Sunday, May 1, 2022

An end to kosher phones? Haredi MKs decry Communication Minister's 'dictatorial' decision

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/326732

After a decision in principle was made around a month ago, it has now become official: On Sunday, Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel announced that he has decided to enable "full mobility" for kosher cell phone users in order to "increase competition in the kosher cellular market."
In practice, what he is doing cancels the kosher phone option as it currently exists, permitting only a limited format going ahead.

The reform, which is due to take effect on July 31, will allow each subscriber to choose to remain with his existing package, although it is unclear whether all the phone numbers currently blocked on kosher phone packages will continue to be blocked, or whether some, or all, will be opened up to customers. The reforms follow intense lobbying by LGBT groups anxious to see hotlines affiliated with LGBT organizations unblocked to kosher phone line subscribers. Such content is considered abhorrent to haredi Jews.

According to the Communications Ministry, the reforms will open the market to competition and encourage companies to offer services at competitive prices to the haredi community. In practice, kosher phone line subscribers will be able to keep their phone numbers with their distinctive kosher prefixes and switch the SIM card into a non-kosher phone, which in the past would have voided the deal. It is not clear how the reforms will result in financial savings for haredi customers.

21 comments :

  1. And cue the "This is all to destroy the Torah" screaming.

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  2. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 2, 2022 at 1:46 AM

    Even if they keep it the same, there are always workarounds. Someone could buy another SIM card or a used smart(treif)phone. It is not so difficult to hide.

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  3. The special phones had a kill switch, which would automatically immobilize the phone, if an inappropriate SIM card was inserted and activated.

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  4. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 2, 2022 at 4:36 PM

    does that also apply to wifi?

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  5. I'm not an expert on these phones, but I don't think that they had any internet browsing capacity.

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  6. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 2, 2022 at 7:19 PM

    So the problem is what call restrictions there are, and that they are being lifted.
    Yetzer hara will always find solutions to blocks. It's not a pretty solution, but you cannot repress it, it will bounce back in another way.
    Why else are there so many frum predators?

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  7. Are you suggesting predators are more common amongst Charedim? evidence?

    You remind me of a secular psychologist who attended meetings of chareidi and secular therapists held by an organization I belonged to. I noticed he always looked scared and discovered he thought the chareidim were going to kill him because he wasn't frum. In general your comments about chareidim indicate you have a similar irrational fear

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  8. It's not that there's more predators in the Chareidi community. It's that the Chareidi community is set up to allow them more access to their targets and more protection from getting caught.

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  9. We try to blocking the Yetzer Hara, even if he can eventually find ways around the blocking, the same way we lock our homes and businesses as well as we can, even though we know that no lock is impenetrable, and that dedicated thieves will always be able to break in. However the idea is to keep out as many people as possible, and for most people, a good lock will keep them honest, even though there always will be thieves who are not stopped by normal security measures.

    The same is with the measures we take to block and filter out the Yetzer Hara, and the filth he tries to get us to listen and look at.

    There will be many people who will be helped and be stopped by these measures, and for that reason alone, they are worthwhile. The fact that others will be able to circumvent these same measures; is not a reason to neglect from trying to implement them for those who will be helped by them.

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  10. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 3, 2022 at 12:18 AM

    The comment you are responding to said "frum predators ", not chareidi.
    Sometimes people see what they want to see, like the guy in your story.

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  11. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 3, 2022 at 12:39 AM

    Hareidi as well as other frum have a high prevalence of sex abuse _ what we hear about is likely the tip of the iceberg.
    Since the leaders have historically ordered victims to keep shtum, and still do, calling the reporters "moiser ", there's a toxic and ugly atmosphere. It's not hareidi alone, it's mo, rz as well. Lamm buried it at YU. Druckman always tried to bury it at netiv and mercaz.

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  12. Nonsense no evidence abuse is more prevalent in Chareidi world

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  13. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 3, 2022 at 12:25 PM

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-sexual-abuse-cases-hits-ultra-orthodox-community-some-vow-to-be-silent-no-longer/
    It should be less prevalent. It should not exist at all.
    Is the eating of chazir in hareidi society at similar levels to the rest of secular society ?

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  14. Irrelevant to the discussion; which is about filtering access to inappropriate material.

    I never mentioned either conversion therapy or marriage. for people with same-sex attraction.

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  15. Garnel IronheartMay 3, 2022 at 2:48 PM

    The problem is data gathering. While still in the community, data is hidden. Asking OTD's is biased because a good chunk of them left because of it so it's a very biased sample.

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  16. Wow! Totally irrelevant to the discussion!

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  17. Do you leave your doors unlocked overnight since thieves can get in anyways, if they really want to?

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  18. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 4, 2022 at 12:34 PM

    The point is, if you have a gay menuval, do you lock all the doors to prevent him from leaving?

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  19. Kalonymus HaQatanMay 4, 2022 at 1:05 PM

    Actually, rav shternbuch criticised England's Chief rabbi for allowing kiruv of mishkav zachar people, saying that actually we don't need them in our holy Camp. Same should apply in yeshiva velt. (remember de haan).

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  20. Garnel IronheartMay 4, 2022 at 2:51 PM

    So interesting story. When I was living in Toronto, my car kept getting broken into. Car radio got stolen. The superintendent of my building told me to get a car radio that could be unplugged and taken home at the end of the day and to leave the car unlocked. It worked. Yes my car got rummaged through from time to time but no longer broken locks or windows and I got to keep the radio.

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