re: #2 Archangelus

But it’s mostly concentrated on women’s rights. The issues with women praying at the wall with the Torah or Tefillin. Removing women’s photos from billboards as to not upset the Orthodox. Women not allowed to sit with men on the buses.

Indeed, I forgot about the privilege that the Orthodox receive. I don’t understand all the complexities of it, but as to mandatory military service, that has to do with not wanting to sacrifice the keepers of the faith. I thought the Orthodox can serve if they want tho.

My only trip to Israel was in 1978 when I was 15. Part of the charm of the country was experiencing some of this. To have to cover our arms and legs when we were in parts of the old city. One time, my g/f and I were rushing to get home for Shabbat and we didn’t know the time. A man on the bus sitting in front of us overheard the conversation. He pretended to fix the back of his hair, but he was really waving his watch at us. It was real apparent what he was doing. We were obviously not Orthodox. He obviously was.

Anyway, I don’t know if I would find it so charming if I had to live with it. I have many cousins in Israel. One hates it and wants to come back to the U.S. She lived here about 10 years and there’s things about the U.S. she doesn’t like - Jewishly, but overall she prefers it here.

I get the feeling it’s something they just didn’t want to deal with as opposed to wanting to dehumanize anyone. The religion itself is very accommodating to women, as you say.