I am not very religious, but not secular. I don't agree with what the Rabbi did. But this article is an attack on the daatim in the form of a portent that the daatim are pushing us towards civil war. Until I read this article I never even considered the concept of us and them, nor that war was likely, let alone inevitable. Their actions were angry response to the arrest, but this is a deliberate attempt to set the stage for a civil war.

And freed the "kotel" so that the religious who do nothing all day except pray, could pray there.

Mr. Yigal Walk; the same wisdom your god granted to Jews at Massada,the Inquisition, the Russian pogroms, Europe's Nazis,to the 6000 dead youngsters in 48, not haredim',and to 1000's in 67', and yom kippur, is available. It is as worthless today as it was yesterday, and will be tomorrow. You want to survive, you must fight for it. Such is life. The arabs understand this, the haredim understand this; to the secular it's still " la vie en rose " .These rabbis are tearing the country apart. @ 320.000 shekel a year, and more very soon, they can afford it. IT"S ONLY YOUR MONEY. They start life as parasites and remain so forever. What are you Mr. Secular doing about it except bitching. Bibi is not bitching.!

The only country in the world where Jews coherse non believers to embrace their beliefs, their religion--- just like the arabs. Next, whipping,stoning, hanging and more Hello naturei karta, hello Ahmadinejad.

mistakes. Israel ,without Tora has no future.

glasses... " The Torah, as they interpret it, takes precedence over law and order." is this a question?!?!? OF COURSE TORAH IS ABOVE EVERYTHING i hope its just a joke... full support to rabbi lior!!!

Lior is the leader of Zionist public in Israel. Most people in the talkbacks don't know what he wrote. Now is very queat with Arabs not like when Rabin/Barack were dealing with regular killings of Jews on Oslo time. So, the police has nothing to do. They should concentrate on thieves. As to Naturei Karta and post-Zionists, they mostly live in North Tel Aviv and very, very small number in Jerusalem. Who cares about these 2 dieing groups.

The secular have been using he state media to incite against the religious community for decades complete control is their violence !!! No wonder this pressure is building up a major portion of the Israeli citizenry finds no room for them in the daily news nothing about their activities or revered rabbis they are totally ignored they dont exist well guess what they do exist and in growing number.Today 80,000 people attended a famous Rabbi's funeral did the media honor him or cover the religious publics outpouring of grief ..NO You are speaking of at least 2 million Israeli Religious Jews who feel the media deliberatley ignores their existence.

It is ridiculous. Which normal country arrests anyone for supporting a book?

While your point is good and valid, its old news. This is what destroyed the second beis hamikdash - sinas chinam. The Religious (sometimes not so religious themselves) want the irreligious to be more like them, the irreligious want to be left alone, and it goes on and on. We all have to wake up and realize, not everyone has be be like "us", whomever the us is, we have to be respectful of each other. If we want to change the world we need to start with ourselves. Just like our right and left feet are different, so too no two of us are exactly alike, however, thats not a contradiction to living in peace with each other, we need each other, we cant all perform the same functions. We NEED, yes NEED yeshiva boys and kollel's sitting and learning day and night, non-negotiable. We also presently also need soldiers, police and law and order. Nowhere does Torah advocate violence against another jew. The torah calls one who lifts his hand against another jew a rosha. When we all learn to tolerate each other, we'll be at a better place.

The achdut of Am Yisrael is not a slogan or fiction. It is the most palpable, real part of this existence. Without it the Torah an G-d are utterly meaningless and blasphemous. Not "religious jew" or "non-religous" jew, just jew, two jews, 10 jews, any number of jews, Am Yisrael! Echad! Some religious jews are dati on the surface, some non-religious jews are dati deep within, but on this varied spectrum we are all connected, and stand for the ultimate Oneness of Humankind. This is not about politics, religion or opinions. You can at times doubt if G-d exists. You can at times doubt exactly how the Torah came in our hands today. But it is impossible to doubt your FEELING jewish, it's just there and never goes away, not even if you wanted to, and AUTOMATICALLY this FEELING is connected with the FEELING of the PRESENCE of another jewish person, forming an automatic ACHDUT of Am Yisrael. This FOUNDATION can make possible the growth of mutual respect. The Jewish State of Israel has to be a State for jews first and foremost. Therefore it has to be secular and should not turn into a theocracy. Yet, the core of our cultural history is undoubtedly the Torah, jewishness is much more, but the absolute CORE is and will remain the LIVING, GROWING Torah. Therefore there has to be wide space and freedom for religious activities, for Torah studies and frum living. There cannot be any space for fossilization and backwardness. No space for intollerance towards "non-religious" jews. You can let your way of life be an "example" which others might want to follow because of the beauty shining forth. You cannot make it a dictate, a rabinical "fatwa". "Religious" jews have to realize that every jewish soul is connected to the miracle of the ACHDUT of Am Yisrael, without which their observance is meaningless, nothing! "Non-religious" jews have to realize that "religious jews" do form the CULTURAL CORE of Am Yisrael. This core has to learn to take criticism and adapt in positive ways, to not fall into the trap of sanctimoniousness, self-righteousness, outward appearances over essence. The challenge of nationally combining NATURALNESS and NORMALCY with all levels of KEDUSHA, Am Echad. Also for this reason (besides all the practical reasons) I believe the time has come to split up Hebrew in Traditional Leshon Kodesh on the one hand (Talmud Torah, to be taught at all schools on a cultural/linguistic level, root connectedness etc., first with nikud and for the advanced learners without, this is besides Talmud Torah for religious reasons), and on the other hand Modern Hebrew (or maybe called Yisraelit?) with a few extra VOWEL LETTERS, without otiot sofiot, in other words a truly modern, practical vehicle for information&communication in all fields and on all levels, making possible QUICK LEARNING in context for born Israelis and OLIM (Israel's raison d'etre is being an IMMIGRATION country for jews). This would be a practical expression of AHAVAT YISRAEL and ACHDUT. It would also grow into an active jewish (second) language in galut, unifying jews the world over and faciltating aliyah. The time has come to realize this practical goal. It won't be difficult, it is a relatively small "make-over". Put a team of linguistic, ict, graphic-design etc. mavens together and PRESTO, we will be able to move on into the 21st century as a MODERN, CONNECTED NATION. We are going through difficult times, but the jewish mind has always found answers. We will survive and thrive and our ACHDUT is here to stay, not as a slogan, but as the foundation of REALITY, a miracle as beautiful as a tree, the sea, a flower, a smile :)

