this is great news!

anyway. There never was. JUDAISM is NOT a religion. Judaism is a WAY of LIFE based on the TORAH....and that folks ain't no religion.

Everything else is not only nonsense, but an excercise in futility.

Great , but what is the definition of Jewish ? Suggestion ? Well...the ones who became a people when and because they received the Torah....We are here to practice the mitsvoth which is wonderful !

And thank you to both political parties who sponsored it. Way to go. Please go ahead with this NOW !

I disagree, Judaism is the first religion. Today, Israel is the only nation to keep Sabbath and is defined by those Jews who whether or not 'religious' do keep the laws and recognize our traditions, again, based on the Torah. If Judaism isn't a religion based on the Torah and the ten commandments, I don't know what is..... KEEP BUILDING.!!!!!

What about the 20-25 percent of non-Jewish Israelies. Shall they convert to Judaism.

Rule of thumb is that if the arabs object to something then that thing is good ..........the proposed bill is a good.

They are saying Israel should be a Jewish state, not that everyone in the state has to be Jewish. The 20-25 % you speak of can do whatever they want. Stay, leave, nobody is holding a gun to their heads.

You can read the full Declaration of Independence here: http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm Re your question, note this paragraph: "The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. "

One simple rule of democracies is that all inhabitants are considered completely equal before the law. Israel has to chose between being either a jewish state, or a democratic one.

Pack your luggage and go to where you identify yourself , like Mecca or any other 22 arab countries. By the way, freedom of speech and peace is good, isn't it ? Or you prefer Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan ?

Just think about the 2,000 years or so that Israel wasn't Jewish. Where did we Jews have live and how? Thousands of Jews died getting Israel back for us. God Himself will reclaim our homeland for us if anyone tries to take it away again.

This resolution mentions a Jewish state five times. we don't care the arabs never wanted to sign it.

For whatever reason Israel does not technically recognize me as a Jew. Something about my grandparents being Russian and then in the US our rabbi being a reformist and not Orthodox. Regardless, because my grandparents (Russian and Polish) were not religious at all, my word and surname Levin does not qualify me to make Aliyah. I'm a Jew in Russia and in US but not in Israel. Does this declaration affect me or am I still in limbo?

What a nonesense!!!

And the answer is both. Judaism is unique that it is both. This was recognized in the time of Pharoah and is still true today. The holocaust was more than good proof of this. The Declaration of Independence also calls for Israel to be a democracy which automatically requires it to respect the rights of other religions and all it the country's citizens.

... there are states with a religious character. I live in one. There is no contradiction between those who belong to that religion and those that don't. In my country there are plenty of muslims and arabs who are perfectly content to live in a 'christian country'. Any objections to living in a 'jewish country' are consequntly tosh.

been in the hands of the haridi for too long. You can expect changes in your status within the next millenium or so))

WITH TIME, ISRAEL WILL DEFINITALY EASE THIS RESTRICTION. THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN THE KNESSET. WAIT AND SEE. YOU'RE GOING TO WIN AT THE END.

Being a Jew or not depends upon one's soul. Who knows what soul you have? No one knows today, but when Messiah comes or Eliyahu Hanavi in the future, they will point out to who is and who is not. Many orthodox rabbis will be surprised to discover that they may not be Jewish. It is all in the soul. Trust me on this one.

Jewish people and culture but NOT the Jewish religion? The Jewish people and culture -- cuisine, music, art, literature -- grew out of the Jewish religion. Yesh Atid sound further out of touch with reality than the Haredi parties or the Reform and Liberal streams.

The Balfour Declaration also speaks of a Jewish homeland. Going back to Bible times Israel has been seen as the Jewish homeland, and Jerusalem the Jewish holy city, going back about two thousand years before Islam. Balfour, and the Prophets -- speak of social justice for all inhabitants of the Holy Land.

bull shit! all inhabitants in israel are considered completely equal, if you don't know this, read up. all arabs, jews, christians are EQUAL UNDER THE LAW OF ISRAEL. being a jewish state doesn't negate the civil and judicial rights of israel's minorities at all since israel respects and gives freedom to all religions and minorities in the state. you are completely ignorant. not only is israel 100% democratic, but its arab citizens and arab christians will never want to live in any muslim country surrounding israel BECAUSE IN THOSE COUNTRIES THESE MINORITIES WILL BE CLEANSED AND KILLED.

how awesome would that be as the official name? The Jewish state of Israel!

no its not unique in the slightest. Every tribe has its own tribal myths and explanations of the universe. Trot down to the South Pacific... lots of polynesian peoples with their own unique culture/religion.

Numerous western countries embrace state religions (see Art 2 of the Maltese Constitution) See who finances the Church of England, Look up countries with state supported churches, and by your definition, no Moslem country under sharia is democratic even if they hold elections and elect Non-muslims. So why require it of Israel?

As far as politics, bring Gush Katiff residents back in their homes in Gush Katiff. Leave this demagoguery to sewer dump.