Yair Ettinger

Demonstrators expressed solidarity with Shmuel Weissfisch, a leading member of a group of Jewish religious extremists, who enter prison today to begin serving a two-year sentence for vandalizing a computer store in the square.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews don Star of David patches and uniforms similar to those the Nazis forced Jews to wear during World War II at Jerusalem demonstration.

Extremist minority is much smaller than the large group of ultra-Orthodox women working in high-tech, the thousands of men and women studying at ultra-Orthodox colleges and the men volunteering for special ultra-Orthodox programs in the IDF and civil service.

Rabbi Elyashiv's letter published on the front page of Yated Neeman, at the height of the tensions and conflicts going on in Bet Shemesh.

Ultra-Orthodox clashed with police officers, calling them Nazis over course of Monday; at least six were arrested or detained for questioning.

Ultra-Orthodox community says fear of radicals has created leadership vacuum; many think secular media plays key role in increasing pressure on Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem extremists.

Beit Shemesh is a microcosm of the wider ultra-Orthodox community, and of Israel itself; many wonder where the rabbis have gone.

'If a family comes to a funeral and says 'I want to stand this way and not otherwise,' no one, not even the rabbi, can refuse them,' Religious Services Ministry Director General told a conference of Hevra Kadishas (burial societies).

The sudden public outcry over gender segregation on ultra-Orthodox buses is misplaced: such practices have been going on for years. There are other new phenomena that should worry us more.

Ministry continues to condition the granting of citizenship to those who underwent Orthodox conversions abroad on the approval of the conversion by the Chief Rabbinate - despite agreements to the contrary.

Rosenblit to testify before anti discrimination panel.

Legislation would allow Jewish couples to register for marriage with any rabbinate bureau in the country, irrespective of where they live.

Rabbi Menachem Froman tells the large audience of men and women at the Tekoa synagogue, he sees humiliation and exclusion of women as 'darkness.'

Louis Aliot, partner of rightist presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, is in Israel to persuade those eligible to vote in the French presidential election to give their vote this spring.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has lobbied for the release of French-Palestinian Salah Hamour who was jailed in 2005 for the assassination plot.

Arrangement allows some 8,800 yeshiva students to receive income support payments on top of stipends for studying; meant to replace an earlier, similar arrangement that had been declared illegal by the court.

Petitioners believe new agreement approved by government discriminates against university in favor of yeshiva students.

Israel Land Administration allots some 40 acres a year to bury 33,000 to 35,000 Israelis.

Finance Ministry suspended inspections of state-funded yeshivas five months ago; ultra-Orthodox protested inspectors refusing to wait until lesson was over, insisting on counting students immediately.

Disagreements over what time the Sabbath should commence have almost led to fist fights, as the Ashkenazis demand the city observes their traditions and the Sephardis refuse to comply.

After refusing to shave his beard in accordance with official military codes of dress and appearance, Rabbi Menachem Stern convinces courts he has a right to serve unshaven.

Institute serves as international investigation agency helping hundreds of young people from the former Soviet Union prove their Jewishness to the rabbinic courts.

Rabbis from more than 75 countries participate in annual event aimed at learning, brainstorming and networking.

Following a series of articles about Orthodox Israelis turning to rabbis outside the official Rabbinate for religious services, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar granted Haaretz an unprecedented interview. His message: Things are only getting 'better and better.'

As first reported in Haaretz, Bar Association apparently voting to name two men as its representatives on the panel, despite a written promise to appoint a woman.