rubbish. It's like a Peter Sellars movie. I'm religious, but this makes a mockery of our beautiful religion. By the way I watched the 'ceremony' on on You tube - I haven't had such a good laugh for a long time. These people take themselves far too seriously - as I say it is a mockery of Judaism.

You are right , a smile , a bevakasha or Slelicha can do marvels . But you [ i'm quit sure in a French speaking country ] had a non Israeli education , as i had . Try to behave this way here , they will look at you as a "freier" I once told a cashier at the super that she has to respect us , because otherwise she would be fired , and i added that we need to respect her because otherwise we can't buy our food . She could not believe her ears . Most of the times it's the fight as told by Cervantes in his "don quichotte' . I'm scepticall .

we need more like you. Secular religious who cares, first be a ben adam, like you. Sweet year to you.

THank you for the link it is the best defense should it be used to defame Judaism or Israel It clearly showed him being very very lightly tapped in the video reflection.Like a parent lovingly does to a wayward child.We probably all need a little "tap" from time to time religious or secular for our irrational behaviors.Todays generation has no one to teach or guide i.e . thousands of drunken teens lack of parental discipline guidance the main reason.

I am sure you can succeed,and even better than most,Charles.

But HELLOOOOOO!! it's 2010. I think the rabbis get their rocks off behaving like that. There is NO other explanation.

Yes , as a parent lovingly does to a child . But not for a "religious" reason , not to "punish" something they call a sin .

whether one person out there may listen - we can only try - success is not in our hands. Thanks for your support anyway. And wishing you and all of Am Yisrael a year of redemption.

The point here is that the article, and 90% of the commenters here (initially yourself included) responded to a misleading article that quite clearly and openly "powdered up" the actual events to make them more suitable for the headlines. This is wrong. Plainly, completely, and utterly, a great deal more than any painless and symbolic ceremony, regardless of how disagreeable you may find its existence in our modern day society. That ceremony didn't cause any harm to anyone - the news reporting here, and the subsequent comments that attack an event that didn't really happen, or those who use it as fuel for anti-religious hate-mongering? I find that a great deal more harmful. But hey - someone got a few shekels for a sensationalist article, a least. At least *someone* profited from it - the rest of us lose.

There is a master plan, and we as a chosen people know of this. Therefor we will not be judged on the day of judgement. We are simply just following a master plan and not responsible for the bad acts of ours.

This kind of "ceremonies" makes me thinking about exorcising in the dark middle ages , and it happened also this year somewhere [ not by Jewish people ] . It shows some similarities [ even here "painless" ] to some catholic processions wehere they flogging themselve for their "sins" or for the jesus suffering . Regarding those some shekels , i don't think that this journalist did it for money . Some have a salary , not related to this or that article they write .

And I do know that it's practiced by some more extreme sects of Catholic Christianity today. And yet, the similarity only goes (hah) skin deep. This wasn't an actual whipping with an actual whip. The article and its writer, though, seem to have deliberately misled the public to make it look like *was*, in fact, a real whipping. And I am not amused by such methods of misdirection and hate-mongering - not one bit.

I don't talk about this article because i , nor you , don't know how the writer was informed , but about the fact that people believe in such "ceremonies" in the 21 st century !

This is just another attmpt by y-net et al. to make the "Ultra-Orthodox" look bad. Where's the video? Did you ever wonder which foreign countries "donate" to y-net.

why was the singer only flogged?the women especially should have been flogged becoz they know better and there husbands also flogged for allowing them.im not cursing the Rabbi but im thinking he should have them all flogged for being unmodest and yes you all do need a flogging at times for being spoiled and unmodest thats why you all need to be religious my dear jewish bros and sisters no seculers and no aetheisms and u should support SHAS plz. Khudai Hafiz

I guess the mixed dancing caused men to stare at women and flog the log...another venal sin. OOPS....got a few Kleenex?