"To what extent do we want to adopt the values of foreign societies?"

This is the rhetorical question which Israel's Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman posed during a recent symposium entitled "Jewish Law and Israeli Law" held at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzlia.

The distinguished legalist, who is a cabinet minister without being a Knesset Member, also asked his audience to consider whether we do not have an alternative world of values.

"Consulting with Jewish law," he suggested, "will enable us to look at our ethical and cultural roots."

A look that will safeguard Israeli society forever.