wonderful idea ! this way the chareidim can contribute to the country and shut up critisism and ask for more yeshivoth monies.

zaka has long been serving the country in many difficult ways. if this plan goes through, it will allow haredim to serve the nation of israel and can put to rest much of the argument (even from myself) that they are not contributing enough, as most of the rest of us do. may we all find good ways to actively help Israel. i will be happy to have one less verbal stone to throw at my ultra religious brothers and sisters :) despite all that is wrong with israel and the terrible lack of accountability in our government, national service is not for suckers and it is not a burden. it is an honor and a privilege to serve Israel. shalom to all!

And we have to wait to see how it works , if it works at all . But they have not to be too proud of this , for them it's first of all a mitzwa , it's not so much to contribute to the state . But if they do it , at least they will do something useful , not as their useless tora study .

You know, Charles, you were going along just fine until you had to throw in that nasty little comment at the end. How sad you couldn't keep in your hatred just a little longer. Tell me, do you have any idea what ZAKA does? Would you like to pick up pieces of flesh and bones that have been blown hundreds of feet by a terrorist bomb? No - you'd probably by too busy hiding in the corner. Is it a mitzvah to help the injured - of course it is...and that makes the contribution less valuable in your eyes, doesn't it? How sad for you. How absolutely pathetic.

You said slander and gossip and insulted me in these talkbacks, you evil person. I am waiting, waiting for you to prove what you said about haredi women in general and about me in specific. NOTHING. You make false accusation and when I offer in good faith to provide facts, you run away. Evil charles, go to hell.

It is a good thing for these lot to want to help and they dont need people to slight the efforts they will make. I think they should try and be as effective as possible in the times ahead, and set up some training programs for the volunteers. Learning things like first aid will be important enough to save lives later on. Also they may want to have something to identify them in the "war zone" charles- before being their critic once again, maybe letting us know what you have done lately to support Israel would dampen the animosity

it's good to see that zaka may help with the living, haredim or otherwise, instead of just the dead. this is a greater mitzvah, and a step toward unity of the jewish people. the not so good part is that somehow this needs to be kept a secret, and that letting people know that zaka will participate in "pikuah nefesh", is somehow an embarassment. or that a rabbi might not give permission to help save lives - that is completely outrageous.

But until they ALL serve in the IDF like the rest of us, I don't plan on treating them like equal citizens.

Everyone can see your true colors.. Hate them because they make you feel GYILTY about yourself. Get A Life

Well generally i don't like to answer to anonymous "writings" , are you ashamed of your writing ? I have already told my sympathy and the most respect i have for some great realisations made by charidim in the field of NGO's . [ Yad Sara , and Ezer Mitsion are only two of the many ] I think i have also said something nice about Zaka . You can only say that they are doing a great work . Regarding the help they will eventually provide to IDF , i said that for them it's mostly a Mitzwa , is this not true ? Had this act not been a mitzwa , would they also do it ?

That little comment at the end , you don't like it ? For me it's useless to study a whole life without being productive . Is there not written somewhere that You have to work ? Tora ve'avoda , is this not important ? Was it not the Rambam who had vineyards ? Can't they follow his footsteps ?

What voluntary work do YOU personally do in PT? Shneider Hospital, mishmar ezrachi, in schools,? Like me and so many PT english speakers?? I thought not...

I would like to thank you all for your comments, which will be translated and sent to the directors. Zaka handles rescue and recovery for all, regardless of religion, level of observance, nationality, skin color, or any other discriminatory criteria. Zaka volunteers do many things already. In addition to being the ones who respond care for the dead during cases of unnatural death, the overwhelming majority of us are trained paramedics and first responders. The police also regularly call us out for search and rescue operations, and many of us purchased, at our own great expense, equipment for these incidents. In the last war, we trained for evacuating chemical casualties, as well as appopriate burial procedures for these casualties. We are now training to run civilian casulty stations during war-time. What many people do not understand is that volunteering for Zaka is not like the army. It is a lifelong commitment, and we are on call 24/7 for saving lives. To Charles of Petach Tikva - the work that we do is a mitzva for all Jews, not just us. We, of Zaka do what we can, just as a young man who serves in a combat unit does what he can (it is a mitzva as well). To us, it is a contribution to the Jewish People, which, believe it or not, is more important than the State. I do understand that a lot of your attitude comes from your environment, and I do understand. Others here would do well to consider that before insulting you. To Jack Bauer of the USA, identification in a war zone is a technical detail that can be solved after the basic agreement is in place. Aharon - The truth is that we are able to do much more as a civilian service rather than being part of the IDF. And as I mentioned, we serve longer. Perhaps you really mean that you plan on treating us as better citizens.

