Jewish Scene
Rabbinate: Room service only on plastic plates during Pesach
Kobi Nahshoni
Published: 28.01.10, 07:44
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23 Talkbacks for this article
1. How about through a medical drip
Avi ,   Israel   (01.28.10)
But surely it would be better to use a medical drip and directly pump Kosher chicken soup approved by the Rabbinute directly in to guests veins ? and lock the hotel doors to prevent them getting out and being offended at the sight of a bread crumb and maybe sensor all tv programs in case a film shows those nasty goyeem eating heaven forbid bread !
2. Mountain of Garbage @ Gannot Interchange!
Lama Aliti ,   Netanya, Israel   (01.28.10)
There will be another mountain that size generated every passover if the fanatics get their way... and in this 'society' the fanatics usually win.
3. Bunch of anti Jewish fools
Chaim ,   Ariel   (01.28.10)
The Hotel wants to be Kosher for Passover? It has to follow the standards of the Rabbinate! Those guests who do not like plastic plates or want to eat chometz can do one of 3 things: 1: not order room service but eat in the dining room 2: find another hotel maybe in Turkey where they can eat almost anything except pork or in another non muslim country where they can eat ham sandwiches and breaded Pork Chops and wash it down with beer 3: Stay home and eat their chometz at home
4. To Avi and "lama aliti"
Charles ,   Petach Tikva   (01.28.10)
The hotels have a Kosher kitchen that does not derange anybody , at Peach too . But , the hotels can't know what their hosts bring in their rooms , and therefore this measure is the most logic . Otherwise they can also forbid "room service" , this would not be appreciated by everyone . Avi , be serious please , and to "lama aliti" : Lech lecha
5. Disposable plates is a good idea.
Keren ,   IL-BR   (01.28.10)
I will apply this in my own home.It saves a lot of job. As for tourists in Israel,I think they will enjoy living Israel's ways,after all,what tourists always search when knowing or being in a foreign country is the true soul of the country they visit. This Pessach they will start having a better glimpse.
6. In which plastic plate company does the Rabbi hold stock?
Eric ,   Tel Aviv   (01.28.10)
Are Crocs permitted? How about the elevators? What else can he block to make the lives of his followers harder and more difficult?
7. One of these days...
M. Hartley ,   Atlanta, US   (01.28.10)
God will geot major pissed, and start from scratch. So you happen to be in a hotel the week before Pesach. You've paid good money for that nice hotel, you order room service and they bring your dinner on paper/plastic plates, and expect you to eat your steak or whatever with plastic utensils; all in the name of religion. Somebody should be taken to task for turning Almighty God into a petty tyrant for whom nothing is too insignificant and who misses no opportunity to aggravate and enlessly needle His/Her creations, whom He/She supposedly loves. And to be fair, anyone proclaiming to be talking for and explaining God in the name of any religion should be shipped to some deserted island so as to spare humanity their invented, self-serving BS. Maybe those "My God can beat up your God" discussions could be taped and sold for entertainment, proceeds going to the poor.
8. RECYCLE!!
Chaya ,   Bat Yam   (01.28.10)
I hope that these plastic plates will be recycled!!
9. What about the environment?
Dan ,   Israel   (01.28.10)
Is avoiding a few microscopic particles of chametz, if even that worth the huge environmental toll that advocating to the religious community in its entirety to use only disposable dinnerware for an entire week? Maybe someone's getting a little cut of the profits from the companies purveying said plastic products? At least then someone's profiting off of this ridiculous situation.
10. All the year too
Meir ,   Beit Shemesh   (01.28.10)
Unfortunately this is true throughout the year too. People may have room service for meat, and put chees on it, or the other way around. So I would expand on the CR's directive to make this all the year round. If the environment is a problem, it is possible to use other alternatives like hard paper plates, which may also do the trick.
11. Kashrut in hotels on Pesach
Chaim ,   Petah Tikvah   (01.28.10)
The problem of utensils used in room service being made not-Kosher for Pesach by guests putting Chametz food on them is a problem all year around, not just on Pesach. The idea of disposable utensils is an excellent one. This is the method used for Kosher meals on airlines which do not serve Kosher food exclusively.
12. & in the army?
Yehuda ,   Ashdod, ISRAEL   (01.28.10)
A number of years ago I asked the Chief Rabbi of the IDF why disposable plates & utensils are not being used in the army, where a tremendous amount of manpower is used to 'kasher' hard plastic (melamin) plates. His answer was unfortunately no to the point (to be nice about it). However, the point raised by the CR is extremely valid in the army milieu where many of the soldiers are not careful about Chametz on Pesach. Regarding the rest of the year, perhaps there is not such a need for the stringency because almost all prohibited foods can be nullified - whereas Chametz cannot be nullified.
13. #2 if your talking about leftist secular fanatics...
