From: Ellen K. 

On Mon, 05 Dec 2005 15:40:47 +0000, Adam
<""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near the
bridge"> wrote in
message :

>
>>>Israel has free speech unless you speak to someone about another
>>>religion.  That's a free speech restriction based solely upon religious
>>>beliefs being voted into law.
>>
>> Let's be honest here.  There is no ban on "speaking to someone about
>> another religion", for example in a course on comparative
religions etc.
>> Proselytization is not at all the same thing as "speaking to someone
>> about another religion".   Considering the Jews' history of being given
>> the choice to convert or be killed, banning proselytization is
>> completely logical and appropriate.  It should be noted also that all
>> religions are allowed to be freely practiced in Israel, unlike other
>> middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia.
>>
>
>Or Lebanon? Or Egypt? Or Morrocco?

In my neighborhood there are five Sephardic synagogues and ALL of them are
Morroccan.  I am told some 400,000 Jews lived in Morrocco  a generation
ago.  There are about 2000 there now.   Why do you think that
might be?
>
>>
>>>The religious Jews and orthodoxy in Israel
>>>participate in parliament and the creation of the laws of Israel and are
>>>deeply intertwined with the kind of laws made.  So intertwined
that I don't
>>>think Israel can properly be called a secular state.
>>
>> The state is secular.  The fact that people run for office on a
>> religious platform and get elected, just means it's a democracy.
>> People also run for office on other platforms and get elected.
>>
>>
>
>Who gets to decide who is a Jew & thus can live there in the first place?
A person doesn't have to be Jewish to live in Israel, or to be a citizen,
as I noted in my post to Gary.

>
>Adam

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