Disillusioned oleh

I am a relatively new immigrant to Israel and must admit that I get more confused day by day as to who is the boss. I am led to believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds the reigns, but the ultra-Orthodox drive the cart!

Every day, I am more and more perturbed when reading the newspapers and listening to the news, about how regularly blame is shifted away from the haredim and placed on someone else’s head. Why?

I have family who moved out of Jerusalem because of the restrictions imposed by the ultra-Orthodox on everyday life, including Shabbat. I was always under the impression that Israel was a democratic country, and the average person could do as he or she wished (within reason, of course).

Further, I am absolutely shocked and amazed that any sector of the population can be excluded from learning the rudimentary rules of reading, writing and arithmetic, and be excluded from some form of civic responsibility, even as a hospital orderly.

As you can see, I am a very disillusioned immigrant and wondering, too regularly, why I chose to settle here. GEORGE KALISCH Ra’anana

CORRECTION The newspaper/magazine She’arim, now defunct, was aligned with the Poalei Agudat Yisrael party, and not as stated in “Netanyahu, a victim?” (Editor’s Notes, September 9).