About the Ultra-Orthodox

Inevitably, when leading a discussion about Israeli politics or society, somebody asks about haredim (so called "ultra-orthodox Jews" also, in some circles, "black-hatters").  Often it's a question based on our separation of church and state: why do the haredim get special benefits for being so religiously strict? Why does the state support religious institutions?  Here's a paragraph from today's online Haaretz editorial that explains it more clearly than I have seen in a long time:

Haredi politicians have always manipulated Israel's governments for their own ends, exploiting the fact that they hold the political balance of power in order to free their constituencies from sharing the burdens: For example, the Haredim have been liberated from studying core subjects in their schools, from compulsory military service and from the need to work - while living off the public's largesse in the form of stipends and allowances. Now even many members of the community recognize that the current situation cannot go on because the national economy will collapse under the growing burden.

And if you are interested in the religion-state divide (or lack thereof) in Israel.  Read Gideon Levy's op-ed piece from Dec. 16th. I'm not sure it's the best or most balanced article, but the analogy he draws between rabbis and dance club bouncers makes it worth the read.  Especially given the fact that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, though not a rabbi is a former nightclub bouncer.