great...except the fact that we are not the only people that invented things, banks and commerce would not exist without jews but they also wouldn't without the italians. Yehudi Menuhin would not be a great musician if italians, germans and russians didn't compose musical miracles; and einstein would not be what he was without Newton and Galilei. But it's true that our people excelled in so many things! Anyway, the article is beautiful, intelligent and interesting

How can his father's survival be deemed as anything other than a miracle? How can an "ancient rite" such as brit milah be found to protect from sexually-transmitted diseases, etc etc. Look for G-d in this story and the reader will soon start to realise that if there's a G-d, there's surely an instruction manual in how to "operate in this world". BTW - Yair is right - the 10 commandments are the key to all the mitzvot

Then what is the meaning to the title "my Jewish Experience"? I don't get it? Lapid, you say you are not enlightened...maybe its time you start to learn torah. from there you will be enlightened to know why we are specieal and why we are different then gentiles.

Has no Jewish identity. Lapid proves this yet again.

I might agree with some of Lapid's views,a nd disagree with others. but i am sure very israeli has their own view on how to reinvent judaism. but it is nice to know that after all his family went thru, he still has some connection with God

My grandfather of blessed memory was a haredi without the peyot and black clothes. His life was built around his sidur and his seat in the little neighborhood synagogue. He once told me that it really didn't matter what your religion was because if you truly beleived in God and knew before whom you would one day have to stand in judgement you could not but tremble ("kennisht anore tzitterrin"). My grandfather was always trembling when he held his sidur. I came to Israel from Canada 45 years ago. To this day I have not yet seen even one of these people in black trembling.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, LONDON CONTINUED TO BE FREE AND WAS NEVER OCCUPIED THEN, SINCE OR BEFORE, AT THE TIME THAT MUSSOLINI WAS HANGED HEAD DOWN IN MILAN, PARIS HAD ALREADY BEEN LIBERATED.

I would like to say that i whole hartly agree with Yair Lapid & Micheal. Also to congratulate Yair Lapid on a very interesting & thought full article

He worshipped at a toilet. It just seems so strangely appropriate.

Unfortunately for Yair what little he understands and promotes of Judaism is really his understanding and of Christianity, which is how out of touch and lost he is to Torah, so why is such an ignorant so proud to show what a fool he is.

Tommy by all accounts was miraculously saved he had and has great talents. He had freedom of choice to use the talents to unify and strengthen the survivors with faith in almighty or to use his talents to spew hate and use all his talents just to promote himself and tear him self away from Hashem. Tommy at least at the end Do Teshuva!!!

Great article Yair!

Some of the comments here are so arogantly judgemental. The commentors have searched for any 'flaw' in what was written, (some misinterperted in my opinion,) because they perhaps don't like the father's politics, (neither do I,), or Yair is not 'Jewish enough' to suit their taste, or whatever the reason. There is much there that can be embraced by anyone, if they so choose. 1. Such judgementalness, (does this word exist?,) is our achilles heel. Steer clear of it and beware of it. 2. Judaism/life is a path on which we all must grow and learn. We have different starting point, different learning curves, and different finish lines. 3. There is entirely too much in life that is deserving of negative judgement, why be so harsh here?

It is true what they say “An apple does not fall far from the tree” or “Like father, like son”. It looks like the Holocaust did not tech these two fools anything.

Dear Gentleman I have read their I articulate, since 3 years ago I live and I suffer this country, with regard to their comment he/she doesn't make but that that to show their dark side as we can define the Jewish being, the one that cohabits with me every day to the one that I consider very important and like one habitually says that he/she knows everything and he/she doesn't know anything, once ask in a newspaper that exists in their country and he/she calls himself "Dawn" and it is read in Spanish as it is possible that a country where he/she has had big thinkers, of the different branches of the science today in the year 2007 are me the spectator to of such an education lack in the common being 'Israeli" where it is common to see behaviors that touch and they make me think if I am in the prehistoric era or in the year that I live, in my country still in spite of the economic difficulties, of the politicians, etc the respect becomes trained in the schools, not alone the respect but the norms of life what calls you "moral and good customs you logically will want to convince me of the big virtues of belonging to the high technology, but I believe that lowly allows me to tell him/her that it is necessary to begin with the beginning and I believe that it would owe replantearce the Israeli society the topic of the education like fundamental stone for the future I say this for that it is my view to the being spectator duarnte but of 1 year working with I publish in the attention of a hotel in the kitchen but in fact, where people and their behaviors are already parents and children that to my to understand if they behave in that way in a place I publish like they will be in their houses to be spectator of screams, not well educated children, prepotentes of not respecting their adults, neither that to speak then of the women, he/she knows you that a director of Spanish cinema that calls you Pedro Almodóvar" exists the I carry out a movie that he called himself 'women on the edge of an attack of nerves" the Israeli woman frankly could have carried out any paper in this movie and to be had livestock the oscar academy,really dear gentleman non desmerezco for anything their opinion in this respect of the Israeli being, to be good for the business? to be good for the battles? to be good??? a humble advice is good to think and mirarce a little inside and to revalue the basic and fundamental principles that it is the education the healthy and good customs. Thank you

I think he should have given more respect to the soldiers of the second lebanon war. It is their fearfull leaders not their fearless leaders that botched it.

A religion without any belief in God. How Sad. How arrogant and self-centered. And the biggest difference between Jew and Gentile is History. And, if you conclude to the logical extension... Destiny.

everything borders on anti semitism with you people!!!!

some things I agree with ,and some not, here I go: 1)The lavatory DID NOT SAVE YOUR DAD ---- G_D DID, the green lavatory was just a means 2)"statstical error " in my religion that is called MIRACLE, sweetheart 3)marriage and divorce: I'm orthodox , and I dislike the rabinate pretty much too, that doesnt mean I will try to change religion, rather i will put my efforts in changing the rabbinate- big difference 4) favourite mitzvah: name of God in vain? west bank? YOU STINK DEAR Amulets ect aren't so widespread except amongst the non religious or from oriental origin 5) Mount Sinai: You get so crappy that even at Har Sinai you cannot get used to the idea that Moses talked with G-d, you just bypass your creator, saying the only thing that prompted Moses to speak to G-d, was that he related to G-d as his father !!!! get a life ! "Moses was also the closest thing to a son that God had." No commentary to boundless stupidity 5) Yom Kippur: thanks for respecting religion once a year at least 6) Brit Milah: pathetic view 7)Purim removal: Mordechai NEVER forced his young niece to sleep with anyone - you,sad case- The arabs did. At least read the megilla, a 4 years old gets it better than you " and because of this the Jews receive permission to commit genocide against 70,000 people " -wouldn't it have been great to kill 70,000 nazis , you perfect egoist ? They couldn't have saved their lives then, because a couple of thousands years later jews could not" also pathetic opinion Now using your own reasoning it comes only natural that you would exchange Purim for the Holocaust day, since the inability to kill the ones that promised to wipe us out of the map (sounds familiar , the same Arabs again, the ones you try to bypass btw, doesn't it ?), brought about exactly: the Holocaust 8) Jews and Gentiles: agree with you, you aren't anything different from them 9) You spoke about your Jewish experience without ONE single mention to G-D, get a shrink PURIM SAMEACH , AND GET DRUNK !