after reading your article it became very clear to me you never read the book called "the nineteen letters"by harav Samphson Raphel Hirsch who was very clear on many of the issues you raise we all need to respect each other and get along. i hope you pick up the copy from feldheim publishing or if you want i can send it to you ...it will open your heart thank you Moshe Mark Engel

Whatever the hell happened in poland or france means crap without Nazi asiimilated atheistic as yourself Germany . Stop harping on the past look to the future. There is always something to learn from history. Blame the religious for WWII will make absolutely no sense. The seculars were already very powerful in Europe as they are today in Israel and still there are anti semites who wait to attack. None of these hertzilistic or 1948 independence fighting will stop anti semitism as history proves in the past 60 yrs. The very religious don't care to fight and are not as zionistic because they know it is not brains strength or richness that will make them win and pass this world alive, otherwise they would fight.

Of course not all rabbonim fall within the definitions of this piece. Unfortunately in Israel far more do, and they do a disservice to Torah. If you have a "Jewish" state, an awful lot of Orthodox Jews are going to tell you that "Jewish" means religious. So they'll advocate a Jewish state just like Iran is an Islamic state ie religious. How could you expect anything different. Involving politics with religion is bad for both.

Family values???Many of the ortodox Jews have no idea about family values.Spending all day in eshiva while wifes working and taking care of their countless kids.And many of the prostitutes in Israel earning their living thanks to haredim.Sad but it is a fact.

Then why did the leaders of Kapostan take the Yemenite children, cut their pais and forcibly secularize them. That is a very moral nation.

Manmy people tried to get out -hareidi and non hareidi. Their efforts were stymied by the Labor Zionists who controloed the visas. Religious Jews as well as secular and religious followers of Jabotinsky were screwed by Ben-Gurions people. And when the Brits asked FDR to allow Jews to enter the US under the British quota,the labor zionists nixed that.

Israel should recognize all streams including Humanistic, Gay, Reconstructionist and Jews for Jesus. Therir rabbis are as scholarly and legit as Reform and Conservative.

What has this group accomplished for the Jewish people over the centuries of its existence? Sorry, during the decades of its existence. OK, over the few years of its existence. Other than whining and complaining?

are worthless. Personally, I am from an ultra-Orthodox haredi family, I had my little "fling" and now I am a college student, "modern Orthodox," and my family still loves me, as they always have.

Your ignorant rantings. You hae no idea about our religion, but write an article! As a trainee for Rabbonus, i can say, that the majority of Rabbis (I dont mean guys from NK), are the most moral people in our genartion. And to assert that rabbis dont deal with any secular values is out right lies, If there is family problem, one is encoraged to talk to the Rabbi of he congregation privately (it is non of anyones bussinees), and yes one has a problem (e.g. he thinks he is gay) he will talk about it to his Rabbi for guidence. Just because you dont here it, a lawyer wont disucss a client with you. In pikei avot it says "make for yourself a Rav". I would sugest you should first learn about judaism than comment about it.

This hate-filled article, which could have been written by a fascist, is incitement against a minority, and hence illegal. Oh, I forgot, it is okay, even a mitzvah, to incite against religious Jews--the group that runs a myriad of charity organizations to help one and all (just ask the Jerusalem mayor, whose Yad Sarah saved my life).

Formative trauma' Dror Etkes, the present holder of the position, is the first person in Peace Now who is monitoring the settlers as a full-time job. This is a difficult time for the veteran movement, which in addition to the well-known troubles of the Israeli left, is also undergoing an internal shakeup. This month the secretary general, Moni Mordechai, was fired, and reacted by issuing a series of harsh accusations against the leaders of the movement and its mode of management. Etkes is trying to keep his head down and let all that blow by above him. When the activists in Jerusalem are quarreling, he prefers to be on the road between Amona and Amona North.

