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I imagine the same situation exists these days in Israel. Many Israeli Jews are not religious. Judging by appearances, families holding Bar Mitzvahs at the Western Wall run the gamut from Orthodox on across the spectrum. Often overshadowed by the daunting issues of conflict between the Israeli Jews and the Palestinians is the struggle for co-existence amongst the diverse collection of Jews living in Israel. Religious versus secular; Ashkenazi versus the Sephardim. Here in Jerusalem, for instance, there are ultra-orthodox Jews living a lifestyle in sharp contrast to their neighbors. Mea She'arim practically borders the Russian Compound area.

Mea She'arim is the neighborhood of the Orthodox Hasidic sect of Neturei Karta whose women shave their heads at marriage and cover their arms and ankles. Next door around Zion Square—bastion of young liberals—women wear tight skirts and bare their mid-rifts. If these women were to wander into Mea She'arim there would be the very real possibility that they might be stoned. Signs posted in Mea She'arim warn women to dress modestly when entering the neighborhood. We saw similar signs in the northern town of Saved. Some residents there take exception to such mores. In Saved, where the signs were low enough to reach, they'd been vandalized—the warning covered up or scrapped away.

The young Jews hanging out in Zion Square aren't Orthodox but they may be religious. Or they may be secular. Or they may be anti-religious. Regardless, they may be in favor of a strong, uncompromising Israel for security reasons. They may be Zionists. Interestingly, the Neturai Karta—the ultra-orthodox sect next door—oppose Zionism believing that a Jewish State has no right to exist before the coming of the Messiah. Ironically the signs warning about appropriate dress now need to be displayed in Arabic in addition to Hebrew and English because of the effects of Zionism on Muslim mores. This is one complex mix of beliefs and lifestyles. The issues extend to government. There's currently a big debate going on about the transporting of a large state-owned turbine. If it's transported on Shabbat, it would violate the Orthodox creed, transporting it on any other day would result in virtual gridlock in the center of this narrow country. The issue has lead to one party bailing from the coalition government. If and when a real peace replaces the conflict between Arabs and Jews here, the Jews will continue to have each other to contend with—a daunting challenge. Separation of church and state—what a concept.