Chaim, I wasn't insinuating that politics referred to Israel, rather politics of chutz la'aretz. Chas V'shalom would I ever consider Israeli affairs to be "politics". Also, when I mentioned taking on extra mitzvos, I was referring to members of the forum who said they weren't frum. I feel bad when I see that our very own JTFers are so removed from frumkeit. I believe that it takes a strong commitment to JTF's values AND Hashem's other laws in order to be victorious in our battle. It hurts when I see fellow yidden who have their heads on straight yet still reject religion. I hope I cleared things up a bit and I'll try better to be more clear next time.