a non-issue in yeshivot. So the fundemental reason that Israel's education system is in the dumps right now is that there is no Torah in its hallways and its classrooms. As far as I understand, in the state we call our "Jewish" state, Torah is not fashionable at all. And without Torah we are just empty vessels. Time and again I have discussions with my secular Israeli friends and cannot believe how little Torah knowledge they have. Admittidely, they acknowledge that they were never taught much in that field. What a shame. Step #1: More Torah classes. We'll build from there.

Bibi is correct as always but is missing a few points The manners of most of the adults need some attention. Children learn through example - shouting, pushing, cutting in front, throwing litter on the floor and the ME ME ME attitude, are learnt all over the country. Learn from those Olim who came here out of ideology and a sense of community. Teach the parents that throwing your rubbish on the floor is a crime against society. The parents must be punished and the children must reprimand them. Get rid of the bureaucracy and waste which has become part of all the govt and quasi govt institutions. In my experiences with Gan teachers - the teachers are fantastic and dedicated. Some of the parents need educating. I do not know if this is representative but it is easy to see that much of the community here needs a healthy does of manners and ideals.

..and it is becoming very sick. Yes,the lack of solid values is the reason for it to be happening. The permissivity on which the country has been treated:drugs are abounding everywhere ,and nothing has been done to stop it once and for all;more,much more than a half of the imigrants coming to Israel are not Jews.They are tricking somehow the state or the state is alowing itself to be tricked,I don't know each one.These are just a few examples. The answer is to return to solid and real Jewish values;clean the country on what is wrong and stop letting the boat to keep going without control.

Bibi says volunteering for combat units isn't "in." Actually, in the most recent draft of 18-year-olds, record percentages volunteered for combat units, particularly those like Golani thought fought last summer in Lebanon and took casualties. During the war both the army and the civilian population showed great fortitude, morale, and patriotism. Most of the problems he talks about, like kids going for junky culture, certainly exist, but he left out the brighter side. As for those who say Torah is the solution--if you take 100 Jews who were raised secular, the percentage who will become observant will always be very small--it's a psychological impossibility for most of them (and if they become haredi, that's not exactly an unequivocal gain for the Zionist state). And the mostly-secular educational establishment and teachers are also not going to become observant all of a sudden Trying to revive, or reinforce, the old Zionist values is a more reasonable strategy for remedying some of the woes than dreaming about a mass religiosity that is a psychological impossibility.

Go to one of the numerous RELIGIOUS public high schools in Tel aviv, which are even segragated by gender and witness for yourself how these so-called kids who get a strict religious education by the school system behave. Then come back here and have your word. I don't want to say that they are worse than others, but they are no angels. Rude, no respect for the teacher, no respect for authority, no respect for each other, no respect for learning, no respect for property, no respect for responsibility, no respect!!!! All they seem to care about is MEMEMEMEMEMEME

Are you kidding?! There is just as much drugs and violence in the religious school system, including the yeshivas! I think that this article was one of the better written articles here in a long time and at this time we need a strong leader to take on these responsibilities as part of their platform.

There is no reason for nobody ,sudenly ,become what he or she doesn't want to be. There is no reason for extremisms. Comon sense,based in our ancient Jewish values should be enough,related to education,ethics,etc.. There is no reason to be afraid the whole country will become ' haredi" or "secular".These are only names for an enourmous graduation of feelings and commitments,but ONE very decent base should be followed for all.

there is somebody know that the value is not money only i learned it from the early childhood from my parents .. god bless their souls

that those who need it, won't be there. (They'll be outside breaking into the cars in the dark streets and carpark) There will be the usual crowd, ordinary decent citizens, you see at these matnas 'lectures', and they don't need 'elephant' talk. A good headmaster will do the work more effectively. But the word good is of utmost important. Not the 'vetek' variety of headmaster , they're an uninspiring lot, mainly waiting for and dreaming of, the 'pensia'. I think of the tragedy in the North of Israel as I write...because the guy at the top would know, certainly by now, if it could/couldn't have been among his students. And the search would be/is, hopefully on a 'wider' scale... But, sure, let's continue passing the buck. It was not Ilana Rada who should have begged her daughter's forgiveness at the kever today for not looking after her. Nor was it the fault of the citizens of Katzrin. The girl was in school, for goodness sake.