This week's State of the Nation looks at the strictly Orthodox.

Week by week our reporters are setting out our hopes, our fears, our achievements and our problems. We have looked at where Jews are living, the places we have abandoned and the new areas where we are settling. We have examined Jewish education, where we go to pray, the financial and social difficulties of adequately caring for the older members of our community, and the hurdles facing those who want to jconvert.

Future weeks will deal with topics including adoption, sport, the Israelis in our midst, Jewish careers, and, of course, food. Every essay is available on-line.