Israel, Tel Aviv. A few years ago, I took a taxi. The [male] driver did not wear a “Kippah”. There were no religious papers visible around. Not even the common religious stickers you can find on many cars in Israel. The busy Ayalon Highway 20, however, inevitably established the necessary atmosphere for a driver-passenger conversation. […]

There are also some beautiful things in religion. In almost every religion. Although the religious believers think that the religious laws originate from “God”, in practice they were of course phrased by different people at different times and places, and usually with good and rational reasons – similarly to modern laws. “Thou shalt not kill”? […]

“Doesn’t the vast majority of people believe in God…?” – You’ve probably heard this overwhelming argument in one of your endless debates with some religious preachers. The calculation made by our conversational partners is quite clear: Let’s add the number of Christians worldwide (say, about 2 billion) to the number of Muslims worldwide (some 2 […]

I’m not sure to what extent this is also the case in some other countries, but the political division into “right” and “left” in Israel largely (even if not perfectly) corresponds to a citizen’s “religiousness”. And the affiliation seems relatively clear: “Religious” Jews (of any kind) will usually associate themselves with the “right” wing, while […]

I love my country. I grew up in it. I walked its paths. I drove on its roads. I visited the many historical places of my people, located there. I am proud of its achievements. I love my people. I was born one of them. I contributed to their progress. We are an ancient nation […]

I have heard this line of thought several times — You talk with a religious Jew about the borders of the State of Israel, you raise all kinds of considerations: The need for a Jewish majority, the need for secured borders, the much-needed support of the various countries of the world, the Palestinians, the economy […]

And again… elections in Israel. What do you know. And the “new star” this time is an extreme-right party. The name? “Religious Zionism”. The agenda? Depends on whom you ask. The candidates of “Religious Zionism” have two faces. One face they present to their usual voter base. With them they discuss religion, religious laws, religious […]

For a large part of the Jewish believers – “God” has long since become a mere excuse to believe in the “Rabbi” and worship him. In fact, this is, in a sense, the definition of a “cult” or a “sect”, but if you ask the religious followers of one rabbi or another, they will of […]

Many letters and articles written by religious Orthodox Jewish people – start with a tiny notation made of 2 or 3 letters. Sometimes you can hardly notice it, as if it is being intentionally hidden. If you do notice it, and you know what it stands for, you know it says something like “with the […]

Many religious people recognize the fact that the human mind is very “limited”. In fact, they even promote this fact, to “sort of” demonstrate how we cannot fully understand “God” and his processes of reasoning. At the same time, their limited minds seem to know very well that there IS such a “God”, and they […]