I can see how not being able to buy bread for 7 days a year would drive a man over the edge into irrational hatred.

And the tax thing is just standard anti-whoever propaganda. "The other lazy people are taking all our hard-earned tax." Always works a treat for whipping up the mobs. It's doing wonders in America right now.

I haven't managed to watch the whole of this video yet due to slow internets but it seems a class slice of edutainment. There's nothing like getting to understand a culture by interviewing those who are idealistically opposed to it.

>> ^demon_ix:
>> ^shimfish:
Which Israel is this exactly? It must be a different Israel from the one where the "ultra-orthodox" parties have only 16 out of 120 seats in the parliament.

Oh, the Ultra-Orthodox parties (Shas and Yahadut Ha'tora) "only" have 16 seats, but they're still the fifth and sixth largest parties. Add Mafdal (Habayit Hayehudi they're called now) and parties that define themselves by their religion first and their political agenda second have 19 seats, which make up %16 of the Knesset.
Other interesting stats: Of the last 10 governments (as listed in the official Knesset website), Shas has been a member of 8, Mafdal (National Religious Party) has been a member of 6, and the only government that had no religious parties at all was the 26th, which was only that way because Shas left. It lasted for 8 long months.
This is the Israel I'm talking about.


So "huge portion" == 16% and the *fifth* largest party. And that includes a non-chareidi party.

And a country that, at least according to this massively accurate documentary, has 56% "religious" (which to clarify, means everyone who isn't a die-hard athiest) population almost always has a religious party making up its proportional representation government?

Where's this cool, calculated, secular level-headedness that I've heard so much about?

I guess there's only one way to fight fear and hatred. And that's with fear and hatred.

>> ^demon_ix:
Israel is a religious nation. A huge portion of our government is made up of religious parties and their power grows with each generation of 8-10 child families.


Which Israel is this exactly? It must be a different Israel from the one where the "ultra-orthodox" parties have only 16 out of 120 seats in the parliament.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/05/teenage-bomb-threat-suspect-was-an-internet-prank-phone-call-star/

http://www.videosift.com/video/Ricky-Gervais-Top-10-Stupid-Things-Americans-ask-Brits