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The rabbinical monopoly on marriage and burial is increasingly controversial, especially in light of the mass immigration from the former Soviet Union. Immigrants who are not officially Jews, meaning their mothers are not Jewish or they have not been converted by an Orthodox rabbi, cannot get married in Israel. There are very few places where they can be buried. After one such teenager died in a recent terrorist attack, his corpse wandered the country looking for a final resting place. A man was dug up five years after his death when rabbinical authorities questioned his Jewish credentials.
Secular women are riled by Orthodoxy's chauvinism. Last June in Jerusalem rioting haredim pelted men and women with excrement for praying at the Western Wall in a mixed group. In 1996 haredi "modesty patrols" began attacking women on Jerusalem's streets for exposing their arms or legs. Secular women were offended last year when Rabbi Yosef pronounced that men should not walk between two women, just as they should not walk between two donkeys, lest they take on the attributes of these lesser beasts.
Relations with the Palestinians are another fault line. Some 56% of secular Israelis support the peace process, compared with only 9% of the haredim and 24% of the so-called modern Orthodox. One group of rabbis went so far as to instruct army soldiers to disobey any order to withdraw from parts of the West Bank, an invitation to insurrection. A survey last fall showed that 27% of religious teenagers condone the murder of Rabin.
Meanwhile, the religious fear that if their secular brothers continue to disobey the commandments of their religion, as they interpret them, they will stop being Jews. Says Friedman: "They fear that one morning they will wake up, and there will be no Jewish people anymore." Even some secularists are worried that too many in their ranks are being alienated from their heritage because of disgust with the behavior of the Orthodox. Says author Yehoshua: "I say, You, secular person, open the Talmud for yourself. We need the religious memory and tradition not to find God but to find the historical roots of our people."
While a number of activists on both sides are working to find a new accommodation between the communities, most Israelis expect relations to deteriorate further. A survey showed that 47% think the situation could lead to civil war. Haim Miller, the haredi deputy mayor of Jerusalem, believes the answer is segregation. "To prevent this conflict, the only way really at this point is some sort of separation," he says. "It's sad, but it's sadder yet if two Jewish people come to blows."
Boublil's followers, however, are not prepared to give up on the haredi presence in Neve Rotem. "This war will continue," says El-Harar, "until it is understood that we are in fact brothers, and we have to receive each other well." Until such a day arrives, the croaking of the frogs at dusk will continue to be only one of the sounds disturbing the quiet at Neve Rotem.