The ultra orthodox aren't the way of Judaism.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3325903,00.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3324485,00.html

No amount of religious hurt warrants the behavior of the ultra orthodox Jews in Jerusalem this week. Everybody is aware that the planned gay parade in Jerusalem today hurt the feelings of religious Jews. But the way these people (the Haredim) expressed this hurt is unacceptable in a decent civilized society. The trouble is that some religious Jews, like the Haredim, think that they are the sole arbiters of what is Jewish Torah living. They are not. Granted; Torah doesn't agree that each one live as is "right in his own eyes". "You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit" (Duet 12:8)

To live according to Torah a person requires a teacher. This week's disgusting performance by the Haredim has taught us that they can't teach us anything about Judaism. In fact they showed, once again, that they are a menace to civilized society and their whole movement should be banned. By the way these are the same people who agree with Ahmadinajad that Israel should be destroyed.

The Prohibition against Homosexuality in the Torah.

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ideas_belief/sex_sexuality/Overview_Homosexuality/Sex_Homosexuality_Halakhah_Gold.htm

Nobody really understands the meaning of the prohibition against homosexuality in Leviticus 18:22 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'

Some scholars explain that this verse condemns anal intercourse irrespective of who may do it. (Dr. Hershl Goodman, D.O., of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

An article (in the link above) by Rabbi Gold of Tamarac Florida, gives a good summary of Judaism's attitude to homosexuality.

My own opinion is that it's just another one of the many laws in the Bible which are designed to separate Judaism from Idolatry. This means that it's only prohibited when it's performed as a part of idolatry in a pagan temple. We know that there were temple prostitutes, both male and female. In the same way statues and pictures don't contravene the prohibition against graven images if they aren't made and used for the express purpose of representing God.

The laws of kosher and unkosher animals proves the point even more; in those laws animals regarded as holy and not permitted to be killed by pagans were deliberately declared kosher by Judaism and could be killed and eaten.

Killing a cow for example in ancient Egypt, where cows were treated as holy and not to be harmed, was a demonstration against idolatry. On the other hand animals used in pagan sacrifices like the horse and the pig were deliberately declared unkosher and not to be eaten by Jews, again as a demonstration against idolatry.

My opinion is based on the general prohibition at the beginning of the chapter in Leviticus which contains the prohibition against homosexuality. 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.

The objective of laws like kashrut, wearing a head covering etc. is "not do as they do in Egypt and not do as they do in the Land of Canaan."

Tragedy in Gaza was Murder.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3326424,00.html

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3326296,00.html

Any educated person today knows that Israeli cannons are laser guided to strike accurately at the launch point of an enemy rocket. My guess is that the terrorists fired a rocket at Israel from that house, probably because the Israeli army had chased them out of less populated areas, during the two weeks of the operation to prevent the terrorists from firing rockets at Israel.

The Israeli cannon shell killed that family but the terrorists, by launching a rocket from that poor family's house murdered those poor people. Their act was deliberate and premeditated.

Those terrorists have enough experience to know that Israeli cannons are as technically perfect as possible and they are give a deadly accurate response to the exact point where the rocket fired at Israel was launched.

When they launched that rocket from a house full of innocent people the terrorists were absolutely sure that the Israeli cannon would strike back exactly at that point.

Those terrorists committed murder. The question is what did they intend achieving by this ghastly act?

Obviously Israel, in her attempt not to injure innocent people will now desist from firing back at places where the terrorists launch their rockets.

In addition to this gain a flurry of articles appears accusing Israel of war crimes in killing innocent people. These are designed to make Israel an outcast among the nations.

I hope that there are some thinking people in the UN and the governments of the great nations who understand what the Palestinians are trying to achieve and that they are a bunch of cutthroat murderers, and they should not make Israel an outcast among the nations. This would only strengthen terrorism and bring about more murders.