Israel’s Parliament rejected today a motion by the Orthodox Agudat Israel party opposing the decision of Zim Lines to have both a kosher and a non-kosher kitchen on its new liner, the SS Shalom.
The motion obtained the support of the Poale Agudat Israel and some members of Herut, the Liberal party and the National Religious party. However, Transport Minister Israel Bar-Yehuda said the Government did not consider the matter a political question which had to be decided at the Cabinet level and that it had left the decision to Zim, which had promised that one kitchen would be kosher. The decision has caused widespread protests from Orthodox elements in Israel and other countries.
The Transport Minister added that the Israeli Rabbinate certified the kosher kitchens of foreign ships where the degree of rabbinical supervision was not “one-tenth” of what it will be on the Shalom.
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