to become Islamic in no time. Of course they have right to stage protests, that's the beauty af a Catch-22!

Religion is a source of comfort, home and community to so many. But, so often, our religious leaders fail to see the damage that their single mindedness causes. This is a perfect example. Just another day when the ultra-religious are violent. Extremes of any sort, often end badly. It is less about the perceived infraction, and more of how it is addressed. Rioting, violence and bloodshed do not serve Israel, Judaism or God. Our leaders, political and religious, must face this truth, and begin to accept responsibility for the future of all Israel, Israeli's and Jews. We turn to our leaders, to seek that careful balance of goal and coexistence. We just seem to fail at the coexistence part.

Haredim understand correctly what is right and what is wrong because they follow Hashem Laws. We need to study Torah and follow Torah Laws. It is not illusion - time is coming for Mashiach.

I have seen the desecration of the RAMBAM'S tomb in Tiberias by the Haredim. Over the years from a dignified tomb, to now, a mehitzah down the middle of the tomb, shops selling chatchkas, and generally a Haredi circus. All quiet respect gone. What has been happening here and Meron is cultist hysteria , not Judaism.

Haredim are confronting security forces for years in order to impose their own criteria, and this is leading to situations like arab countries, or even Cuba or Venezuela. If these people get more power, Israel will fall into a radical concept of country, with the well known image and damage that it generates. It's time to stop them if Israel doesn't want to go back on time for decades.

They have not focussed on their past genocides and massacres of distort the reasons absent of the dual need for chazak be amatz.

Israel is evil in the eyes of these people, but taking Israeli taxpayer money is OK...and now there are too many of them for anyone to cut out their welfare...what a joke!

Eda Haredit fanatics constitute only a minority among Haredi Israelis so don't demonize the silent majority for the extremism of a vocal minority.

same thing!! I guess haredim and arabs are in bed together

Shimon Bar Yohai's tomb? This *IS* a take over attempt! That tomb is a religious site and Tourism Ministry has nothing to put their noses there. Correct is correct!Fair is fair!

yet somehow thousands of them are on the streets attacking innocent people with rocks, sticks, fists, garbage etc. All the Haredim and the Orthodox in general are to blame for not stopping this so called "fringe!" Their leaders should be jailed and their schools closed, with their children sent to proper state schools! We are creating a Taliban with our own tax money!

anybody noticed that is is ALWAYS the Haredim, the Orthodox... who are protesting, causing a fuss, do damage etc?... while normal Israelis are too busy making a living- these extremists seem to have LOTS of time to protest against everything and anybody. What peaceloving people! IF they had to work hard like the average Israeli to just get by, they would not have time for this.

As you rightly put that one should not demonize the majority for the extremism of a vocal minority. But the time has come for that "silent" majority if it exists to speak up against the extremsim. If there is a moderate majority of Haredim in Israel who do care about the rule of laws of the land and who care about all Israel, then I for one would like to hear them speak up loudly against the extremists who do not represent them.

They do not LIVE Torah. Just learn it, and keep up the Garb as uniform. Gaonim of Baghdad , rational as they were would not call these Jews, but a weird sect

if the government does not take this into its own hands, soon enough only the extremist haredim are allowed to go there, because everybody else will be kept out. They want exclusive right to visit- , right? Because all the other Israelis (let alone foreigners) are not good enough, modest enough, kosher enough etc etc....a fringe group? so even more reason to watch them.... the Taliban is a 'fringe group' too....

what makes you think THEY are right? because you are one of them? One small 'fringe extremist group' does not have the right to dictate a majority how to act and what to think- and that is exactly what they are doing. The Ultra Orthodox rabbis are acting just like Mullahs- they are the ones to blame for this- the protesters are only sheep that follow blindly....you need to follow the Torah laws? so DO it- don't interpret and imagine....

@4: ... and attacking police cars is against haloche. What do you mean by "Haredim understand correctly what is right and what is wrong"? Have these people no Rabbis? And if 'yes', did they confirm that behaviour? "Talmidei chachomim marbim sholoim bo'oilom" ... go take a chumesh and learn Toiroh and don't mess with hooligans!

Dancing around graves is pure paganism. It doesn't have anything to do with the Torah. It is a foreign custom which infiltrated Judaism, like many other customs did.

in other places too, such as the Amuka have been ruined by Haredi imposition of garish marble "improvements", unnecessary mehitsot, and men and women signs which would lead a stranger to assume that they are now public rest rooms. The Ynet article omits to mention the nasty and often violent fights over ownership of our ancient sites by the Haredi zealots. This has nothing to do with Zionism and everything to do with the right of all Jews to visit peacefully and not be forced into observing Haredi humras. Also, as another talkbacker mentioned, the rampant sale of lucky charms is also a blight, and in fact against Jewish halacha.

build these guys a some hope- start with a tech school. get them some strength. they operate from fear and distrust and low self confidence. Give them the tools to succeed. The state is heavily responsible for their continued marginalization for 100 years. The state likes them because they are votes and that is all. That has to end; show some humanity like a move, and you will reduce the problems.

I believe one of the big issues in Israel is, that she is meant to be a Jewish state, but she failed to manage its constituent process. 13 basic laws are not enough! There must be a clearly written modern constitution, that defines individual rights, equality of treatment (gender, race, sexual orientation, age, handicap, ... whatever) institutions..... AND it must define, what a Jewish state is, in contrast to a Christian state or a Muslim state! With institutions I also mean, the institution of marriage should be renovated, so that it reflects the fact, that couples want to marry and in fact do so, even if they need to go abroad to achieve this. I mean what's this? A couple needs to go abroad to marry, but then the state accepts this marriage. It would be better, if the society goes one step ahead and allows inter-religious marriage and is able to administer these marriages rather than accepting to loose control over some of its genuine duties. And there is more and more. We are seeing the Peoples of Israel drifting apart. There are the extreme who, in my eyes aren't really religious, because our religion wasn't meant to give reason for inter-religious violence. They are abusing religion for their totalitarian visions. At the other end of the scale, there is an "extreme" secular part of the society, which is openly questioning the justification of a Jewish state and are eying christian state models. This is where our society failed: We failed to sufficiently answer the question, what a Jewish state is, thus opening the floodgates for individual interpretations, a kind of anarchy, which is giving birth to factious leader figures, who are openly questioning the existing order and are promising the ultimate cure for a society, they are defaming to be sick. These cures always carry a religious element and motivation, no matter if you look at Iran or at North Korea, where the divine imperator just perished and will be replaced with the next incarnation of it. Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar are already taking position, but they are toooooo cautious in their statements! They aren't representatives like Peres. Hence I am seeing the world being turned upside down. The one, who should keep his mouth shut, Peres, is commenting on political topics, while Metzger and Amar are keeping toooo silent on issues, which are genuinely theirs!

Just a comment on your "Silent Majority." This is a quote from Martin Niemoeller, a German Protestant, who spent years in Sachsenhausen and Dachau: First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out, because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out, because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was noone left to speak for me...

Then it is up to you and the likes of you to stand up and be counted. Silence is for the lambs.

but they call the shots,like the hoodlums from 'atra kadisha' who terrorize the dead and the living,and always win,they wrap themselves around with a Torah scroll,and nobody dares to fight them.

What you say is not true.