And who will sustain that city? Does Atias not know that there are many services that sustain the city, and these services employ people that WORK and not only daven? A trash is not taken to a incendiary plant only by reciting Shma. An economy of the city is not going to improve just by reading Gemara. Does Atias have some detailed plan how this city will sustain itself, or does he plan to have seculars coming every day to jump-start it and in the night leave? If so, is this a new kind of Jew, like "shabbes goy", but would conveniently be called "weekday's Jew"? :)

We need to find ways to integrate the Orthodox into the rest of the country not build them their own private ghettos - even if they request them. But if he insists these cities should be built in areas around Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon This way we can have a reason for Orthodox only troops as they defend their families too.

but in his eyes, gentiles and non-haredim are the same.

this country is on its way to collapse and it has nothing to do with the arabs thi time! How can a jew in democratic israel say he doesn't want his children mixing with other jews? what century is this? these "haredim" should be sent for re-education!

Right set the clock back 1 or 2 centuries, reestablish ghettos. Who does he expect will work in these cities and who will pay taxes or does he expect that the rest of the country will pay for the cities maintenance. Just another example the Haridi insular thinking. Again the best way to end all this nonsense is to simply end the subsidies on a gradual scale giving incentive to those who work for a salary.

Why is that more apartheid than the idea of a Jewish State altogether? Shouldn't the Jews integrate into the rest of the global village? Whatever answers you come up with can apply equally to the haredi-only cities too.

When you are prepared to let your children mix with haredi kids ("other Jews"), then you can complain. . .

is the worst possible thing that can happen to any society. Israel will suffer terribly because of this. Haredi cities, woven kippa cities, secular cities, cities for refugees, cities for Yemenites only, cities for Ashkenazim and then for Sepharadim. How about cities for heterosexuals and then cities for homosexuals, then we can have cities for lesbians or how about cities for dog owners and cities for non animal lovers. Perhaps we could build a city for atheists, after all they would have the same right as Haredim to conduct their lives without the interference of others, just as the Haredim wish to do. If I had the financial resources I would start a bus company which would have a declared policy of "atheists and immodestly dressed women only". My contempt only grows greater as the days go by and with each new demand made by these ridiculous people.

Let Haredim build their own cities, take their own mortgages like everybody else, pay their own taxes, clean and maintain all the necessary services including schools.

Best would be to build it in New Jersey. They are out of place in Israel.

The local residents will gladly take them in and it will help end all this talk of another Arab state inside Israel.

What a great idea! Haredi cities, subsidized by the hard working, tax paying secular population. It is not enough that they don't work, but now I have to give them homes and cities? Why not just make us slaves? This has gone so far beyond any kind of reason. These bums are bad Israelis! Bad Jews and bad neighbors. You want homes? Work for them, just like the rest of us. You want cities, then pick up a hammer and build in the 40 degree weather, just like the rest of us do. Put in your 45 hour work week, pay half of the little you make in taxes, and then make demands. You people have gone too far, didn't your Mother tell you that there is NO free lunch.

If haredi families are forced to live around secular Jews, it's no different to sharing an area with gentiles. Both secularists and gentiles eat bacon, and could you imagine how offensive it is to allow the smell of fresh bacon enter the air of a haredim house in full prayer?

"And who will sustain that city?" Ummm... have you heard of Kiryat Sefer or Beitar? One of several chareidi cities and they are doing quite well in their budget.

What nonsense! Everybody who is not part of their sect is by their definition secular. I am not Haridi I keep a kosher home that means I do not eat non-kosher anything. Most of the Israeli population does not eat pork or bacon. The real problem is that they don’t want their children to meet or play with any other child who is not part of their sect for fear they may be influenced by their playmates to think for themselves or to pursue a different life style. They want to stay in the 16th century.

in the I.D.F.,the workplace and university. It is time we try to remove them from our Jewish homeland. We cannot afford them and we should not have to defend them. If a X-tian said this outside of Israel about Jewish children, then the government of Israel and the Jews living in the diaspora would protest this anti Semitism. We must remove the right to vote by these leeches and outlaw their political parties. No more money for them from our government. They are just as dangerous to our survival as ham-ass or hizbollah.

QAnd they let him join the govt. Netanyahoo, what were you thinking? You'll do anything to stay in power?

However, I do agree that defining this country a Jewish state was retarded.

THEIR budget comes from the tax paying population. What is wrong with you?

A separate country, named "Kingdom of Judah" is a brilliant idea however. As long as its completely separate. I would even let Jerusalem be their capital. After all, its sweet air isn't worth the bloodshed and political mess. Let the barbarians be barbarians... after all, the only proven way to make barbarians non-barbarians is to conquer and re-educate them, which is too much work.

And the talkbacks are even more interesting.

They should be able to build anything they want in Israel. Collect all the haredi funds, let the haredi building contractors bid for the job and good luck to them. But if, as I suspect, the only trick that they (and well trained monkeys) are capable of, is pulling the lever on voting day, I think people should have to pay for a home. So no go.

Pay for a home? Like someone hands haredim free apartments or something? Are you suggesting the same for Arabs too? I hear the crime stats in Detroit are really fabulous lately. Why don't you keep your nose closer to Motor City instead of spouting off about things half a world away that you have no idea about?