Is there another foul smelling slob achshav blaukam story being covered up? There ALWAYS is when these guys start spewing forth yet again with their repetitive chareidi bashing mantras. G'night, I'm tired. Great cure for insomnia, just start reading these guys.

SO Orthodox Jews are now a demographic enemey, together with Arab muslims? The writer of this article is a complete racist. I am not Haredi, and I am often critical of their behaviour. However, what Barnea's gripe is really about is that Religious Jews are a demographic boon, ie they have larger families, and Jerusalem's schools have many religious children. these range from modern Orthodox to haredi. The old bogeyman was about the demographic threat from Arab / palestinians, and how Israel may not be a Jewish democratic state. The facts of high Orthodox birth rate dispel this myth, and also the secular myth of land for peace. Barnea is trying to creat a new bogeyman - the demographic threat to secular Jews by religous Jews. Well, whether or not this may be a problem is unclear. Not everyone raised in a haredi home will stay Haredi. They may become secular, modern, zionist, or even settlers. The Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood is a haredi one, not a secular or even Dati Leumi one. yet, its natural expansion is in the path of religious zionism - even though the population might be Satmar or anti-Zionist. As for the capital - well, Washington DC is only famous for the white house and nothing more. The economic capital of USA is New York. The writer is looking for new trouble, because his leftist train is stuck at Oslo station.

Only problem is the we are the ones who had to emigrate from Jerusalem to the Centre. We grew up in open, tolerant, educated, cosmopolitan, beautiful Jerusalem of the 1970s. Today's bigoted, politicized, fanatic, clerical, dirty, deteriorating, poverty-stricken Jerusalem, surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire, a budgetary black hole with an ever-decreasing Zionist minority and no economic viability (except for billions in government handouts for projects with megalomaniac names and endless social welfare) can hardly be called the capital of Israel. In fact, few Israelis regard Jerusalem as their capital and as a recent survey showed, virtually none ever visit it. My Gymnasia Rehavia class of 1979 has emigrated in its virtual entirety and the few who remained - almost entirely from lack of choice - have seen their children move to Tel Aviv and elsewhere in Israel. Until the 1980s, we loved Jerusalem and never dreamed of leaving. But our 1970s Jerusalem is as similar to the present one as Danzig is to Gdansk. My only difference with Barnea is his analysis of Tel Aviv which is no longer getting older, as it did 1970-2000, but is getting younger and more vibrant by the year. After years of being anti-Tel Aviv, today I must admit that it is one of the world's great cities, equalling gems such as Madrid and Prague. And clearly, for all intents and purposes, it is today the true capital of Israel. As Barnea writes, Jerusalem's status as the capital is today no more than a facade.

So "the language of all chareidim is Yiddish" is it? - wake up Barnea this is 2010. That statement is pure fiction - like much of the rest of your article. In your left-wing elitist world you've probably never met any chareidim anyway.

"The language in most Hareidi schools is Yiddish"?!! Do you really think that or did you assume that none of your readers know either way. You messed up big time on that one.

Of course the Orthodox Jews are a strategic threat to Israel - they don't work (usually), they don't serve in the army, they are a financial burden because the state has to finance them and their big families from our taxes, they are ignorant of any knowledge that can advance Israel's scientific and economix strength, they have racist and backwardsocial and gender values that endanger Israel's openess and modarnity. They want us all to pray all day and basically do nothing else. If we become what they are Israel will cease to exist because it only due to our military strength, strong economy and education that we survive, not through useless prays.

You're allowing yourselves to be sidetracked again, as usual, by leftie nonsense, presented for the stand up comedy show. Just as that lot with the ugly grinning fake laughs poke fun on tv at all true values of bravery and loyalty. In order to undermine decency and make you feel idiotic if you're patriotic. Ah well, on it goes, non talent and side tracking win every time.

Hareidim are Jews. The Arabs are not. That's all that counts. What is so hard to understand that?

Barnea supported Oslo Supported itnatkut. Now he writes some new rubbish

ALL PARTIES THERE FORGOT THE ONLY TRUE FAITH. BECAUSE ALL THEY ARE TOO BUSY TO DESTROY OTHERS BELIEVE. dont waste your time to see my point. only great brains with faith can get my point. I am not sure if there are, there.

NONE not even the USA.. so go play with people your size .

As always, i am amazed by the intense inner-jewish dispute, not bad, you give each other a run for their money. Now, I can't help thinking, the author does not speak no yiddish and thus feels alienated, when entering a yiddish-speaking quarter or community. A very natural feeling, and the opposite imo is, to enjoy the visit in case you are half-the-way able to understand yiddish. Of course, this is the view of a foreigner, a wannabe-tourist, who happens to understand this language.

"The various owners of beards – haredim, settlers, Muslims – are not liked" Mr Barnea, why is that? Could it be because people like you enjoy telling us to not like people with beards? I spend a large part of my life in Jerusalem. I work with people from all over the world, Jewish and non-Jewish; religious and non-religious. I have never yet met one who did not fall for the beauty of Jaffa Gate in the Old City Walls; for the myriad of back streets in the Jewish Quarter; for the miracle of the Western Wall. Jerusalem is great, and would be far greater if it wasn't for the likes of the "left-wing" elite, who would like to remove the name from our lexicon. "If I forget thee O Jerusalem . . ."

Firstly, I am in "safe" London, but presumably you want to make tel aviv like any other european city, with benefit of the lovely sea:) Next, you mention the halcyon days of '70s. Yet the rhetoric of the 70s and 80s was that the Arab (enemy) has a higehr brithrate than the Jewish Israeli, and this puts Israel at threat. Since these fears have not materialised, we have to look at the demographics. The Jewish birthrate has been disproportionately high in the Orhtodox sectors. So the arab threat is nto a demographic one. The 70s rhetoric has disappeared. the new rhetoric is like Barnea's and #6's - ie Jews are an existential threat. My only agreement with this is that Orthodox Judaism is not the true representative of the Torah. If you go back to the 1993 Oslo agreements, it was the Shas party whose votes (or abstentios) carried through the disasterous Olso agreements. This is the threat . If you are a leftie, then you have an unlikely ally. You also have a Neturei Karta which is pretty much the same as Peace Now.

As a charadi, I know that most Charadim speak hebrew as a momma tongue. Hebrew is the language of instruction in MOST talmud torahs, I know, I sent my kids to them. Yiddish is only in a very few!!! Please check out your ass umptions before you make an article!!!

believe me --- jerusalem need hearts and hearts use to beat in evry language and silently .. i know jerusalem but sure it knows me better becouse i love her without language simply i love it by my heart

As a disillusioned and cynical Jerusalem secular resident I agree with most of Barnea's arguments of what is occurring in Jerusalem. I observe most of these impoverished religious sects and cults do not work, do not contribute to the state or the city,proliferate like rabbits and I believe are the main reasons for the 45 % poverty that has lowered the standard of living and quality of life of a the city that is drab,dreary and depressing.

If you wang some day to be a part of Israel and of mideast, begin to talk hebrew everywhere and begin to learn arabic. If not Land of Israel will vomit you, כמו כתוב בתורה