Seculars and non-Orthodox: are you recklessly and negligently throwing out the baby with the bathwater or, as I suspect, simply trying to justify your self-worship and hedonism? Moderate / modern Orthodox: I see you're increasingly asserting yourselves. Barukh ha-Sheim! Moderates speaking out forcefully is direly needed and an encouraging sign. Be aware that the attack on moderate Orthodox is from both extremes and each extreme blames all ills on the other. Muslims attack us primarily citing seculars as their excuse. Misojudaics attack us primarily citing Khareidim as their excuse. In every case, we're in the middle; taking the heat for both kinds of fanatics. Oversimplifications, but illuminating nonetheless. #16 struck an important point, and in no small measure it's true, in his second paragraph. Paqid Yirmeyahu Israeli Orthodox Jew Advancing Logic as Halakhic Authority Welcoming Jews & non-Jews www.netzarim.co.il

accusing ex-ortho/seculars/whatever combination thereof of incitement is not the best argument to make...the "unworthy" rabbinate incite against converts, women, seculars, not-jewish-enough-for-them-jews.

He pulled no punches. He took no prisoners. He said it, the way he saw it. He saw it very clearly. NOT EXACTLY MY POINT OF VIEW !!! However, his remarks deserve some thought and consideration. They are a collection of thoughts to be given A MENTAL NOSH.

I had a relative , in galut , a female Jewish doctor . She , as a Jewish woman had many orthodox and charidi women as patients . ounce we were talking , and i said : those orthodox and charidi women are looking very happy in their life . She looked at me and said , Charles that's a BIG mistake , in my office they can talk freely , sometimes they even cry , and i have heard already so many sad stories , and worst of all , they can not talk of this situation openly to family or so . That's the way some honor their wives . Of course that not all the orthodox or charidi husbands behave badly , it's not the majority . But many do . I know that a man must give a lot aof honor and respect to his wife , MUST , but not done so much . Giving flowers or a bigger peace of chalah is not enough , it's an exterior sign . in your prayers is'nt there something like : Shelo na'asati isha . It says enough on the discrimination against women . In the religious and charidi world there are the same quantities of misbehaviour than in the secular world , but there it's hidden . In the secular world it is more known . You know i'm secular , but i do not need religious laws to behave correctly .

And what will make them win ? the same that had to save them from extermination ? I do not need religion to show goodness to a woman , and i'm not sinking . I'm living in the 21th century , and you have to wake up , the world has changed , you do not live in the polish shtetl anymore , the " fiddler on the roof " is a nice , but old history . And what orthodox and charidi showed us the past weeks is not very nice neither . To end : as long there is not a total CHEREM on those iran friends with their black cloths , for me the rabbanuth stay on their side . Condemnation is NOT enough , it's only a first step .

Tmura ??? As in "Tmura never comes"? Sounds fake. Jumping on the Tzohar bandwagon.

I'm not religious but sometimes the rabbis are right, sometimes not. Similarly, some secularists are occasionally right as well. You have to judge things issue by issue. Generally, I don't think religion belongs in gov't but I'm willing to compromise - after all, I chose to live in a Jewish state. At least the rabbis are patriotic which is more than I can say about most on the secular left.

I wonder whether the author of this article can define the word. It's not an easy to define. Does it have a subjective or an objective definition? If Judaism is based on the tribe of Judah, today we are no longer Jews but the Children of Israel since so many people of the tribe of Menashe are arriving to Israel. The Children of Israel were given its constitution and made into a people at Mount Sinai. This has all been denied by everyone except the religious establishment. Those who deny or who are in denial have no past and certainly no future as a part of this ancient people.

What is it with such people who I am sure are really good and decent. The moment they open their mouth on religious matters it’s to bash and beat up the guardians of our religious traditions. That there may be lousy Rabbis or people amongst the orthodox, in no way allows others whose religious knowledge is limited or non existent to believe they know better. They do not and you do not, enough of your arrogant views. Only a fool would consult this person on religious matters.

