Jerusalem – Koshering Israel’s Phone Cards

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    Jerusalem – Israeli consumers will soon be able to buy “kosher” calling cards that automatically block callers from reaching pornographic services. The new kosher calling cards, adorned with photos of the Western Wall and other sacred Jewish sites, will be sold at post offices and kiosks.

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    Blocked numbers will be monitored by Clean Line, an agency run by Israel’s national phone company, Bezeq, in coordination with the Rabbinical Committee for Communications.

    The Clean Line is a special filtering service offered by Bezeq, similar to that made available by internet providers to families with children who wish to limit their access to adult material when using the computer.

    Phone numbers deemed “undesirable” by the rabbinical committee are blocked on the Clean Line. The free service is already available to Bezeq customers.

    As with the advent of the kosher phones, it is expected that kosher phone cards will become a popular standard in the observant Jewish community. At least 800,000 Israelis are considered to be part of the hareidi religious sector, a significant marketing chunk of the country’s 7.4 million citizens.

    The “kosher phone” concept started a couple of years ago when cell phone companies were urged by the nation’s rabbis to produce a mobile phone that would create less temptation for Jewish youth to stray from the Torah path.

    The result: a cell phone without a camera, without internet access and which blocked the caller’s ability to send and receive text (SMS) messages – a simple, “no frills” phone. A lesser-known feature is the phone’s ability to block more than 10,000 phone numbers to pornographic services as well.

    Kosher phones are inscribed with a seal of approval from the Rabbinical Council and display the same symbol on start-up. For kosher consumers, the service is a boon: one can call within the kosher network (from one kosher phone to another) for an extremely low rate.

    However, woe betide the kosher phone consumer who makes a call on the Sabbath – that customer will pay a whopping charge that can total up to 100 times the kosher rate per minute


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    17 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    sick sick sick!!! Our so called leaders have the dirtiest minds! 99.9% of people would never think of call a pornographic phone line! Looks like those so called Askunim are the biggest Shmutyaanes around, how dear they think so low of Klall Yisrual! Im appalled!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Is calling my rebbes brother also pornography that should be banned?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    soon u will be able to buy kosher cars . they only drive to shul and the mikva

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    what if someone has an emergency on Shabbos or Yom Tov – why should he get socked with the outrageous rate?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Why does a kosher calling card have a Chamsa image on it? A hechsher for Darkei H’Amori?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    This is not the Rabbanim. This is the calling card company Knowing that every frum self respecting yid is going to buy it. Its a great sales ploy. Thats 800,000 cards sold.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    The people who have this taiva will not be stopped by some telephone card. Sometimes these askanim insult my intelligence.

    Bugsy Siegel
    Bugsy Siegel
    14 years ago

    A doctor or an emergency responder who needs to take a call on shabbos will carry his cell phone with him. Should he get slapped with a 100x charge for a case of pikuach nefesh. The crazy things Israeli Chareidim think up. Thank g-d they don’t have their own government. It would end up looking like the Swat Valley.