This poll has dealt with a certain number of teenagers and has tried to touch a wide variety of matters. Regardless whether the data is correct or not, youngsters may feel frustrated for the wrong reasons. It is my perception that younsters are not raised by their parents in the spirit of love for country, school and elders anymore.And if they ARE, there is no insistence and consistence from the part of many parents. A great, great number of teenagers get into high school with the wrong attitude, without any work and study discipline and habit. Sometimes students who sit in overpopulated classrooms ( 40 or 41 students), will pick up nothing at all and will mainly want to assert their obnoxiousness rather than pursue their subject matter. In this situation teachers will spit blood till they get blue in their face and still not be able to achieve quality teaching and instruction even if they are very good educators. It's easy to write about the lack of "sound secondary and higher education",No.5, but do you have any solution? It seems that neither you nor those who are supposed to come up with some solution, have any. I do and have already proposed them for so many years, but this is not exactly the right forum for it. I am a staunch believer in teenagers who can be and should be shaped into worthy Israeli citizens, but teachers cannot do it alone. Like always, throughout the history of education in the world, the more parents and society contribute and help, the better education will be. Believe me, it's an ancient and almost-perfect recipe for good education and it will work any time. It may work to the point of dissuading youngsters from leaving their real homes for "more promised lands and greener grass".

religiosity and ethnic background. That would tell us something about the degree of influence that society in general has on this problem, and whether other family factors have a positive or negative significance in these results.

What #31 says about declining educational level and kids attitude applies to every Western country. It happens across all social strata too. The problem is that a country like Canada can get by, somehow, with a mediocre quality of graduates, but Israel cannot. Although I don't know first-hand what's happening in Israeli schools, judging by our kids here, I tend to agree with Aaron, that secular education has done great damage to kids and society in general. I, the child of seculars, attended a Christian school because it was the best in the town I lived. Although their religion didn't stick, their values did. I'm glad I was educated there, if only during my elementary school years. So that's where everything starts: with values at home and in school. And - maybe it's my own experience only - I think that school is even more influential in a kid's development than his own parents. We tend to antagonize our parents when growing up, but the environment in school shapes us, whether we like it or not. So yes, I believe that a return to Torah values is fundamental for building a proper society and developing individuals secure in who they are, and what they are striving for in life.

In the bible, many young soldiers would not lift their swords (use their weapons). Why? Because they were AFRAID. Why were they afraid? They were afraid because of their youth. Why was King David UNAFRAID in battle even as a youth? He loved Hashem who gave him courage by strengthening him in a fight with a lion and a bear. The Bible says, "LET THE WEAK SAY I AM STRONG." Every day in school, the children should say together with the teachers, "I AM STRONG." By the time they are teens, they will not be as afraid. I AM is a name of Hashem. So, saying "I AM STRONG" is a prayer saying Hashem is strong.

want back to Israel. Ask any young israelis living in Europe for example. Most israelis living here miss Israel, and those who don´t work during summertime, always travel there. I don´t think these teens REALLY want to live outside Israel, this just tells they either are unhappy or just like to whine, like israelis do anyway.

What doesnt suprise me is that this poll was carried out on Secular teens who have no yirat shamayim or bitachon and it marks the end of the so called Zionist dream the only real zionists who love Israel and would never forsake the holy land are the religious teens who know there priorities based on Ahavas Hashem.

23 well written i feel exactly the same dont know why i have stayed here so many years

Let's be honest here - who can blame these teens for wanting to escape their tormentors - both the rampaging Arabs AND their derelict and incompetent leaders? The fact that they can function on any normal level is a miracle and a testament to their otherwise strong spirits. Events in Israel rampaging out of control can make a sane person howl at the moon. Really.

draft dodgers, lazy cops, strikes by unions that have members earning high salaries,new olim given more than a demobilized soldier. Perhaps they see their family and friends working hard,but cheated out of part of their salary and/or vacation pay. They see that the knesset will not do anything to help the workers and offend their rich patrons. Perhaps they see the cowardice of the government and how olmert and gang did nothing to protect us since the day they were sworn in. Perhaps they see a draft dodger elected president by the knesset and not the people. This is not to mention the taxes that are wasted by all governments. Money handed out to parasitic government "workers" or yeshiva "students". Nothing goes right here and people of all ages are fed up! The people are not stupid,but the politicians are!

Where does teenage rebellion get channeled in Israel?

Israel could devote a higher percentage of her budget like Tunisia to developing youth if Israel didn't have to spend so much defending the nation against enemies.