I started reading reading Moni's article with an open mind. After 2 paragraphs I saw that he has nothing but an ax to grind. He is spewing out baseless hatred. He is never concerned with facts. Let me just give one example. Re El Al, does he bother to mention that El Al breached a written agreement that it won't fly on shabbat? When he says, they were "forced" to fly on shabbat, that again is egregious misrepresentation. If economic gain constitutes "force" then every business owner can claim that too. El Al could have easily issued vouchers to those who insisted to fly immediately. That is common practice in the airline industry. When labor unions strike he has no gripes. However, when chareidim strike over the reneging of an agreement then Moni is repulsed. When Moni says that he is open minded to other ideas and lifestyles he really means "as long as they more to the left of me", i.e. gays, peaceniks, secular professors with radical philosophies etc; but g-d forbid to the religious right. To Moni they are truly dangerous people, unlike arafat & his cohorts with whom they freely chat.

I see it , your response is full of your "morality "

Is your morality meaning insulting people ? Such a morality is not mine

"Judaism is a religion, and in the case of the State of Israel it's also a nationality." It is also an IDENTITY which is so precious for many jews who don't identify themselves neither as religious nor israelis.

According to Torah, it falls on the Cohens(the Priests) to be the leaders of the Jewish faith, not the Rabbis. So who gave all this power to them? Restore the Cohens to their rightful place!

REMEBER ALL THE PROPHETS REBUKED SOMETIMES HARSH SOMETIMES SOFT WHEN YOU SPEAK PUBLICALLY SUCH IGNORANT STATEMENTS WHEN UYOU WERE SO QUICK TO MOCK JUDAISM BY PUVBLICALLY POSTING SUCH COMMENTS YES I HIT YOU OVER TH E HEAD TO THINK FIRST. YOUR DECPTIVE VEIL TO SWITCH THE BLAME ON ME DOESNT ADDRES YOU RIGNORANCE ..AND YOU CONTINUE TO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBLITY... YOURMORALITY IS NOTMINE?I SEE THAT YOUR MORALITY IS DOING TO PLEASE THE XTIANS.... THE GERMAN JEWS DID THAT.. THEY STILL DIED.. TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP STAND UP BE PROUD TO BE A JEW ANY FAULTS YOU SEE IN JUDAISM IS YOUR OWN LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WHICH SHOULD CAUSE YOU TO LEARN THAT , WITH A QUALKIFIED ORTHODOX TORAH RABBI.. YOU IDIOT.. WAKE UP STAND UP FOR JUDAISM. GET OFF YOUR BAGELS AND LOX. .AND BE A JEW DAM IT... WEAR THAT STAR THAT KIND DAVID MADE ON YOUR FOREHEAD... SAY IT LOUD.. '''I AM A JEW'''

Move over Borat ! 'Rabbi Mon Morechai' thinks that he knows enough to speak. What a hoot! Is this guy Funny or what? Sad? Cruel? Mad? Pathetic? I was worried that you might have had something relevant to say, but when I saw that you had neither a beard nor even a Kippah, I realized that you are like my two year old, one minute she is pretending to drive the car from her car seat using her toy steering wheel. Only she doesn't quite get that she doesn't yet possess either have the skill comepetency or an authentic steering column. When she goes into the house and discovers that she is too short to reach a light switch she will employ a chair that she can move if it is in reach, She even thinks that her toy remote will put on Shalom Seseme for her. And if she can't find it the controller after a minute or two. She tells everybody that its gone, or never was there in the first palce. Later when an adult h turns it on for her she will ask if it is a new one, because , her first approach is to deny the fact that someting out of her grasp could possibly exist. At least Jon Stewart tells us that he is doing the fake news. Sasha Cohen occassionally allows himself to be seen out of character. Mon and Ynews should say this fellow is a very funny joker, but he hasn't the faintest clue aout what he is talking about. A few rotten apple isn't the condition of either all apples or the lack of value for the species in total..