kosher news stories on Newser

EasyJet Offers Israeli Fliers Choice of Ham or Bacon

Rob Quinn — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:44:00 CST

Just months after launching a Tel Aviv-London service with a kosher menu, EasyJet found itself with nothing to offer hungry Jewish passengers on a 4.5-hour flight but ham melts and bacon baguettes. The airline apologized for the blunder, saying the wrong food canisters had been supplied, the Daily Mail...

Inmate Uses 'Festivus' to Score Better Meals

Kevin Spak — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:47:07 CST

Here’s a Festivus miracle for you: An inmate in an Orange County Jail managed to get better food for months by saying he needed it to adhere to the “religion” of Festivus. Malcolm Alarmo King is a health nut, the Orange County Register explains, who didn’t want to eat the...

Jews Eat Up Kosher 'Koogle' Search Engine

Harry Kimball — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:34:00 CDT

Orthodox Jews have long been discouraged from searching the Internet due to rabbinical restrictions on viewing immodest content. No longer, Reuters reports. Enter Koogle—the name is a mashup of Google and a traditional Jewish noodle dish—a Hebrew-language search engine that filters out non-kosher content and appears to meet...

Rabbi Seeks Boycott of 'Revolting' Mannequins

Sarah Quinn — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:21:02 CDT

An Israeli rabbi has called for a boycott of shops that display scantily clad mannequins, AFP reports. Mannequins and "obscene photographs" of models wearing swimsuits or underwear "elicit sorrow among the passers-by," said the rabbi. Stores in the northern city of Tiberias that keep their racy displays will lose their...

Eco-Kosher Jews Aim for Sustainable Sabbath

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:52:43 CDT

A new wave of “eco-kosher” Jews treats environmentalism as law, the Los Angeles Times reports. To strengthen their ties to their faith, culinarily conscious believers are hosting sustainable Sabbath dinners using homemade, locally grown foods. “Jewish tradition should heighten our awareness of the choices we’re making,” said one devotee. Another...

Israel's Stance on Swine Flu Isn't Kosher

Jason Farago — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:23:00 CDT

Israel has confirmed its first case of swine flu—but don't call it that, says the head of the country's health department. The minister, a member of one of the ultra-Orthodox parties in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, insisted yesterday that the infection should be referred to as "Mexico flu," since pork...

Kosher Tequila? Passover Choices Widen

Harry Kimball — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:47:00 CDT

The kosher alcohol scene has long been dominated by sweet Manishevitz, but that old standby is getting a run for its money as premium wines, and even hard liquor, are crossing the kosher barrier. Making kosher product has many restrictions, but entrepreneurs seem to think Jewish tipplers are in the...

Kosher Meat Supply Crippled After Iowa Immigration Raid

Harry Kimball — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:43:12 CST

Kosher meat prices are skyrocketing after the Iowa packing plant that supplied about 60% of the US market declared bankruptcy, USA Today reports, in the wake of a May immigration raid. Agriprocessors, in trouble even before the raid, stopped operating last week. “Stores like mine are struggling all over,” said...

Margarine Shortage Stymies Passover Bakers

Nick McMaster — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:54:39 CDT

Jewish families are facing a culinary crisis: a shortage of margarine that’s kosher for Passover. The lack of available stick margarine in particular is frustrating cooks who bake confections that offset the holiday’s ban on leavening, the Wall Street Journal reports. "There are so few really tasty things at Passover...