When someone drives his own car, that's his decision. But allowing public transportation forces people to work. That is discriminatory.

It is so simple to call for public transportation, open stores etc. etc. on the Shabbat. After all the only ones who need the Shabbat are the Orthodox. Why should the secular suffer because of them? Individuals who are calling for all these "services" forget one thing---someone has to WORK to provide you with buses and shopping. Shabbat in Israel is beautiful. You see families together. You see quality time--a commodity that doesn't exist in the US ( except in the religious community) So, before you jump on the bandwagon and endorse making Shabbat just another day, think about whether you will be the one riding the bus or forced to drive it, shoppinng or being a salesperson. After all, for every new service offered, others are giving something up.

as if are Magen David Adom , hospitals, and the police are the same thing as recreational trip. This guy just wants to trump the "religious coercion" card for his own persoanl gain. TAKE A HIKE!

this simple phrase seems too much to handle for some people stuck sometime there in the years before Darwin came along. I understand that if this simple idea of having a way to move around during Friday night and Saturday ever happen, my city will be the last to implement it, but we must start somewhere. I always hera people saying that the basic idea of judaism is something on the lines of "treat your neighbour like you'd like to be treated", so, what are you waiting for to respect the other 50-60% of the population?

i couldn't disagree with you more. shabbat is an oasis in time, it allows peace and quiet from an over-mechanized world. it offers rest and respite to the weary tensions of a planet that never stops. it allows us to hear the sound of the birds and the wind in the trees. let's keep it that way in as much of jerusalem and israel as possible. i invite you to come to my house for shabbat either in israel or in the us. thanks. beingjoel@yahoo.com

sponsoring the bill. Commanders have to accept the fact that soldiers get back to the unit after public transit starts running, THAT is a false argument and so is the poor elderly that have to run to the market which isn't even open yet. Come on, get a life, enjoy Shabbos and rest.

If there's a need for such service, let the private sector with their "sheruts" ply the same routes as the regular public buses. If they can't make a profit doing so, neither can the public buses.

that people at hotels near hospitals are not ordered to vacate the rooms they are paying good money for so the religious who don't want to ride cars or buses can move into the hotel rooms Friday and Saturday nights. That happens at the Apropo Hotel near Chaim Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and probably at other hotels, too. The religious people should bring cots to sleep in the lobby of the hotels and hospitals rather than to displace people who are there for friends and relatives in the hospitals who live a long distance, some continents away and have to rent a room.

As it is, we don't really have weekends in Israel. Elsewhere, weekends are a time for relaxing, day trips and errands. In Israel, Friday you are forced to run around to buy everything you need and Saturday you are stuck unless you have a car. If you want to be shomer shabbat, don't ride a bus but freedom of religion = freedom from religion.

WHAT MAKES US A JEWISH COUNTRY IF WE DESTROY G*DS LAWS? IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DRIVE UNLESS ONE'S LIFE IS AT STAKE..NOT FOR PLEASURE. TRY CELEBRATING SHABBAT, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

Bravo! this is a great article and an issue I strongly agree with. It's unthinkable how people can work, ad strudy, and serve in the army all week, and then on their one day off, they're stuck and can't enjoy it at all. Shameful how we've let the Haredi Ayatollahs run our lives.

Nitzan Horowitz will feel more comfortable living in London or Paris. Please move.

The author tells about how their are 300,000 new cars and the roads are jammed. What does that have to do with Shabbat? Is it his opionion that in order to make room for all these new cars, these drivers should drive on Shabbat ? The author should move to any of those other countries that he mentioned in order for him to be able to drive on Shabbat. If he is so concerned with the soldiers, perhaps he should consider that G-d protects these young men because they are Jews in a country that doesn't allow buses on Shabbat.

If you want to ride the bus on Shabbat, move to Haifa.

not every one buying fables. until you able to provide us with evidence of existence of G-d. you're in no position to preach us what should or should not do on sabbath. not enough muslims preaching bs you too...

Do you want to speak of evidence. Be very careful. If there is no G-d then the State of Israel l was given to the Jews not by G-d not by the United Nations!. If it was given to Israel by the United Nations then they have the right to take away Israel's right to exist. Be careful about what you call a fable. If you cannot see the finger of G-d in Israel's rebirth, no amount of evidence will convince you.

for example in london, during sunday, their day of rest, there are still public transport services, just a much more reduced timetable. not to mention there's usually incentives at any job to work on these kinds of shifts, e.g 150% pay. one bus every half an hour or 45 minutes will not be the end of the world! enough with the religious stranglehold on coalition governments.