Admiral HuAckbar ,   Mon Calamari   (01.28.10)
Then you are 100% correct, they always have to get their way.
14. Rabbis do have a lot of fun,
alex ,   t-a   (01.28.10)
spare time, vivid imagination, that all result in good profit for catering premises inspection. While fully respecting anyone's right to refrain from eating non-kosher food or hametz, I am all against stretching the situation ad absurdum. It looks and sounds as if some bright minds in the Rabbinate are immersed in a deep thought - What else can we pronounce a Kosher-sensitive item/territory , demand inspection there and ebing generously renumerated? How about the rights of non-observing Jews who do not follow Kashruth? Are they less Jewish? Are they 2nd class citizens? By which virtue religion is imposed on us in bigger proportions every year, and we are made to pay for it? All these exptra-costs of running the hotel according to Kosher req-s will only make the hotelier increase the price of a stay there, which means that a non-observant person pays for the way of life of an oservant person? Can anyone give an example where the religuious segment pays back to seculars for the seculars' comfort?
15. #11
mark ,   ca   (01.28.10)
When someone like me pays over $ 800 per day for hotel room ,I expect nice china.Try to cut steak with a plastic knife.Regarding Kosher meals on airlines,First class passengers get real utensils( if you fly top rated carriers).
16. The rabbinate & us
A Jerusalemite ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (01.28.10)
Another proof that the rabbinate is becoming more and more intrusive on our normal every day lives.
17. JESUSALEN
cristian ,   arg   (01.28.10)
do you think that the scripture saith in vain the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? but he giveth more grace wherefore he saith the lord resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble submit yourselves therefore to the lord resist the devil and he will flee from you draw nigh to the lord and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your hands ye sinners and purify your hearts ye double minded be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness humble yourselves in the sigh of the lord and he shall lift you up if the lord will we shall live but now ye rejoice in your boastings all such rejoicing is evil therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin
18. Wonderful
Steve ,   Eilat, Israel   (01.29.10)
Wonderful that the rabbis devote their minds to issues like this and Crock bans on Yom Kippur. Perhaps when they awake they will realize the depth of social issues that they could be spending their time on, such as disrespect by the ultra-orthodox for the rest of us, shirking army duty and gray market work.
19. # 7 M.Hartley. Wow !
Sagi   (01.29.10)
This one really got your goat. Let's see now. "God" is omniscient, omnipresent ,omnibenevolent and omnipotent. In a nutshell, he gets into every nook and cranny, knows all, sees all, does all and controls all, one cannot hide from "God". For instance the nun who gets into her bath without disrobing, for fear of appearing naked before "God" is not really achieving her purpose, even if the room has no windows because "God" can see through the keyhole, or has x-ray eyes, an excercise in futilty. The kitchen staff in any hotel in Israel is usually made up of Arabs, Christian or Moslem, or Filipinos. They have breakfast at home and a morsel of "unclean" food is lodged in a fold in their clothing. While preparing food in the kitchen it falls on a plate of "clean" food designated for an ardent follower of "God". Boy, is that "sinner" in trouble, he tried his best, he got the Rabbis and the politicians on his side to come up with legislation and concoct and enact regulations so far fetched that the writers of Star Trek would regard them as being inconceivable to the human mind. They all try but they all fail. This is because the whole ideology of controlling people's lives through "the word of God" is morally wrong. All those "omnis" I mentioned before are not "God's" attributes but rather they are Man's attributes and herein lies the folly of adherence to religion and canonical law. Man must control himself and decide his own fate. There is no metaphysical "entity" watching over him. He can and must watch over himself. I would like to ship a few of our Rabbis off to a deserted island, as you say, a mixture of all sects and let them "fight out" this "God" thing amongst themselves and leave us alone once and for all. Alice in Wonderland nonsense was never my cup of tea and that is how I regard these folks and their demands.
20. Not news
Liz   (01.29.10)
This is SO not news. They did this last year already. Now I am convinced and believe what other people have said in the past that Ynet make stories out of nothing just to piss people off.
21. Sagi , always your HATE
Charles ,   Petach Tikva   (01.30.10)
Towards Jewish religion , religious people and Rabbanim . I'll ALWAYS remember your disgusting : if you have 10 children , not grave to lose one [ that's the meaning of what you wrote when two Yeshiva students died during a trek in the south ] Those working in kitchen have special clothes , and know what they may or not do . There is nobody who obliges the hotels to keep Kosher . If they do it , they have a financial interest ! And yes , hotel customers don't behave always correctly , so measures have to be taken .
22. #8 Don't count on it.
Dorothy Friend ,   Tel Aviv   (01.31.10)
After all, 1-1/2 liter bottles don't have a deposit because of haridi demands. These guys generally (there are some fine exceptions) not concerned with recycling.
23. #10 - if you want to be really sure --
dorothy friend ,   tel aviv   (02.01.10)
--- just don't go to hotels!
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