From the Sydney Morning Herald website
Life in Israel an ultra-orthodox paradox
By Hamish McDonald, Asia-Pacific editor
January 21, 2012
Protest ... police struggle face ultra-orthodox Jews at a rally
in Jerusalem. Photo: Reuters
Back in Israel after a 13-year interval, the changes are highly visible, the mood vastly different. Were there ever this many ultra-orthodox Jews in the streets of Jerusalem, flocking to the Western Wall of the ancient temple on Shabbat eve - some of them resplendent dudes in their black stockings, frock coats, fur or felt hats, and curly ringlets?
Was the coastal corridor such a monument to the high-tech industry that now contributes 40 per cent of Israel's exports, switches start-up entrepreneur for doctor in Jewish mothers' ambitions for their sons, and fosters such a hedonistic lifestyle that Tel Aviv has just been voted the best ''gay city'' of 2011?
In the 20 years of peace negotiations with the Palestinians, has the outlook for settlement ever been so bleak and pessimistic?
Within and without, the few givens and certainties about Israel and its surrounding region are dissolving.
Full Article: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/life-in-israel-an-ultraorthodox-paradox-20120120-1qa2k.html
