Little Hawk,
             The land of Israel is very holy and is an integral part of the Jewish religion. Please bear in mind, that I am not in any way referring to the State of Israel or the secular government as it exists today. I am referring to the geographical territory. There are certain rituals in our religion (mitzvah's) that can only be performed within the geographical boundaries of the holy land. Although many Orthodox Jews, myself included, are not at all pleased with some of the anti-religious policies of the secular government, it is far better than the alternative, which is complete anihilation at the hands of Arafat and his cohorts. We have already had one Holocaust in our lifetime. We do not want to see another one. That is why we pray 3 times a day for the coming of the Messiah and our eventual return to Jerusalem, with a rebuilt Holy Temple. as it existed in Biblical times. SOL ZELLER