This afternoon I participated in a phone survey for Bezeq, Israel's national phone company. A woman who spoke Hebrew with a strong Russian accent asked if I had 30 seconds to answer her questions, and she ran through them with admirable speed.

Most of the questions were standard: How many telephones do you have in the house; what age category do you fall into (18-25, 25-35, etc.); are you self-employed or do you work for someone else; what company is your mobile service provider; how long have you lived in your current apartment; do you rent or own; are you a high school or university graduate.

But the final question was definitely of the only-in-Israel variety.

In the dry, disinterested tone of someone who has asked the same questions over and over without giving much thought to their significance, the woman asked me: "Are you religious, traditional or secular?"