When the Golan comes up for discussion, we won't need your help. Anyway how is the Golan connected to any of this.

who are not dati , but pray every morning , you wrote . And you would like us to believe this ? I know also plenty of people who are'nt Dati . No one is praying every day , not even once a year .

Thank you for your new years greetings. I have the utmost of respect for all Jews regardless if they wear Tzitzit or not. We are a minority in the world and have the most to offer when we stand up proud as Jews and set the example to all the nations. perhaps this is why they try to destroy us. We are a Blessed nation. If not we would have been destroyed thousands of years ago. perhaps we can learn from History, we do not earn the worlds respect by emulating the worlds ever changing values. (rome, Greece, Europe, Germany and today Israel). Please accept that not all Chareidim are unproductive parasites, There are plenty secular, Zionisit, sefardi and Russian Israelis who can fall into that catagory. At least the Chareidim bring in millions of not billions of dollars to support their own education system that is not funded by your hard earned tax dollars. wishing you a year of health and happiness.

Thanks for your wishes too . We are an example to the world , we Jews , because we have contributed more than any other nation to Humanity , contribution made mostly , if not always , by secular Jews . Regarding the charidim who bring in so many $ , i have'nt seen any official numbers . My income also comes from abroad , pension , but this can be seen in the statistics i think [ not mine alone , but all those in the same situation ] . I respect every person who is honest , tolerant and not a hatefull extremist [ both sides ] , religious Jews included of course as long that they don't want to intervene in my life . As you probably have read , i don't like missionaries , but that's another category of "people"

How have we Jews contributed more than anyone else to humanity? Can that really be quantified?

did you learn any history? medicine, tech.....the list goes on..

When I am at the University, I hide near a secluded place to daven. No body sees me. I m safe. But quiet frequently i foget to remove my kippah, so I end up answering strange quetion. A few days ago i was humilited by one Krishnan,he and his gand went about gossiping and even slander me. I am also crying inside me. I have no choice, i have to attend lectures and tutorial with them on staurday shabbat. Lately these krishna nad his gand been harping . It look like there is no freedom for us to put on the shawl anywhere be it in the universities or anywhere.These day I dont even talk or contribute in my classes. Inside me there is a fear of being pushed down.I hope the Professors dont do the same to me : -(

Yes, I'm very well acquainted with history and medicine, thank you. But show me how we Jews have contributed "more than anyone else" to humanity? Have we won the majority of Nobel prizes? No. Have we invented the majority of pharmaceuticals? No. Were we the founders of western democracy or the creators of its philosophical underpinnings? No. Did we win World War II? No. Did we end slavery in the west? No. Did we discover electricity or invent the airplane? No. Did we end the Cold War and liberate hundreds of millions of people from Communist oppression? No. Did we write the great literary works of Western civilization? No. Did we invent the common law judicial system? No. Did we defeat twentieth-century fascism? No. Did we make the theory of evolution or discover the molecular nature of DNA? No. Vaccination? No. Radio? No. Stock markets? No. Jet engine? No. Public libraries? No. Organ transplantation? No. Jews have contributed a lot to humanity in every field--disproportionate to their small numbers. But I don't think you can prove or honestly contend that we've done *more* than everyone else. Let's be fair: non-Jews can be smart too.

One shouldnt eat before davenning anyway, and I'm sure this lot have breakfast first. A bit of 'cool' publicity seeking here, I'm not impressed.

Jews have received more 17 % of all Nobel prizes , this for a population numbering less than 0.2 % ofthe world . That's one . Then you have all those who did'nt receive it . If you want to know them look at www.jinfo.org . There you will see the vast quantity of great Jewish scientists

Sabin and Salk . Discovered the way to produce penicilline , discovered blood groups + Rhesus factor . 250,000 Jews fought in the US army during WWI , 550,000 in WWII . Schwarts made the first "zeppelin" , bought later by Zeppelin himself . A Jew made the first record player [ Berliner ] the "black" records . Philosophs & writers : Adorno , Arendt , Bergson , Heine , Bash , Kafka , Maurois . Those are only a small part of all those Jews who contributed . And if you can write your tb's , thank Israeli Jews please .

just have to 'show' their stuff, whether it be stuff bought with new money, or the newly found praying part of religion, or even new plastic bits on bodies. Those who have always had these attributes don't have this desperate need to show it. It's as if they have no value in their own eyes, they have to have an audience. Give these kids time, maybe and hopefully they'll settle quietly into what religion truly is, and leave the showy part to the next group of nouveaux, desperately in need of an audience. I'm sure if there are any pupils there from religious homes( where Dad davens every morning, at home or in shul, with absolutely no fuss), the kids too, have been davenning at home for years. Some religious families, not many, do send their kids to mamlachti schools, they get their real live religion at home, with no need for 'show time' outside of it.

Yes, Charles, but 17% is a smaller number than 83%. Contributing more *per capita* than others still isn't "contributing more than others."

