Communications Minister Announces Hearings Ahead of Kosher Phone Reforms

The Minister of Communications, Yoaz Hendel, announced that he will conduct a hearing before implementing a planned reform in the kosher phone market, which has been fiercely opposed by chareidi leaders.

“We are today embarking on a hearing process aimed at regulating the service of the kosher line for the chareidi public, allowing them freedom of choice and creating competition,” Hendel said in a statement.

But, asked United Torah Judaism MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman in the Knesset plenum, “What good will a hearing do, if a decision’s already been made?”

Rabbi Litzman appealed to Hendel to retreat from the reform, which he said would “harm half a million consumers” who seek to protect themselves from the undesirable and pernicious content on the internet.

Reform groups in Israel have already welcomed the decision of the Communications Ministry to dismantle the kosher phone system, a move which they take credit for instigating via a petition to the High Court.

Furthermore, charged Rabbi Litzman, behind the slogan of “encouraging competition,” lies the interest of the Reform who want to destroy the protective wall of kosher phones, he was quoted as saying by Hamodia (Hebrew edition).

Some 70,000 kosher phone users have signed a declaration that they will cancel their subscriptions.

In January, Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Harav Yitzchak Yosef, shlita, and Harav David Lau, shlita, issued a call not to harm the kosher phone system with its “talk only” feature.

In a detailed psak halachah, the Rabbanim write that we are living in a world that is inundated with information and influenced by modern technology. When assessing the far-reaching effects of these factors, we also see the serious dangers they involve. This is primarily regarding communication devices. They can be used constructively, but also destructively. They are liable to expose users to realms that bring severe spiritual deterioration, and there have been countless victims as a result.

The Chief Rabbis mention that Gedolei Yisrael, with their crystal-clear vision, foresaw this and warned about it. They also set down guidelines to follow to prevent people from being ensnared by these obstacles.

Therefore, the Rabbanim determined, it was correct to facilitate an option to use technology without being able to access dangerous content. Indeed, that is how the “talk only” phone was developed, without any content services, and which operates under special “kosher tracks.” This is the necessary step according to halachah.

As a result, the Chief Rabbis clarified, an entire sector who wishes to preserve their purity should not be prevented from living their lives according to the path they chose, according to the Torah guidelines that the Gedolim issued. They should not be coerced into taking a path that may harm their emunah and their hashkafah.