At a Crossroads? 

Part 2

     Writes the journalist: "The secular Jewish democracy that Zionist founders envisioned has provided the stability required for Israel to flourish economically, technologically and culturally."

     "But now, the nation is at a crossroads. The coalition of conservative and religious parties currently in power is raising societal questions that will determine the course of the next 75 years."

     "Netanyahu's proposed judicial reform would radically change the makeup of the commission that chooses Israel's Supreme Court judges. Another bill gives Israel's parliament, the Knesset, power to override any Supreme Court ruling." 

     "Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Haredi, live in tight-knit communities, rejecting modern secular influences. Seventy-five years ago, Haredi numbered only 35,000, Now they have grown to 1.28 million - 12.9 percent of the population. The military exemption that originally affected 400 men now applies to 68,000."  

     "As that number has grown, the exemption and public funds that support Torah studies have stoked resentment among some. Meanwhile, Jewish nationalist parties, determined to expand Israeli control to all of the Biblical territory, want to keep the court from declaring West Bank settlements illegal." 

Next: "No other place to go."