Still the majority of the Ultra Orthadox do not serve in the army and hide behind the TAL Law which was recently extended naturally with the help of Shas. Eli Yishai who loves to send the troops in whenever he feels he can gain a few points politically, yet on the other hand encourages Shas supporters not to serve in the army, not to pay taxes and not to work.

We have enough anti-Zionists as it is, Ultra-Orthodox conversions should not be recognized for the purposes of the Law of Return. 30% of our school children are either Haredim or Arabs - meaning that in one or two generations there will be an anti-Zionist majority in the State of Israel.

Being Jewish existed without a State of Israel and Judaism is not dependent on being Israeli nor is being Israeli dependent on being Jewish. If someone wants to be Jewish there are well established procedures for conversion, but if the person has no interest in religion what is the sense of a conversion? Paint a blue star on their foreheads and have them yoddle.

Thank you #3, you've hit the nail on the head! Why do you need to convert, to become an Israeli, what has one got to do with the other?!

Who ever thought 60 years ago that we would have this problem - so many non-Jewish Israelis (but not Arab)?Everyone today sees that in the Galut, the chances of a non-religous Jew marrying a non-Jew are very high. In Israel, the possibility is much lower, but it still exists. We dreamt for 2000 years of a Jewish state, but now that we have it, there are still so many problems.

WE ARE A TRIBE - NOT A RELIGION...IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT OUR NATIONAL HISTORY BECAME OUR "RELIGION" (AND THAT OF CHRISTIANITY) AFTER 150 AD TO KEEP FROM GOING EXTINCT IN THE WILDERNESS ISRAELI IS SOMETHING WE ALL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN - SO LET NEW MEMBERS INTO THE TRIBE - AND THE TRIBE WILL GROW.

This article illustrates the seculars relentless fear of losing power. In predictable fashion they prefer to lower the standards of Judaism, redefining what makes a person a Jew. Here is an alternative chillunim: make teshuvah and follow Torah, then maybe there wouldn't be a problem with the ever growing arab and xtian (meshichisti) populations. I am sure though you wont listen but probably start allowing pagans (your xtian and meshichisti spouses) to become Jewish cause they are "culturally" or " spiritually" connected.

Can I just put an Israeli flag in the rear window of my car and play Miami Boys' Choir CD's??? I can't take the yodeling. :-)

One does not convert to being Israeli. One is or isn't granted citizenship that has nothing to do with being Jewish. We have Druze, Arab, Russian, and black American Israelis who are not Jewish. Conversions have to do with Judaism and Jewishness, not Israeli citizenship. What is more, there is an additional disconnect inherent in this point of view: that only a convert has to serve in the army to earn citizenship. What about born Jews? What about immigrants who come and are told by the IDF they are to old to serve. What about Israelis, Jewish or otherwise, who do not serve in the military? Should they be denied - or stripped of - their citizenship? What about those not physically able to serve? Should we only convert able bodied people between 18 and 32? This is a state of Jews. All Jews. Not just Jewish soldiers. Serving is meritorious. Every able bodied male Jew should consider it a moral obligation. But to make it the standard of citizenship? Jewishness should be the bar for immigrant citizenship. And birth or conversion to authentic Judaism, which is a religion - not a state - should be the bar for Jewishness. This is ridiculous. But then, after many years in this country I've come to realize that, the large number of educated Israelis aside, this is a country of narrow, small town reactionaries.

what sheer nonsense. having selected the only group that believes this Junk, by default, since most humans are too intelligent to play these games, they get the same old errors that make fools out of the pollsters every election

And seculars should not be allowed to become yordim.

Dah!