How exactly are you getting your facts straight? Did the article mention anywhere that the students were delayed to class? No. If the students would want to form a morning minyan (not possible for all days of the week because of the lack of a Sefer Torah), then I am sure they would find a way to do it before class. Why fabricate facts to support your point of view? According to the article, the students were finding spare time for their own prayers. Lastly...don't dictate that this boy should go to a religious school. Did the article mention anywhere that he is religious? Why are you making decisions for him? Afraid that perhaps other students may show signs of interest in their Jewish religion? From your talkback reactions, this would seem be your biggest nightmare...

I'm not fabricating anything. I've taught in the school system for many years. First of all, from 8:00 onwards kids have somewhere to be. Places like the photocopies are hot spots during that time because teachers are busy photocopying. I'm not afraid of anything. But in a secular school, prayer belongs at home.

Who are you to dictate to others where to pray? Prayer belongs where one finds himself. Government interference in the worship of HaShem is from hasatan. Government should keep their noses out of a persons Religion unless it hurts others. To be obedient is not harming others.

We would be hearing from the UN right now, but is is okay to ban tefillin? As a secular Jew I am very offended. This is just paid bigotry.

I'm not saying where they can pray, but I am saying where they can't pray. Two different things. Prayer is something personal and private. If it is so important to these boys they can get up earlier to do it. Once they do it in a public space on school time it is not private it is a statement. And in that case I feel the principal was within her rights to stop it.

Comparing the 13 million Jews to the milliards of non Jews is stupid . We can only talk "per capita" . Chinese use more fuel than the Luxemburgers , no smart person will make such a comparison . Not seeing the difference is stupid , or not wanting to see it . You are in both categories .

On the one hand if someone were to start really persuading students to change the religious identity against their parents wishes, I would totally support the school taking steps to stop that. If this were a Jew for Jesus gathering people to convince them about the "true" messiah, there would probably be few complaints. On the other hand, to tell a student not to bring something he is interested in to school, and not to share it with friends, how do you place a limit on it? This isn't pot we are talking about. Bottom line, there was a missed educational opportunity here. there are a group of students with energy and interest with no indication that they were cutting class. Does the school have interest clubs? Maybe teachers can help one that talks about Jewish ritual history, explaining why some Jews choose to do certain ritual acts and some Jews don't. As one poster wrote, this is a secular nightmare - now tefillin are cool!

You don't get it. It's not a Jewish Day School in the States. It's not a matter of show and tell. This is a high school .In Israel students study bible, civics, but the job of the school is not to teach ritual. Judaism and ritual should be taught in the home, not the school.

Thank you for your clarification. Your tone assuming what I get or don't get is precisely reflective of the mistake this school is making. You cut people off as opposed to developing their ideas. This is not about Judaism or ritual. the kid could have brought a guitar and started a band and have had the same feared disruptive results only the politically correct cultural response is making this difference. I have worked with secular schools in the states. I know it is different then in Israel, but many secular and public schools in America have interest clubs - gay straight alliances, bible study groups, etc. Do schools in Israel not have extracurricular clubs? Why can't one be about Judaism? Why can't the energy of these students be used positively in a way that doesn't force students to do something they or their parents don't want them doing. Besides, it doesn't explain why he was prohibited from bringing his Tefilin to school. To have a no group religion policy, while misguided in my opinion, is at least understandable. To restrict personal religious freedom is actually a violation at a public institution.

Not long ago, a Jew was caught binding tefillin on an American airplane. The flight attendant told him to set down and put on his seatbelt. He finished his prayers and was disciplined by the airline. The story was printed in Y-Net and there was an outcry from talkbackers in defense of the Jew. Americans were called ignorant and intolerent. What a contrast. Now we have a Jewish boy binding tefillin in a Jewish school and he is disciplined by Jews. What is wrong with you people? If a Jew cannot bind tefillin in Eretz Israel, anywhere, anytime he wants then what is the fuss all about regarding a Jewish State? Give me a break. This isn't a Columbine shooting event. This is students practicing their right to honor HaShem in Yerushalayim. If you have fallen that far in Eretz Israel you can expect the land to once again vomit you out.

"A group of 20 boys who want to make a minyan do need supervision.. " Um, Israeli first graders are left to eat lunch on their own. Why would a group of 20 high schoolers need supervision? Why don't you try commenting on school life in Israel, rather than America. Also read the article again. The boys were doing it during their FREE PERIODS.

You are fabricating facts to support you stance. There are such things as school breaks (recess) and free periods. If the teachers were busy photocopying, I suppose they would not have let the students disturb them in the photocopying room be it for prayer or for a soccer team meeting. Really now...I am sorry to say that your defense is altogether weak and somewhat laughable, that is, if it were not so sad that you are a Jew talking this way. Additionally, does the the law prohibit praying in secular schools or is this another of your fabrications? Please...don't dictate where and when kids should pray - I'm really not sure if you have a right to do so...

SECULAR coercion. That's what it ts,