Iraq – Two boxes of Carmel kiddush wine are headed from Australia to Baghdad for soldiers’ Shabbat celebrations.
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The wine will enable Jewish Australian and American troops celebrate Shabbat in the war-torn city.
Rabbi Yossi Segelman, the Jewish chaplain to the Australian Defense Forces, told JTA that he had received a request by e-mail from an Australian Jewish major serving in Iraq.
“There’s about a couple of dozen Australian and American Jewish soldiers who get together every Friday night,” he said.
The soldiers have formed a congregation called “Bnei Baghdad,” said Segelman, a Lubavitcher who was born in London.
He said the Israeli sacramental wine had to be cleared by parliamentary officials before it could be sent by freight to Baghdad and that it was being added to the official list of goods requested by soldiers serving overseas.
In any case, how will the Moslems find out about it? Australians in Saudi import Black Swan beer in boxes labeled “black duck soup”, which they claim is an Australian national dish. The Saudi customs officials probably know what’s really going on but go along with the pretense.
Iraq has many Christians and secular people, and alcohol has long been available.
Is this a good idea? In many Muslim countries, alcohol is as offensive as pork is in Eretz Yisrael? Wouldn’t grape juice be better?