I think these people should be treated by professional psychologists and therapists. Maybe only then will they have a chance to be normal again - and yes, they were once normal. (Just as long as their treatment doesn't come from my tax money)

So sad--yet another pious fraud, ambitious for power and control, does harm to Israel's national image. Surely Israelis see the harm such people do to those who depend on their governance, spreading misinformation that inevitably leads to physical attacks on innocent people? But, now I am beginning to fear that he is, in fact, more of the real face of Israel and that would be a dreadful result. Please show the world that this is not so or Israel will lose even more standing among the nations of the world than it already has...

of having a religious-based nation. it doesn't matter whether the nation is meant to be purely Islamic, Christian or Jewish; that nation will be tyrannical, bigoted and intolerant.

He's Torah observant. I wish him a long and successful career. Some gentiles don't get it because they don't accept the Torah.

I think the mayor needs not just education (which he probably doesn't have), but probably - like you - treatment to deal with your issues. No normal person could feel threatened by another person's sexual orientation w/o having some serious issues here..,

.....but allegedly modern, rational, democratic Israel can't see the religious fascism being imposed on it? Or it sees it very well, and refuses to get rid of it? Either way, shame on us.

Well im in Beit Shemesh and i can tell you there are more than hundreds of gay men and women in Beit Shemesh and thats not even counting the ultra orthdox gay men that hide their true identity. Its truly ashame that in the yer 2013 the mayor chooses to issue such homophobic comments aimed at the gay community. Because of such people gay teenagers are made to feel worthless often resulting in suicide. 35% of all teenage suicides are young gay people. Unlike his bunch of parasites, gay people work, pay taxes and serve in the IDF . The man is nothing but a discrase and is not fit to help public office

Haredization poses a challenge which must be balanced with Aliyah from within American & British & Australian & Canadian conservative-reform Jews which would make Aliyah for Tikkun Olam reasons. Also seculars from the extreme secular Tel Aviv should move into Beit Shemesh which would counter Haredization of the city and help de-secularize Tel Aviv. AND also Religious Zionists from the isolated settlements and other parts of Israel should move in.

"...he chooses to see only the yeshivot." If he was really paying attention he'd know what really happens in yeshivot - that there is plenty of homosexual activity going on. Segregate all the boys and keep them together for all those hours of the day and night - it's laughable!

The funniest thing is that the gays and lesbians living in Bit Shemesh and holding productive jobs pay taxes to subsidize city services, apartments, food, yeshivot and other perks this country provides for the ultra-religious parasites:-) It looks like relations between a man and his intestinal worms....

Ahmedinijad made a similar claim, saying there were no gays in Iran…these two have much in common…both fundamentalist nutjobs...

To cut out pages of the Torah,jewish bible which opposes homosexuality. Thank G-d for the mayor of Beth shemesh for standing up for jewish values.

We should have the liberal American Jewish orgs fund the Aliyah of American, British, Australia and Canadian conservative-reform Jewry (the youth) to Beit Shemesh as part of a balancing trend. (they will make Aliyah as part of their Tikkun Olam understanding). Also there should be some dedicated seculars from Tel Aviv who should move en masse into Beit Shemesh which will also act as a balance and help de-secularize Tel Aviv a little bit. AND Religious Zionists from around the country should also move into Beit Shemesh with the goal of preventing the division of the Jewish people which would result from Haredization.

Abutbul wants to govern an all-Hareidi town, even if it is economically unviable. Other Hareidi self-governing enclaves are poverty-stricken slums and B.-Sh. is on its way to the same fate. Abutbul doesn't care. All he cares about is the politics of exclusion, no homosexuals (at least none he can see), no secular Jews, no immodest women (according to his own warped logic). Israel is slowly becoming a fundamentalist failed state. Not yet, but give it time. Poor Leon Uris must be turning in his grave, for he had hopes for something better.

Your analysis does injustice to Israel. Yes, this mayor is a primitive bigot, and a shame to Israel. Of course, one can focus only on the bad sides and assert this is "the real face of Israel". But if you really want to, you can find examples of the good sides of Israel everywhere: excelling in research and winning Nobel prizes, forming successful startups, sending doctors to disease and disaster stuck areas around the world, treating Syrian refugees in Israeli hospitals, developing cutting-edge technologies in Defense systems, and many more. If anything, many parts of America are even more homophobic than Israel, when you look at the Midwest and the Bible Belt. And speaking of "spreading misinformation that inevitably leads to physical attacks on innocent people" - in America there are much more homophobia-related hate crimes than Israel, even in proportion to the population. And just yesterday, we have heard of a whole slew of vile antisemitic incidents in Pine Bush, NY. Is that the "real face" of America? You see Gene, one can find good and bad in any place. And maybe after you sort out your own mess at home, that's when you can start preaching to others.

