I thought it would just be more anti-religious drivel with some obvious political motivation. But, I find that you are absolutely correct. I still think our educational system is a disaster & that's a kind description. I also think that it's pointless to get all worked up about what what the rabbi said - he's certainly said worse & the behavior of the Shas party is, well, abominable. Shas represents a backwards & ignorant version of Judaism. You can be religious (which I'm not) & still understand science, math, etc. You have only to take the example of Maimonides to see how far the ultra-orthodox have strayed from authentic Judaism. So, all in all, a very good article.

Can't we get over this item? How many more articles do we need?

Dear Sir , I wish I was back to school...With teachers like yourself, I would have probably turned out much more educated than I am . Indeed the fundamentals of Religious extremists, of all kind (as we all know , extremists all grow in the same place , the Middle east, and for same reason > an indigestion of religion ) are quite different from people living in " the real world". Although I believe the Israeli educational system could do much better, I think that teaching someone about the legitimity of popping zits on Shabbes is closer to obscurantism than fitting the 21st century.We all know that evolutionand tolerances are not words understood by religious zealots .....

Origin of Species - see Genisis and look for the similarities. State of Israel - see the bible. Freud is a danger to psychiatry and has been thrown out long ago. Maths - The bible is full of it. Tsunami - earthquakes - what makes the earth move ? G-d Our wars - the greatest war schools say we could not have won the 6 day war - we did - with G-d help. Anatomy, botanics and biology are currently proving the Torah right. You are an Ass - and not even a white one

As an american oleh I am disgusted by the comments made in this article. You are just blatantly spewing crap out of your mouth and attacking a Torah sage over a comment that no one really heard and after seeing the full comment it is clear that it was taken out of context on purpose. You wonder why people like me coming from America (where we are taught to respect religion and religious leaders even in public schools) think you are ridiculous. You haughty fool. If you are so smart why are Israelis falling behind in Maths and Sciences. Because they lack respect and that is why you are an ass!

When you're sick, please do not look hospitals, but goes to a synagogue. After all ,answers are all in the Torah.

Why people listening to this old got? Why newspaper and the media even refer what he has to say. WHO IS IN INTRESTING? Ignore him! He is not worty to be uppset on. HE IS OUR AYATOLLA A CLOWN a leader off a mass o fanatiker.

Judaism teaches the opposite, that man was created man, noble - but the more they sinned, the more like monkeys they became. You cannot call yourself a Jew and teach Darwin - anyway, you've no doubt never read the origin of species, very few people have, it's just a jumble of incoherent half-concepts. there is no proof for any of it.

If you wish to live in your own shell, and use Bible as your life guide it is your choice. But spare us your efforts to make us live like you. If you are religious you must be ashamed that the Holy Word is represented by people like rabbi Ovadia and the likes of him - they look like an Israeli answer to Ayatolla Khomeini, if only a little more stupid.

Wow! I always knew that secular leftists were deficient in their ability to balance reality and imagination, but this is off the scales in revealing the problem. For example, there is not one scientist today that holds to be factual Darwin's theory of evolution, but the secular street hasn't caught on yet. Nor have they caught on to their other heroes' unprovable theories, having adopted them to box themselves into a meaningless irresponsible existence. G-d save the secular leftist, it must be a painful existence.

Einstein was a Genius , a TRUE one , Mozarty was a GENIUS , also a true one . Many others were it too , but this ovadia ? [ OK , you were sarcastic ] Let # 6 and 11 bark , they just prove you're right .

Who cares if the geniuses (there is a whole community of them) don't know about Darwin? More serious is that most of them don't learn a word of English, or any other language, at school, and forget about math, history, geography or pretty much anything that isn't Torah, it's all a waste of time... Some months ago I asked some hassidim to translate a letter for me from Yiddish into Hebrew... they couldn't even do that, but one volunteered to have his wife translate it.....Pathetic, and I'm still waiting, she's obviously too busy taking care of a zillion kids. Another time a member of a hassidic community asked me to teach him to play an electronic organ. During one of the lessons there was a knock on the door, a neighbor needed something. Before opening the door my student quickly removed the organ so the neighbor wouldn't see it. That would create a bad impression. Even learning music, such a major part of religious life, is considered a waste of time better spent on Torah study. It's so sad. The story about the organ is 25 years old, things might have changed since then, but not much. I wish the ultra orthodox community was more open to secular education.

What is this article really about? A few silly words from a Rabbi, or just more leftsist slander? Monkey see monkey do! If you people cant work out that the leftist controlled media is merely trying to demonize the religious prior to elections, then perhaps Darwin was right.

how old are the people in this silly argument? are they schoolkids?

This man, this so called "rabbi" is a bloated goat whom G-d will profoundly punish. His service is to his cult followers the weak and vulnerable members of society who bleat at his side, kissing his hand only to further bloat his twisted ego. His ignorance of how he appears to the world and how he represents Judaism to the world, who like all other cult figures before him actually is only concerned about the power and the money , which 7 convicted and jailed Shas MKs on charges of serious fraud and corruption go's to prove. This man is a grave sinner and a fraudulent representative anything and everything holy. He is a criminal that wraps himself in religious garb of the most flamboyant nature yet flaunts the very basic laws he claims to represent.

What a GREAT WONDERFUL and beautifully written article!!! Well done!

Everytime the leftist establishment and its media get nervous before and election they spew hate and slander and rev up the "enlightened people" in the center of the country. I grew up "enlightened" in America and laugh at secualr Israelis who strive to look at the world that way. Believe many of us Olim look at the "seculars" here in Israel as the ones which are brain washed and close minded.

you really don't want to know how many of us "seculars" look at you, US olim, ill-mannered, obnoxious, loud, and mostly patronizing, believing that you did this country a great honor by choosing to grace us natives or "olim" from such primitive places like Europe with your priceless presence. Well, believe you me, I grew up "a primitive" in Europe, and among the very few things that they taught me there is that I don't need to kiss the hand or robe of any priest or other religious figure in order to ingratiate myself with the Creator; one more thing I learned is that I needed to keep an open mind in case some crazy idea decides to land on my thick skull. At least kids in a secular school have the opportunity to choose between Darwin and the Tora. Yeshiva kids don't. So who is really brain-washed? Those who have the choice or those who are told what to believe?

Secular education standards are falling noticibly in Israel and is at third world levels, are all you fools who are critising the Rav not bothered by this. Ramat Gan’s Blich High School is certainly not one I would want to send my children to. What on earth has this non entity of a boastful teacher got to offer the JEWISH people?

Im a muslim and i agree with Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. I think he has the guts to tell evolutionists what kind of monkey they really are. How dare they teach our children than men came from monkeys. This is blasphemy. God will curse those who deny His Holy laws. Evolution is a stupid theory invented by Darwin and still remains unproven.

We have too many geniuses like Ovadia, may God!!!! !!! help us to stay sane

for talking like ayatollah yusuf. He should be put in an institution. We suffered enough from his ranting and crazy ideas. Will we ever see this idiot imam and the unelected peres leave us alone? Let the old ones retire already and let younger people takeover. Give another generation a chance to screw things up.

Shas recently made a new policy statement regarding Sephardic Jews who lost their properties and were expelled from Arab countries. This is not a secular/ or religious issue, but it is a counterweight against palestinian claims, and also the onslaught against "settlements". The palestinians who feel displaced could perhaps compensate in those arab and islamic states who have transferred their Jewish populations or expropriated their properties.

Let's bray together.