kosher

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Hold Up, Is Bacon Kosher?
Hold Up, Is Bacon Kosher?

Hold Up, Is Bacon Kosher?

Some biblical scholars argue that not eating bacon is part of broader misunderstanding

(Newser) - Have Jews been depriving themselves of bacon for no reason? A group of biblical scholars makes the argument in Haaretz that the Book of Leviticus, the third in the Old Testament that lays down various laws dictating how Jewish people should live, wasn't actually meant for the laity. Rather,...

Israel Frees Pork-Eating Soldier

US-born man didn't realize sandwich would be a problem

(Newser) - The Israeli military has scrapped a punishment for a US-born Israeli soldier who had caused a stink by violating the military's kosher rules by eating a pork sandwich while in uniform. Earlier, the military said the soldier, whose name was not released, "violated rules and regulations," which...

Just in Time for Passover: Kosher Cigarettes

Israeli body gives 3 brands seal of approval

(Newser) - It's Passover and for the first time, Israeli smokers can puff away on rabbi-approved cigarettes, the AP reports. The group that certifies foods and other items as kosher for the week-long holiday approved three brands of cigarettes after determining that their ingredients had not come into contact with grains...

Healthy Eaters Go 'Kosher' Despite Evidence

Orthodox Jewish food label gaining in popularity

(Newser) - Love seeing that "kosher" food label when you go shopping? You're not alone: More than 25% of all new foods released since 2007 claim to be kosher, a 10-fold increase over kosher products released in 2002, NPR reports. The market has expanded from orthodox Jews to, well, everyone...

EasyJet Offers Israeli Fliers Choice of Ham or Bacon

Budget carrier sorry for pork-only mix-up

(Newser) - Just months after launching a Tel Aviv-London service with a kosher menu, EasyJet found itself with nothing to offer hungry Jewish passengers on a 4.5-hour flight but ham melts and bacon baguettes. The airline apologized for the blunder, saying the wrong food canisters had been supplied, the Daily Mail...

Inmate Uses 'Festivus' to Score Better Meals

Argues 'religion' means he needs a kosher diet

(Newser) - Here’s a Festivus miracle for you: An inmate in an Orange County Jail managed to get better food for months by saying he needed it to adhere to the “religion” of Festivus. Malcolm Alarmo King is a health nut, the Orange County Register explains, who didn’t want...

Jews Eat Up Kosher 'Koogle' Search Engine

(Newser) - Orthodox Jews have long been discouraged from searching the Internet due to rabbinical restrictions on viewing immodest content. No longer, Reuters reports. Enter Koogle—the name is a mashup of Google and a traditional Jewish noodle dish—a Hebrew-language search engine that filters out non-kosher content and appears to meet...

Rabbi Seeks Boycott of 'Revolting' Mannequins

Stores could lose kosher certification

(Newser) - An Israeli rabbi has called for a boycott of shops that display scantily clad mannequins, AFP reports. Mannequins and "obscene photographs" of models wearing swimsuits or underwear "elicit sorrow among the passers-by," said the rabbi. Stores in the northern city of Tiberias that keep their racy displays...

Eco-Kosher Jews Aim for Sustainable Sabbath

Culinary consciousness 'gives taste to the text we study': advocate

(Newser) - A new wave of “eco-kosher” Jews treats environmentalism as law, the Los Angeles Times reports. To strengthen their ties to their faith, culinarily conscious believers are hosting sustainable Sabbath dinners using homemade, locally grown foods. “Jewish tradition should heighten our awareness of the choices we’re making,”...

Israel's Stance on Swine Flu Isn't Kosher
Israel's Stance on Swine Flu Isn't Kosher
OPINION

Israel's Stance on Swine Flu Isn't Kosher

Renaming disease 'Mexico flu' shows lack of seriousness

(Newser) - Israel has confirmed its first case of swine flu—but don't call it that, says the head of the country's health department. The minister, a member of one of the ultra-Orthodox parties in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, insisted yesterday that the infection should be referred to as "Mexico flu,"...

Kosher Tequila? Passover Choices Widen

(Newser) - The kosher alcohol scene has long been dominated by sweet Manishevitz, but that old standby is getting a run for its money as premium wines, and even hard liquor, are crossing the kosher barrier. Making kosher product has many restrictions, but entrepreneurs seem to think Jewish tipplers are in the...

Kosher Meat Supply Crippled After Iowa Immigration Raid

Packing plant, now bankrupt, accounted 60% of US market

(Newser) - Kosher meat prices are skyrocketing after the Iowa packing plant that supplied about 60% of the US market declared bankruptcy, USA Today reports, in the wake of a May immigration raid. Agriprocessors, in trouble even before the raid, stopped operating last week. “Stores like mine are struggling all over,...

Margarine Shortage Stymies Passover Bakers

Kosher spread too pricey for most producers

(Newser) - Jewish families are facing a culinary crisis: a shortage of margarine that’s kosher for Passover. The lack of available stick margarine in particular is frustrating cooks who bake confections that offset the holiday’s ban on leavening, the Wall Street Journal reports. "There are so few really tasty...

'Kosher' Phones Block Porn
'Kosher' Phones Block Porn

'Kosher' Phones Block Porn

Rabbis sign off on no-call list in Israel

(Newser) - Israel’s top phone company is betting that its most orthodox customers need less temptation in their lives. Bezeq Israel Telecom launched a “kosher” phone service yesterday that will block calls to and from “improper” numbers, such as porn lines. In true kosher fashion, Israel’s top rabbis...

'Eco-Kosher' Eating Joins Religion, Ethics

New rabbinical food certification will reflect expanding values

(Newser) - Ancient Jewish dietary laws meet contemporary concerns about how food is produced in what the Washington Post calls the "eco-kosher" movement. American Jews are increasingly concerned about  labor standards, treatment of animals, and ecological impact of what goes on their table, even if they don't keep kosher, and religious...

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