I know exactly what you mean. Israel is a hard place to live and by no means perfect. 9 months ago, feeling just as you do, I took the opportunity to come back to the uk for a while,needing a mental rest after the war last summer. Believe me, it ain't perfect here either! Yes, the pay is high, but anti-semitism is not only rife, it has become an accepted thing in British society. I have been verbally abused and physically intimidated in the street by Left wing "liberals" of the "save a whale or a Palestinian" type. Anything Israeli is considered fair game both by the Muslim extremists and the trendy Left. The suggestion I got from the British police was to try to appear "less Israeli"! There is anti-Israeli discrimination in the workplace - all with a lovely smile, of course- and anti-semitic incidents on university campuses has reached a new high. Earlier this year a parlimentary commitee compiled a report on the growing anti-semitism in Britain and all it's members claimed to be shocked by their findings. Most significant for me is that my daughter who is with me , after years of saying that as soon as she could she would leave Israel, now says that she is glad that she was brought up there because she would hate to be as ignorant and superficial as the British kids of her generation who seem only to be interested in a vaccous celebrity -obsessed, binge -drinking ,materialistic lifestyle . It has to be up to all of us to use our vote to make Israel a better and easier place in which to live , not least because the way things are in Europe I guess there may be quite a few more Olim Hadashim soon , and after all, Israel's main raison d'etre is to provide a home for all Jews fleeing persecution. Keep strong.

secular or not these teens havent tasted the joy of the "promissed land" of galut. Wait till they get here and realise that people dont consider them "Israelis" they consider them Jews and see how many doors are opened before them (none). The galut isnt the land of the free anymore than Israel is and there isnt money nor opportunity falling out of the sky. You work your ass off to make others rich and at the end of the day you have nothing left in the way of life or family. I work with plenty of Israelis who are just aching to go home after making the mistakes these teens so badly want. How long do you honestly think G-d will allow us to have it hunky dorey in Ch"l? Learn from history, time for Israelis to stay home and time for galutniks to go home before its too late and HaShem closes the door. No one outsmarts the Almighty.

What properties? You never had any properties.

You're a country at war.... You're surrounded by foes who want to eliminate you from this world....Am I correct? I've been in israel twice in the last year and saw some selfloathing pinheads protesting against arab or for barbarians policies... So you guys prefer to abandon your family, friends and get lilled in a scumbag country or place? OK you seem to have that right because you risked your life in the IDF...Cool do it, but do not complain if you get raped, killed or tortured, because mornos, THEY DO NOT LIKE YOU, CAPICCI?

Cause they give a really negative impression of not only themselves but the country. Talking about money given to parasites... In Finland a jobless arab without Finnish citizenship gets not only that $ 400 plus all rent expenses, but additional allowance for immigrants. People make less money here doing hard work than being on income support. There are a great deal of good reasons for staying in Israel. Here´s a few. 1. less homicides than in European countries or USA 2. less excessive alcohol drinking (includes less drunken drivers and lethal accidents caused by them) 3. don´t have to drive ten miles to find a grocery store where they sell Kosher food 4. don´t have to worry about being discriminated in job interviews because of being a Jew 5. not being a part of a small religious and ethnic minority, but majority 6. not having Russia as eastern neighbor

i'm afraid we in israel will disappoint you. guess what? we are staying!

The problem isn't the govenment - it is the lack of a love for G-d, his people, and his land! Children under current teachings of Judaism are not being helped to connect with G-d but rather a repitious prayerbook with canations that feed rabinical heiarchy. The curses are that the children would grow as such because the parents did not follow G-d's law. Turn off the telivision, unplug the cellphones, drop the mp3 players and sit down to a pashoot reading of the Torah - teach you children as you do on Pesach. Then the blessing will return to Israel and the curses will clear and you children wont seek disporah. Start thinking about G-d and Torah - we have much work ahead of us.

So the article isn't about you and 'all those staying', so why reply?...Its hard here and it's best for all of us that the namby pambys should leave. When the going gets tough the 'tough' get going, as the saying goes. And you don't have the guts to sign your name, that tells us a lot too. Wow! ayzeh gibbor!!

arriving this summer, GREAT NEWS. Good luck to them, that in spite of all the krap they're (deliberately) fed here, they are on their way.

Germany too. Keep it up Israel, and never ever take the negative publicity you're force fed too seriously. Proverbial pinch o' salt, plus a wink here and there, highly recommended.