"What voluntary work do YOU personally do in PT?" What a foolish question Hanna! While the Chareidim are 'wasting their time' doing things like learning Torah, picking up body parts, and other mitzvos that Judaism demands of them; Charles spends his entire day (so it seems) commenting on YNet... what a contribution to the State!

Isn't it true that this includes picking up the remains of suicide bombers? Kol Hakovod!

You don't even respect your own writings . On 27 July you wrote : this is my last time posting my Email . And today ? again your Email , have'nt you something called a memory ? How can i trusth you if you say that you are a bonafide person . To begin with , a bonafide person AS I AM , believes what other people write , and do not accuse them immediately of being a liar . You offered in good faith ? how could i believe you , you who does not believe others . This subject we were talking about , as any other one i'm writing about , was not worth for me to tell lies , i'm not falling so low . When i'm telling something you , and everyone else , can trusth me . It's true .

to myself any longer... i read talkbacks in hope to see something intellegent and maybe learn a new outlook of different ppl on the article written. I read yo talkbacks with others cause u r a regular on here-and u r a hater. U have nothing intellegent to contribute, you hate jews more then the enemy, u always-yes always-have something deragatory to say about religious jews and even if u do say something "nice" u will always "even out" with a discusting remark. I have lots of anger toward u-not cause u provoked a thought in me or made me feel something new about something i read-but only cause i find myself cringing every time i read yo talk back and violence raises up in me toward u-i just really really wana smack u-and that what makes me angry: a slow hate i feel building in me toward an ole i wish would start considering moving back to where he came from

When writing something hatefull you should also have the courage to give your TRUE name . You are ashamed , you are right , with your writng you have to be ashamed and sink 1000 feet below sea level .

Learning tora instead of being productive is a waste of time in my view . If someone works , and in his free hours studies Tora , nobody can reproach him or her something . There are people who proudly proclaim that they are doing this and this as voluntary work , there are people who proudly tell that they have given this or this sum to this or that NGO . That's not my way . When i'm contributing to society , be with time or money , i don't parade with this .

One of my greatest contributions to Israel was that i made Alya , and are not criticising GOOD ISRAELIS from this faraway galut as you are doing Yankele

I have already written that my sympathy goes to Zaka , i have seen some of your colleagues in action , and also once a TV reportage of one of those men . I don't think that i would be abble to do it , even that blood don't makes me sick , but those body parts .... In the article there , in the last sentence there is something that i don't like so much . For some leaks this program can be cancelled there is written . When i want to do something good , i do it , even if some leaks occur . But lets wait and see , and only hope we will not need your help in the future .

"When i'm telling something you , and everyone else , can trusth me" Except for anything to do with Judaism and Jewish belief, which you have been consistently off the mark with.

i'm telling , those are my views on religion , and there you can disagree , no problems for me . But calling me a liar because i tell something true and you dislike , is the biggest insult that a Jew can say to me . Don't you see a difference between facts and beliefs ?

"Learning tora instead of being productive is a waste of time in my view" That's nice. But your view is in complete contradiction to that of Judaism's.

"Don't you see a difference between facts and beliefs ?" Jewish belief isn't based on what random people think. It's based off of the Torah. The facts of Jewish law and belief are in the Torah, not what Charles believes to be true.

Do i need to have , as a secular atheist , the same views as You regarding Judaism ? We will certainly disagree on many other points , as long as you don't want to impose your views on my life , and i my views on your life , we don't need to have problems with this i think . Do you agree with this ?

wanted to say ideas or opinions . My beliefs are not tora based , i'm a secular atheist . My beliefs have'nt to be similar to yours , and if i think that your tora based beliefs are wrong , i may tell it no ? I'm not believing in a god , that's my right no ? The Tora is a nicely writen history book , the facts are mostly correct , but the reasons and how it happened are open to discussion and interpretation . I have seen very interesting things on some facts , don't ask me to explain , it was some time ago , a scientific explanation of how it was possible for the Jews , when liberated from slavery in Egypt , to cross the sea .

secular, religious, atheists, BUT WE ALL VOLUNTEER. You don't.

I did receive an email from you so I posted my email again, to give you a chance to PROVE the claims you made, instead of just believing everything you say just because you say it. Now, you made a claim that ALL HAREDI WOMEN ARE "SECRETLY" ABUSED based on some gossip you heard. This is a claim that you are required to PROVE, people do not just have to accept at face value what you said just because you said it. On the other hand, my brother, who was an ER physician in Israel, now in the US, has observed many cases of abuse by seculars and non-Jews that are far worse than "secret unhappiness" you claim exists among Haredi women. You immediately called me a liar and demanded proof from me, so I provided my email in order to settle this once and for all.