This is really just a simple Hebrew word play post but it is going to need some explanation due to the need to convert it somehow to English.
It seems the IDF has protocol in place that does not allow any dairy foods to be cooked anywhere int he IDF - no kitchen can have hot dairy food. they cook hot meat and hot pareve, and cold dairy is allowed. No pizza, no cheese burekas, no toast sandwiches, etc. This rule is in place to help preserve the kashrut of the IDF kitchens, so they do not have to worry about soldiers mixing hot milk with hot meat, dishes and the like. There are still plenty of problems that can arise, hot meat with cold dairy is just as much a problem, but at least one major potential problem is resolved by such a policy.
An additional policy is that during the Pesach holiday, no chametz is allowed at all on any IDF army base. Again, for obvious reasons.
Army brass has decided a while back to implement some reforms that will allow soldiers to get themselves their fix of hot dairy foods in the army as well to allow chametz on base during Pesach. This reform is being implemented in coordination with IDF Chief Rabbi Eyal Krim.
Yesterday at some conference of IDF journalists, Rav Krim said that as of now we are not yet ready and in agreement as to how to implement the reform and provide the hot dairy foods while adhering to kashrut standards so for now only pareve and meaty hot foods will be allowed in "the traklin", along with cold dairy foods - as has been the case until now. Pretty much similar response for the chametz issue.
basically though, to switch to Hebrew for a moment, רב קרים אמר רק מוצרי חלב קרים
Rav Krim has the perfect name, in Hebrew, for this decision...
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And especially since Crimea is being talked about lately.
ReplyDeleteHot dairy foods should be something the IDF can manage logistically. After all, many hotels manage that just fine.
ReplyDeleteChametz on Pesach is more disturbing. That's a serious breach of halakha. Not that the IDF cares, but it is supposed to be a kosher army.
No hot dairy was a brilliant proposal instituted by Rav Goren at a time when army bases were typically smaller, and many of the soldiers had very little exposure to a kosher kictchen.
ReplyDeleteI believe that today some of the larger bases have a separate dairy kitchen, and do allow hot Dairy dishes, in the same way that hotels do (i.e., one kitchen is locked while the other kitchen is in use).
I imagine that as there as many of the bases today have large kitchens and are very organized, it would be relatively easy to implement a separate dairy kitchen.