The Jerusalem Religious Council is withholding kashrut certificates from most of the city’s hotels even though they maintain kosher kitchens under the supervision of kashrut supervisors appointed by the Council and paid by the hotels. The denial of certificates has stirred an old dispute between hotel owners and religious authorities who try to enforce universal Sabbath observance according to Orthodox practices. The hotel owners operate their elevators, permit bills to be paid and write out reservations and orders on the Sabbath which, according to the Council, makes them ineligible for certification as kosher. The Council’s list of hotels it considers kosher contains only a few small hotels with a total of 390 rooms.
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