The Orthodox minority in the town of Netivot, east of the Gaza Strip, would deny their secular neighbors a close shave. They are boycotting shops that sell razor blades on grounds that Jewish tradition forbids the use of blades to remove or trim beards.
The Orthodox insist there is no organized boycott but refuse to patronize shops that sell anything they regard as an “abomination.” Shopkeepers have disguised packs of razor blades by wrapping them in old newspapers so as not to offend the eyes of the pious.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
