I live in the mountains of NC and my wife and me are Jews, and we live like Jews - we have a kosher home, keep all observances, dress with tzit-tzit, kippah, and peyot. We study Torah and support Chabad, we thinks it's great. To quote a talkback; what is wrong with Jews living as Jews? Thanks, Lenny

We all work and the men serve in the IDF! I am so sick of this vile stereotyping at YNet.

How sad that you think a child becoming more religious is bad! An "inferno" for his parents!!!! Why? Does the child burn the house down? Terrible the child won't participate in Friday night at the movies or Saturday on the beach. I mean, what is the problem with children today?? I dont' know Charles--there are so many negative paths a child can take--drugs, children out of wedlock, alcohol addiction, theft yet you worry about religion! True story: I sat and watched 13-14 year olds climb the roof of a Gan across from my apartment. They did this night after night ( calls to the police were worthless) Then one night they brought rope and hauled up playground tables, toys, balls, chairs etc. etc. and threw them around on the roof of the building and off the building. I also watched them throw glass bottles , shattering them in the parking area of another building. I don't know how many shekels of destruction they caused, but I guess in your mind this activity was preferable than maybe having spent an evening in a Chabad class! Sad, very very sad! (btw I have photos to back my story up!)

it's very sad to see family fighting. we should use our energy to fight our enemies who would like youre home in tel aviv.

I am shocked and appalled that anything negative could be said about Chabad, BY JEWS!!!! Is it not enough that half the world is turning against the Jews, now secular Jews are turing against observant ones...SHAME ON US! Shame on any of us for allowing this to happen and not speaking out! I have been warmly welcomed by Chabad in every city I have lived in, and my family is secular. They are the cream of the crop, we should all be more like them, loving our fellow Jews!!!!

... and yet, as I rode the bus on Tel Aviv last year (I do visit every year) a haredi woman began to actively bother me and scold me for wearing a sleeveless blouse, She then proceeded to try to hand me a piece of paper with writngs in Hebrew..when I told her I didn't read Hebrew...she proceeded to tell me that all Jews must live in Israel, yada, yada, yada.... I told her, in my very modest Hebrew that I didn't know about her ...but my G_d does not make mistakes...and so I am living where I am supposed to be living...End of story. I am neither an Israeli nor a resident....and I truly had no opinion as far as haredi versus secular...I do now....they need to live and let live!!! I am not interested in her lifestyle, she shouldn't have meddled with mine!

I have never had a problem with Chabad...on the contrary, absolutely awesome people!

The left fears and hates Chabad more than Christianity, Scientology, Arab terror, drugs, promiscuity and other assorted perversion since Chabad, with out making a statement aloud, by their mere presence imply that they, the lefties, are in error. Even worse, Chabad silently reminds them that there IS a hell, and they know that if this is true, they know in which direction they are heading. It is not really Chabad that they fear and hate, but it is the ramification that "if Chabad is correct, they they are wrong, and if they are wrong, they, as Jews, must change." This concept is too strong and frightening for them, since they have invested too much of their live, energy, and soul in the pursuit of passing worldly pleasures. They prefer, like Ostriches, to keep their head buried in the ground than to face the reality of life, that perhaps they have errored in their choice of life style and their children will choose a better life style.

I almost laughed. Then I chose to cry instead when I saw TA residents and their mayor given the platform by ynet to vent against their fellow Jews while in the same article there is an ad for the Scientology cult in ynet. Ynet, clean it up.

pulling your leg (and ours). It is called "irony".

Why is a marriage between Jews in Israel only legal if done by the religious? I could never understand that.

They come and take over, next thing you know they are rioting, brain washing young minds, attacking women on buses, closing roads and denying people there basic right of freedom and democracy.The residents should do all they can to remove then as soon as possible before its to late.

And move to Israel ! What a hypocirite. I guess if you mean behaving like jews includes not working not serving in the army living off the state rioting attacking women on buses and the streets vandalism denying others their freedom and democracy not accepting the law of the land attacking our security forces Obviously living in LA you dont have this problem but hay coming to Israel on vacation once a year and lecturing us from the lobby of the hilton is now what we need thankyou very much.

I am not jewish, but every Chabadnik that I have met has been kind and left me with an excellent impression of Judaism. Why on earth would the Mayor feel uneasy about them? They appear to be very tolerant and welcoming. I just don't get why secular jews would feel threatened by them.

I carefully red all the comments relating to the presence of chabad in Ramat Aviv. The sheer choutzpa of all the American jews preaching to us about chabad and how tolerent they are and wonderful well as a resident of Ramat Aviv well let me remind you that in the U.S chabad wouldn't have dreamed to stand in front of a secular school preaching to the kids what an unworthy education they receive at home and how Chabad would be their mother and father trying to pursuade the kids to "reform" themselves in becoming orthodxs. Had that would have happened in the U.S these people would have been told to leave the premises. Furthermore in the U.S nobody would have gone into a neighborhood which caaries its own charecteristics and would try to change it by turning it into something it never was. I wonder if I had gone in crown heights or williamsburg with maases of people in order to change its nature I wonder how you the American jews would have reacted you would be probably would they say that it is a sheer choutzpa so the same applies to chabad in Ramat Aviv. If Chabad's people want to live in Ramat Aviv they should to respect the wishes of the secular majority and not the other way around-they are the minority and should behave accordingly.

What maroons! (Yosemite Sam)

Imagine you have a kid who becomes orthodox.and requires you to keep kosher , to observe all the religious laws . And this while you are secular . This kid can also flee your home and break with you . This all because he was caught in those ugly nets of religious missionaries . Regarding the facts you told , are'nt there orthodox kids who behave badly ? Are they all "saints" ?

Do secular youths throw stones at police officers as it happens in Mea Shearim ? Do they attack "immodest" women ?

Are you talking about talibans from pakistan or about the great peopple who support Jews to respect and implement mitzvot ??? Hiloni TA world is sick

Last time I checked, Tel Aviv University, supported by our tax money, was located in Ramat Aviv. It espouses freedom of speech to such an extent that some of its staff often sound more anti, than pro-Israel. Why, therefore, deny Chabad in Ramat Aviv the same freedom of speech? They are not forcing anyone to join their community or attend their functions. Are they more seditious than ultra left- wing professors? I think not.

People pelase don't confuse normal chabad people with the crazy mashiach ones. They are two streems of chabad. The ones in Ramat Aviv are the crazy ones. In general chabad has done a very good job arround the world. People in ramat aviv is too frigid and cause they live in a buble they feel threatened... nothign to fear, chabad is good. Note: i am not religious

In looking over talkbacks for the past few years, Charles from Petach Tikveh is so predictable. We read about his Pesach seder with Chabad about 20 times. Keep in mind the seder was while he was soul searcing in the mountains. Chabd gave him home and a meal... How ungreatful Charles again demostrates his hate for Jews and anything to do with religion by including Chabd in the catagory of stone throwers. He tries to make you believe that Chabad do not join the army and do not work. I thought you were an educated man Charles.

Nothing wrong with promoting and spreading jewish culture among young israelis, of course. But this has nothing to do with promoting religion! Cultural values that stem from religious dogmas have found their way into common law, and are accepted not only in Israel among the secular population,but also all over the more developed world.