A Jewish-democratic state is the biggest oxymoron in the history of oxymorons. If they (the parasites) want the country to be ruled by halacha then the country will implode. When a portion of the population (in this case, the majority) are forced to live under the rules and ways of another (in this case, the minority) it is not a democracy. Israel SHOULD have a Jewish nature but the status quo is absurd. There has to be a way to find the right balance and skirt around the illogical and narrow-minded coalitions.

it was legitimized by UN the legitimacy of israel no different from any other countries that came into existence. you don't have a single evidence. that's the problem.

they would point out the hypocrisy of the Israeli government who demand that they recognize Israel as a Jewish State when they themselves don't. How can Israel prove that they're a Jewish state If they act like other non-Jewish countries worldwide? To the Arabs I would say, tell the leaders of Israel that they are HYPOCRITES! If it's not a Jewish State, we, the Arabs have the same right to this land.

Israel is not precious to you or you would have make aliah but instead prefer to live in the materialistic LA. Thanks for the lecture on how to run our lives here in Israel. which is pretty rich from someone who sits in LA LA land whose contribution to the Jewish state is writing bigoted talk backs and lecturing us from the Lobby of the Hilton.

intense training, and comradeship protects IDF soldiers. muslim soldiers believe that allah protects and helps. doesn't do much for their shooting ability or technical knowledge... stop throwing g-d around as a reason why we got this country. it was hard work, blood , and sacrifice, and then on top of that it came down to a vote. g-d didn't help the jews get this land, the jews did.

You cannot explain to me why the country would implode if they are ruled by Halacha. Can you? I can't wait to have your answer. By the way, Jewish in nature = Halacha. What you probably mean is "forced halacha" or halacha forced upon others. That in itself if it will ever happen (I assure you it won't) is already something that will contradict Halachic law. So relax.

The definition of “rest” used by the religious is based on long ago ideas of what is work and interpretation of the Torah. The Rabbis long ago decided that what was done to build the Holy Temple is work, the idea of work then was firmed up before the industrial revolution, electricity and modern city life. I believe everyone is entitled to see resting in his own way. Public transportation could be either fully automated, run by non-Jews, or those volunteering to work, fares could be purchased before the Sabbath. In the modern world people live far from needed services such as hospitals and far from other family members. Thos without private transportation are condemned to a prison like experience on Shabbat. Israel needs to be a country for ALL JEWS not just religious Jews, 7 day public transportation is a necessity in the 21st century.

Next, for "live and let live" it will be allow shops to be open, and when one opens they all have to open, and all their staff have to work. Then we'll allow building on shabbat, cause why should they have a day off... I've seen it else where. Open on Sunday and staff dont really have a choice. So why not start with busses.

I am not a religious orthodox but appreciate the Shabat . Please, no busses on Shabat

To repeat, if Israel was legitimized by the UN, then it logically follows that the UN can deligitmatize Israel. In plain English, that means that the UN can vote Israel out of existence. If Israel resists, then the UN can then send an Army to replace all of Israel with the so called Palestinians. The only two things that stand between Israel being eliminated are the United States and the IDF. Of course if you want to argue to the U.S. that there is no G-d then G-d couldn't have given the Jews the Land of Israel. Then you would lose the support of the American People. You can only argue that the old Jews believed in a fable and therefore the new secular Jews fulfilled the dream of this fable. Not a very strong argument. Your next argument would be that Israel is a fact of life now and therefore as a democratic country other democracies should support it. The problem with a democracy is that the people can vote in favor or against something. I'm not sure if you noticed, but Israel at best has only fair weather friends. As a Jew and a former member of the IDF I have the right to voice my opinion. My opinion is that G-d's giving the Jews to Israel is not something that man has the right to vote away. My advice to you is open the Torah and learn about your proud heritage and your special relationship to the G-d of Israel.

I guess its people like them who don't want to acknowledge that we live in a Jewish state.They don't can't stomach the truth of reality.I suppose a lot of self hating irreligious secularists have no interest in digging deeper into their roots.Their Jewish identity means absolutely nothing to them.They are ashamed of their heritage. They prefer Israel to be more like Europe.Drive your cars on Shabbat.Don't fast on Yom Kippur.Deny G-d's existence even though He promised this land to you.Eat pork.Being a Jew shouldn't mean anything to you.Give more land away.Carry on with your more "progressive" lifestyle. Do all of the above elsewhere but here.Its not you, the mighty heroic socialist, who is going to redeem us.It never was and it never will be.