I salute you sir. Don't let the crazed demented Loonies win and turn Israel into Iran.

But they make exceptions for Jews? If those states didn't wouldn't the same people who want to outlaw cremation in Israel be screaming "Antisemitism! Antisemitism!" in the United States?

...and forget its principles. Is Israel a Jewish State or not? If yes,crematoriuns are forbidden .Period!Not too much discussing! And ,by the way,comunities of "jews for jesus" should be outlawed too,following the same principle!

lsraeli politicans are really making Holocost "cheap" by mentioning it everywhere they can. ls nothing sacred anymore? And how is a crematorium, where people CHOOSE to be burned after their death (because it's what they WANT) is "the final solution"? The only thing this crematorium may be is "non-kosher", so to speak, aginst the Jewish law. But hey, so are the non-kosher shops and restaurants. We are not comparing Tiv-Taam to Nazi Germany, are we?

israel is a democratic state.

Well, to a certain extent, it also means freedom FROM religion. But, all freedoms, of necessity, have limits, restrictions. Where exactly those limits are is a very debatable & contentious issue. The fact that this is a Jewish state means that to some extent, we need to compromise for the sake of internal peace. Both sides of the issue need to soften their positions & examine whether this is truely an issue worth creating such animosity about. Much of what Shas stands for is blatant manipulation of religious feeling, generally over emotional issues - but when it comes to issues of major importance such as withdrawing from Olmert's crap coalition which endangers our survival as a nation, Shas is strangely silent. They are essentially religious hypocrites. Militant secularists are not better - you would think that any thing "Jewish" in the Jewish state is an offence to their supposedly universal values, but only if it's Jewish - other religions have their blessing, even some which are most hostile to us as a people. The vast majority of Israelis just want reasonable solutions to religious & cultural issues, not ideological manipulation for political points.

I wish you were right...Israel is slowly losing her democratic status. Israel may well be a "Jewish state" however, it should never become a Jewish "Halachic" state, otherwise it would be no better than say any of the Islamic. #3, do you suggest that Christians and Muslims also be banned from Israel? How would you get rid of them?

I think one theocracy in the Middle East is enough.... we do not need another Iran

I stand to be corrected. One may think that 2 people are the arabs & israels. There are 3 peoples. One arab, one one israel & one Jewish. You read so many article where Jewish people are trying to live a Jewish life in Israel, the Holy Land & are constantly being Slammed by Israelis who what to force upon us their secular way of life. For your Secular life go to the hundreds of other countries in the World, why stay & defile G-ds Holy Land.

"God is not great, how religion poisons everything" Israel is heading down the wrong path...contrary to what many religious nuts believe. This is anti-progress and will only hurt Israel in the long run. Practice your religion freely, but do not force your fantasies onto others.

Cohen should be glad that there is an alternative for the thousands of Jews in Israel with tattoos: they may not be buried in a Jewish cemetary according to Halachic Law . . . . . On a more serious note: how ridiculous can the Orthodox get! We are not living in some Islamic fundamentalist state! My whole family will be cremated and I am sure G-d will love us no less.

The issue raised in this article is not so much the banning of a crematorium as Israel's odd political structure, which allows men like Cohen outsized influence. It is past time (60 years past?) that Israel get down to the business of instituting a rational political structure.

what about the christians and atheist living in this country? What about the Ba'hai? The muslims, the jews with tatoos. all of them cannot be buried within the chevra kadisha cemeteries so they should have an option.

karen, there are other religions in Israel... if you have to impose them your beliefs just because they live in here, than we are no better than Iran.

Embalming, I believe, only applies, when someone's being buried Ok, let me rephrase that:...when a person's entire body gets buried. You won't need to be embalmed, if you choose cremation. My husband insisted on being cremated because a) the way people over here move around, he didn't want to be stuck "alone" in some cemetery where, after a few years, nobody would ever come to see him again and b) because he wanted me to sprinkle half of his ashes over the stadium where he had played football in college and c) so his other half could sit on the mantel, "to keep an eye on me." I did exactly as my Sweetie had asked. Of course, if someone ever sneaks into my house and thinks they're stealing a beautiful, hand-carved jewelry case full of diamonds off that mantel, they will be sorely disappointed, when they break that case open. Had they checked out the situation first and noticed that I talk to and yes, sometimes even yell at that case, they should have gotten a clue that maybe there's something other than diamonds in the box or that they should, if nothing else, stay away from old ladies who talk to boxes. I have made a beautiful memory garden behind my house with a little fountain, a bench and a growing collection of rocks. Hubby, I know, would love his garden. I, too, will be cremated and our ashes will be sprinkled on a lake in the mountains that holds a lot of memories. My husband would laugh at this louder than anyone, but if there is such a thing as a resurrection at the end of time, somebody will just have to tell him to hurry up and pull himself together if he doesn't want to miss the whole thing. Most of all, I'm counting on god's having a good sense of humor or I'll be in deep, deep trouble.

The comparison to the final solution is so disgusting. And of course it chepens the memory of the victims of nazi death camps. But then of course most of what Shas stands for is disgusting. And we will have freedom of choice in this country regardless of what the religious coersion crowd wants.

to take your "digital impressions" before ,some day,when you will be there! but ask digital impressions and not "biometric digital impressions",otherwise ,one day it could come up a clone of you and I would not like.

What's worse...Cremating a few hundred bodies or being part of a government that is turning the entire country to toast?

G-D doesn't need your physical remains to resurrect you as you were-HE has a perfect recording of your mind and features.i myself couldn't care less what happens to my body after death but can understand the feelings of those concerning ovens and our past history.my secular father demanded he be burnt up so we followed his wishes-he wanted his ashes scattered at sea since he was a sailor.if it was up to me i would have sooner buried him myself in/near our garden near our pets but the laws dont allow this.i often walk out there and remember the past with them (our pets)and still grieve for them-my parents cut themselves off from G-D so they could not think this way-their god was money -which clouded their thinking

Ban Shas? It's an idea worth considering!!! Should we make crematoriums illegal? Well, we should remember that non Jews also live in the state of Israel. That's reason enough not to make crematoriums illegal.

to export the stuff to an outlander party to proess it, and then import it again! is this how to show judaism; making the goyim benifit from your own body?

What did Shas make to disengagement, Jerusalem issue, gay parade, and even Shabbaths observation? So, time has come to show them the representative of 52% of the population; the Mizrahim. Cohen has nothing to lose after hard life in Negev's Ashkelon and the harsh Talmudic college. At least one of his 10 children would certainly reward the man's hardship with a descent burial.

Keren, I'm getting sick and tired of your stupid ignorant comments....Israel is a democratic State and the best thing that could happen to this country if they separate Religion and State...you sound so hateful in most of your comments...not only Jewish live here but people from all religions....show some respect...

where is freedom of choice

Getting sick and tired?Go rest! fumele-the goya-do you know that Israel is also the Jewish state and not only the democratic one? If you don't know where you live,somebody else must teach you,and this one is me. Keep reading my TBs and you will keep learning.It is good for you,you will see.

Always remember this: Blessed are the cracked. They do let in some light now and then :-)

You are obviously so threatened by Jesus. You should give Him a chance yourself! The idea that cremation is about the holocaust has a perverse logic. Most people cremated in the world these days are not victims of homicide, but victims of natural causes.