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Rabbis to deem haredi internet kosher
Are haredi websites making a comeback? Website 'Etrog,' which was closed after rabbis protested, is relaunched under supervision of spiritual committee. Estimates are that this will provide precedent for other sites to be deemed 'kosher'
The war being waged against haredi internet channels is still in full swing, but one site has received its very own 'kosher' certification. "Etrog," which was closed following a rabbinical protest, will soon be relaunched after an agreement in principle was reached stating that it would publish only "suitable" content and would be under the supervision of a "spiritual committee."
This is an unprecedented move that will likely result in a similar move for other haredi sites.
Recently, negotiations were held between the site owners and Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Karp from Kiryat Sefer, a member of the rabbinical council on media affairs who led the battle against haredi internet.
"Etrog", which already from its inception claimed it was "clean" and that the rabbis were not referring to it in their war against the internet, convinced Rabbi Karp himself of this very assertion. The site is also expected to receive a rabbinical statement claiming that its content is suitable and that haredi followers connected to the internet for work purposes are authorized to surf the site.
A haredi source involved in the negotiations between Karp and "Etrog" confirmed in a conversation with Ynet: "There is indeed an agreement in principle and the new site is already up. The move does indeed open a door for other sites, but as of now they are very far from meeting the requirements of publishing only suitable content. In the authorized 'Etrog', there will not be pollution in the articles or a zoo in the talkbacks like there is on other sites."
A news article published on "Etrog" two months ago notified readers of the immediate halt in the site's activity. "Upon the publication of the opinion of Israel's great thinkers, we were asked to continue operating until clarification was received regarding the areas included in the prohibition. This morning, it was personally clarified to us that haredi activity on the internet must be immediately halted regardless of the level of the content's cleanliness.
"Thus, the immediate halt in the site's activity is a direct continuation of the unwavering obedience to the words of Israel's great thinkers, which we ourselves received while planning and launching the portal."