Intresting popint of view Heshy. I am a father of a 16 year old young man. Last year my son commited suicide because he was made to feel worthless and a freak by such people as yourself. He was an outstanding young man, who never hurt anyone, who had a bright future ahead and wanted nothing more to serve his country in a "fighter" unit of the IDF. We are lost devistated our family has been torn apart and then i read such postings as yours and i realise the only abnormal person here is you my friend. Being gay is not a life style choice, a sicknes or a mental disability it is someones sexual orientation. Your offensive comment brings great heart ache to myself and my family and more than a tear to my eye. For the record, i am very proud of my son and will do what i can to keep his memory alive despite such hatefull people as yourself.

Beit Shemesh is becoming the laughingstock of the nation. Whatever his personal beliefs, for a mayor to say something so utterly stupid is an embarrassment to all Israelis and ALL Jews. That being said, there is no monopoly on the stupidity in Beit Shemesh (maybe it's something in the water.) The real stupidity and the real fault here lies in the selfish, lazy SECULAR portion of the people in Beit Shemesh that were too busy in their own self-absorbed lives to take 5 minutes to vote. They deserve this mayor. If you don't vote, don't complain. If every secular person took a few minutes from their pathetic lives this lunatic would now be home instead of running what was once a beautiful city. So you, who did not vote, are even stupider than this moron mayor. My family is religions, and we have thought in the past about moving to Beit Shemesh because of the insane, high rents in Jerusalem, but now we would never let our son live in such a horrible place, where little girls are spat on and a mayor can say just abominable things. To the disgusting leaders of the Beit Shemesh religious community, it makes me sick to be associated with garbage like you. We should be raising our children to love ALL Jews. Einstein said it best: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

I actually watched the television interview they are talking about here and my jaw almost dropped to the floor. I could not believe a public official would come out and make such remarks in this day of age. Maybe the Mayor should stick to his day job of governing his municipality and leave the judging up to G-d.

have made the following observation : Democracy is here valid for everybody except for people who stand up and protect jewish values.

With your Jewish values cause we don't want them nor you

Wonderfully expressed ,agree totally with you. Moshe Abutbul is simply a mental retard.

We need Pitbull concert in Beit Shemesh.

comments such as this do not belong in a vibrant democracy...the ONLY democracy in the Middle East no less....so will the man be proscecuted.....ofcourse not.....

Gays are people who work and integrate into the mill of society. Religious fanatics are people who segregate themselves from the mill of society.Gays are responsible people who uphold and respect the law. Religious fanatics are people who flout and disrespect the law. Gays have respect for others whereas religious fanatics have disrespect for others. Gays are productive whereas religious fanatics are non productive. Gays present no threat to society or to the future of the State whereas religious fanatics present a very serious threat to the future of the State. I personally am pleased to socialize with any gay person whereas I completely shun religious fanatics and refuse to shake their hand and in fact I turn my back on them when unexpectedly confronted by them. One more warning, to paraphrase, people who burn books will eventually burn people. In Teheran they hang gays just for being what they are, beware my warning, it could happen here, it is not too far around the corner.

This mayor definitely needs to see a therapist (psychologist or whatever). I have fears for the residents of this city when they mayor is In such a delicate and fragile state of mind. In contrast to yourself, I do feel that the mentally ill should get treatment paid for by the state but whilst he is ill I don't think he is a fit person for this role.

This mayor is sad and pathetic and is a shame to Jewish values of love, inclusion, and tolerance. Religious extremists of any ilk foster intolerance, exclusion, and fear....and should be replaced by more moderate voices who believe in the concept of live and let live. The world would be a much safer and tolerant place if this were the case.

I think Mayor Abutbuls statement proves to us how important it is for Hareidim to have to learn secular studies until age 20 minimum. Mayor Abutbul should be shunned But now told thanks for showing to us how important it is for every child in Israel to know that homosexuality exists, and that one could conduct a healthy lifestyle being gay. Thanks Abutbul for showing us how important a secular education really is.

When will Israel stand up to and fight its right-wing extremists and messianic religious fanatics that are preventing it from becoming a completely forward looking progressive nation that is at peace with the World, the Palestinians and itself?. These fanatics are virtualy unopposed and have power in every eschelon of Israeli Society, particularly through Shas and Habayit Hayehudi, and can bend the law to their will. They are a cancerous growth, whether they be Haredi fanatics like Moshe Abutbul who stone women for looking "immodest", or god forbid, praying at a wall or whether they be the fanatical National-religious Settlers of the Hilltop youth coming down from their trailer parks in the West Bank and vandalising and destroying, through Price Tags, the livelyhoods, Churches and Mosques of innocent Israeli Arabs trying to get on with their lives. Religious extremism and right-wing fanaticism are a Tumour that needs to be cut out if the ordinary politicaly moderate, Secular and Religiously moderate people of Israel, the majority no less, are going to live lives of prosperity and peace in a forward looking country.