The religious orthodoxy of some Israeli laws have long been a point of contention in the country, particularly with the large secular Jewish population over everything from dietary limitations to segregated buses. A U.S. born Israeli soldier found out about these pervasive laws when he was brought up on charges after being spotted eating a pork sandwich in uniform. His secular grandmother had made him the sandwich and it initially landed him in jail with a 11-day sentence. After an outcry from the family and secular Jews, the sentence was lifted but the soldier was confined to base. Then all punishment was lifted and military spokesman Brig. Gen. Motti Almoz issued a statement “We were wrong. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to keep kosher on one hand, but will not probe a soldier’s sandwich on the other.” A truly Solomonesque decision. General Almoz added “There are tensions in Israeli society and there are different stances and opinions. There is room for everyone in the IDF.” One place to start in making room for “everyone in the IDF” would be to drop the dietary regulations and simply make kosher meals available for those who want them . . . and allow others to eat sandwiches from their bubbes.
18 thoughts on “Baloney: Israeli Soldier Brought Up On Charges For Eating a Pork Sandwich In Uniform”
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Bam bam is right. I checked with some Israelis. Kosher food (e.g….kashruth) is the rule on Israeli military bases. Thus…the guy in this situation, had to violate on purpose. Nothing amazes me more than the extremes people will go to for attention. Suspect he got more than he imagined.
Ha!
First time I’ve agreed with bam bam.
There is a serious lack of comprehension here and JT continues to do a lousy job as an honest reporter.
It’s the Israeli government, not the Israel government.
Military rules exist within all societies. Those who are unfamiliar with learning to conform to well-established regulations will view all discipline as an assault on liberty. Control and regulation are part of military life. If you’re too weak or undisciplined to handle the lifestyle, don’t volunteer to participate in this activity, like this soldier did.
Yes, this seems to be of the worst liberty abuses by the Israel Government.
Truth to power is not ever a principle on here.
I say “GOOD FOR THE ISRAELI MILITARY! All military bases have rules and there should be consequences for blatantly breaking them, no matter the rule . As I understand it, he did not serve all 11 days but instead was deprived of his weekend leave instead. Next time maybe he will realize that Israel takes their religion quite literally at times. Too bad America has taken religion out of our military (unless of course they are muslim.).
The guy should go on a bean diet and fart the place to kingdom come.
The headline used by JT–SOLDIER BROUGHT UP ON CHARGES FOR EATING A PORK SANDWICH IN UNIFORM–made no sense to me, so I read several articles about the story in order to lend some insight into this tale.
It appears as though this young man was participating in a commander’s training program being conducted by the Israeli army. What is important to note is that these military bases adhere to very strict rules and regulations pertaining to maintaining kashruth, which are rules dictating what is and what is not kosher. Only kosher food is allowed to enter onto these military bases, and this is done for a myriad of reasons. For those in Israeli society who wish to adhere to the rules and prohibitions found in the Old Testament governing foods that are/are not acceptable, these individuals will find a comfortable setting in which to practice their religious beliefs and serve their country, at the same time.
This soldier, given his participation in a commander’s training program, was not the innocent little snowflake portrayed by the media. He was well-aware of the rules which prohibited the introduction of non-kosher food items–in this case, a pork sandwich–to the base, yet he chose to do so anyway. It is alleged that he even shared some of his food with other soldiers.
He was not punished for eating a pork sandwich because he was in uniform, as JT so incorrectly implies. He was sanctioned for breaking well-established and long-standing rules about what is and is not acceptable on military bases. One need not keep kosher to understand a blatant disregard for military rules and regulations to get this. This isn’t about eating a pork sandwich while in unifrom; he wasn’t punished for that. An Isreali soldier can walk down the street, in Tel Aviv, eating a pork sandwich, with it dripping down the front of his uniform, and never be punished. His uniform is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he chose to disregard military rules, while on base, in his uniform.
This could be simply a reactionary move by the extreme orthodox nut cases in retaliation for being made to have their kids with the hats and curly cues do their service. They used to be exempt from military service and spent their time harassing Palestinians on the West Bank, burning olive groves, etc., then calling in the military. Now they will be called in and they are making a statement, ‘no pork and fancy hairdos’ for everyone.
davidm2575 … that is because there is no IDF prohibition on foods eaten that I’ve ever heard of officially. Sounds a bit more “orthodox” than the military itself. The truly orthodox are usually separated from the regular IDF in many units. I question the veracity of this report, and will pursue it with Israelis I know….most of whom have sons and daughters in the IDF.
We know how easy it is to indict a ham sandwich, but in this case it was the soldier who was sentenced to 11 days in jail, after he was “spotted eating a pork sandwich in uniform.” How did the spotter know what kind of meat was in the sandwich? Did they pump the soldier’s stomach and test the meat? Are there Diet Police in Israel who have special training in spotting ham sandwiches from a distance? I would like to know what evidence was used to convict this guy.
Don’t know whether or not is was kosher, but I had the best ham and cheese sandwich I’d ever eaten in my life in Haifa, Israel…
So good in fact… I had two of them!
I wonder if pigeon is kosher?
For JT, who will not read this, it is easier to keep kosher for all and then over look those who do not keep kosher.
Interesting article. Israel has conscription, so everybody has to serve upon their 18th birthday. I am surprised they have not worked out this issue of mandatory kosher eating before now.
Nick
Have you forgotten, Obama is a Muslim?
All politicians eat pork. They immerse themselves in pork. They revel in pork. They are paid in pork. They speak pork. Without pork, there would be no government.
So what else ya got?
I wonder what our first Jewish President thinks about this. Obama is quite needy. He has his spin doctor, Axelrod, going out telling people how much he loves Israel and how he considers himself a Jew. Polling in Israel has Obama’s favorability @ 15%! Maybe Obama should have Axelrod let it be known he doesn’t eat pork. Might get his rating up a point or two.
Galatians 2:15-16
‘We….know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.’
It’s difficult for me to imagine anything that has caused more harm to humanity than Levitican laws.