It has to come, it will come sooner than many of us think because of the religious intransigence. Unfortunately, Israel will lose a lot and will become a third world country for many years. Many people fear it, correctly, but it is unavoidable. Reading the talkback messages here is like seeing the war b'poal, right now.

There will be an Iranian-Hezbollah attack on the Jewish state long before a secular-religious civil war in Israel.

in the Knesset.We need you here! NOW.

Israel is a Jewish state.Your anti religious socialism has no place in this country.

that G-d took away your mind and judgement. If I well remember my entire family and I, made alya many years ago, AS COMPLETELY SECULAR JEWS, to love and cherish the Land of Israel, not otherwise. And, if necessary, to defend her from mindless and reckless zelots like you who believe that you have a life-long lease on everything, including your own set of laws. Try and get it in your thick skull - Israel is a very modern country set up of all kinds of Jewish people, of Muslims and Christians alike. This is called the demographic structure of Israel which is a fact and you better wake up and deal with this reality ONLY ACCORDING TO THE EXISTING LAWS (not religious, by the way).

You are a good thinker, Jerry, and have pure thoughts. I would join you if I believed it was so simple. It is creative what you advocate as a solution through dividing Hebrew into two languages, but the workable division needs to be much more drastic. Sooner than later, I think, you will arrive at the one and only workable division, a conclusion many seculars have reached: only separation of religion and State will work. The State will have to remain secular, religion will have to find satisfaction in its closed sphere, away of politics, away from power and limelight, happy with spirituality of its people and not forcing anybody to comply with them. Admittedly, it sounds like religion has to capitulate, become on a par with religions elsewhere in progressive countries, like in the U.S. for instance.

Does it want to be among the intelligent, evolving, progressive and prosperous nations of the 21st and 22nd centuries, together with Europe, the US and China. Or does it want to be listed among the knuckle- dragging, superstitious troglodytes, denying facts and logic and refusing to let their children go out into the world lest they see how foolish their parents are? Israel must officially embrace and promote reason, and strip the Haredim of the right to impose their religious mania on others.

Next step police will come to burn torah and replace it with work of Lenin-Stalin? In Israel are more people supporting those killers (%-wise). But their number becoming smaller every day. I have not seen demostrations with pictures of Lenin and Stalin in Tel Aviv recently, as was in the 50s.

So that we can live a normal life in a normal democracy. Religion is a private matter and has no place in public life.Lets get these delusional clowns out of our daily affairs. Make them all work and serve in the armed forces.Enough with wiping their arses for them.

Anyone, secular or not, is bound to protest in any way he/she finds suitable, provided he's pressed hard enough. your article is, plainly speaking, cheap hatemongering.

Are all secular people alike in their relation to Israel? I don't believe so. Those who support Hamas are certainly a very small minority. But they exist. Are all religious people alike? I don't believe so. The anti- Zionist Israel hating Neturei Karta certainly have little in common with the great majority of religious people. My own sense is that the great majority of Israelis, religious and secular are not extremists who wish to undermine Israeli democracy. Rather they are by and large repelled by extreme anti- state action. It is the sound and sane center upon which a good Democracy depends. I believe it is wiser to promote the Center then to give exaggerated importance to the divisive extremes.

judgment.Go for it .You can do it! Only don t wait for the roast duck to come in your mouth from his own motion.

Mr. Walt fears a 'religious-secular clash' presumably violent , since we've had a verbal and political divide for decades. But if, as he seems to say, the problem begins with those Jewish religious groups who don't see themselves t bound by State laws then we have to ask: WHY WOULD THIS INEVITABLY LEAD TO A VIOLENT SECULAR RESPONSE RATHER THAN A POLITICAL RESPONSE E.G. LIKE SHINUI? If the problem lies mainly with some Jewish religious groups then that is where it can stay and the State needs to deal with that reality as it has done for decades. Walt ignores the greater threat from Israeli Arabs, secular and religious, who according to recent polls oppose Israel's identity as the Jewish state in which Arabs would always be the minority. These Israeli Arabs and their supporters, have no problem with Algeria, Morrocco, Tunisia, Syria or Iraq being defined as Arab states despite their having large non-Arab minorities of Berbers in the first three and Kurds and others in the last two. Allmost all Jews want to live in a Jewish state (even if they want the Moshiach to come first) while most Arabs do not. That is the more dangerous longterm problem which we all need to keep in mind.

There is no need to live in Israel if you don't like Judaism, if Judaism offends you, then go to New York or back to Germany or Poland.

Remember that racist Jewish party, led by the racist rabbi Meir Kahane whom you hated more than Arafat. A party that was denied democratic elections and was banned after it's leader won 1 seat in the Knesset. You will deny a Jew a voice in your democracy, but you will boast about your democracy to the entire world and point to your Arab parties, whose members don't even ackhnoledge Israel's existance and believe Iran with nukes is a good idea.

Read the Israeli constitution. It was meant to be a home for ALL Jews, not just religious ones. Learn some history.