The huge, stone Education Ministry building, which takes up a full city block, is a fitting symbol of the cultural clash since it literally spans the two sides. On one side of the building, tourists in shorts stroll past a gleaming Mercedes-Benz showroom on their way to the Western Wall. The ultra-Orthodox usually live in separate neighborhoods, obey their own rabbis and courts, and live by a strict interpretation of the Jewish Law. They are easily distinguishable by their dress. Even in Israel's baking summers, men with long side curls typically wear broad-brimmed black hats, black suits and even black top coats.
Women wear stockings and long skirts, sleeves below the elbow, and head scarves if they are married.
Unlike other Jews in Israel, the ultra-Orthodox rarely serve in the army and do not attend public schools. They believe a true Jewish state will arrive only when the Messiah appears. Jerusalem's 128,000 ultra-Orthodox comprise 31 percent of the city's Jewish population and, with their tradition of large families, are rapidly increasing in their numbers. In the May election, Orthodox parties won an unprecedented 23 seats in the Knesset, Israel's 120-seat parliament, and they are crucial to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition. Their ascent raises fears among many secular Israelis that they might try to impose their values on the rest of the country.