Photo Credit: Channel 2

PM Netanyahu told Channel 2 in a pre-Yom Kippur interview that he did not eat non-kosher while in NY, and in fact does not each non-kosher food at all.

The Prime Minister said in the TV interview, “I am careful, not just at the Prime Minister’s residence and in public events, but also in private events – I do not eat non-kosher. I have at least 2 kashrut supervisors always with me… [a reference to his wife and sons]. We’re keep it [kosher], I keep [kosher]. That’s what I am accustomed to do, and I think it’s the right thing to do, also as the Prime Minister, but more than that, this is is how we act [as Jews].”

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A mini-storm broke out in Israel when the NY Post reported that Netanyahu had a meal with Sheldon Adelson in Fresco by Scotto and had the veal.

It was followed by a gathering with Jewish billionaires in the Chart House, a non-kosher sea food restaurant.

The Hareidi papers called it “The pig restaurant” scandal.

Now that the Prime Minister has weighed in and denied it all, the scandal can finally be put to rest.

Baruch Hashem.

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85 COMMENTS

  6. Actually, it was Maariv, not the hareidi papers, that referred to it as the “restaurant of pigs” — and to the restaurant he ate in the next day as the “restaurant of bugs”. In fact, in Reshet Bet’s Wednesday morning roundup of the Israeli newspaper headlines, the announcer (Yaakov Ahimeir) made a point of saying that it was Maariv which ran that story, using those descriptions — as opposed to the hareidi papers, which hadn’t run the story at all.
    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Dp2BAuBAHk0J:www.maariv.co.il/news/new.aspx%3Fpn6Vq%3DE%260r9VQ%3DGGKHI+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk

  24. I care what he eats. He is representing our country. Our Jewish country!
    OK so he may eat whatever he wants to eat in his home as everyone can. He is our P.M. During his "working" hours he should eat only kosher. Over the years so manyy Jews have struggled to keep kosher in terrible conditions,proud of their heritage.Bibi does not have to struggle so he shold do the right thing he is our representative to the world. From the Wite House to Buckingham Palace he only has to ask and they will provide kosher meals.

  25. I just "love " the Haredim! they watch for Kosher label but do not have the basic respect for Women ! (their mothers including!) If they had the basic respect then,when they got on the bus and there is a women, and they cannot control their urges, THEY the men, should move to the back of the bus! looking at woman as something unclean and making the women move away to the back sit is the way Muslims treat women not real Jews! and basic RESPECT is more important than a kosher label…

  35. I heard that they special ordered him a Veal Chop from a Kosher Butcher Shop in NY.. so now what else is your problem with him?? He is and has not ever claimed to be a Secular Jew.. No he does not wear a Kippa all the time.. but … He is a Good man.. Leave him alone!

  41. Is the G-d of Israel real or not?

    If he is real, he will punish us for our leaders breaking his mitzvos.

    If he isn’t real, Netanyahu orders the killing of non-Jews (Hamas and others) to keep control over the land.

    If he doesn’t keep basic Jewish traditions (laws), what gives him the right?

  45. I really don't care what he eats. His job is to navigate Israel through a period of extreme danger:and he is doing a damn good job. Keep on Mr prime minister. I am proud to know you keep traditions such as kashrute,but what matters is that you are doing a great job.

  53. The Rabbi knew that Mr. Levine (name changed to protect the innocent)had a weakness for non-kosher food, so when he didn't show up on Yom Kippur morning, the Rabbi was duly concerned.

    The Rabbi decided to leave the services to search for Mr. Levine.

    He found Mr. Levine just as he entered a non-kosher restaurant.

    The Rabbi looked on in horror as Mr. Levine ordered a ham sandwich on Yom Kippur and wolfed it down.

    The Rabbi decided he had to intervene with Mr. Levine.

    He waited outside until Mr. Levine stepped out, the Rabbi started to talk to him.

    Mr. Levine stopped the rabbi mid-sentence and asked him, "Rabbi were you watching me eat the ham sandwich on Yom Kippur, the entire time?"

    With a tear in his eye, the Rabbi answered, "Yes."

    "Then what's the problem?" Mr Levine responded, "I was under Rabbinical Supervision!"

  61. People don't get it. You are what you eat. Eating non Kosher, you are allergic to Torah and mitzvot. Now let's get to the story. A non kosher seafood restaurant has the same oven, grill, microwave and dishes it serves it's members of the nations. So when the Jews eat, let's say veal, it has the clam.oyster etc sauce of the meal that was prepared before. So Mr. Jew, you ate non Kosher without even knowing it. A Jew is forbidden to eat at a non Kosher restaurant, even the PM. Now I see why his son dates a goya. If the parent doesn't care about his religion, what do expect the son to do.

  62. For whatever reasons the Israeli public have given their support to Mr Netanyahu, they did it without regard to his level of religious observance, but rather because of their feeling that he is the best temporal force to maintain their safety.

    He may not make the ideal rosh-yeshivah, but as a PM, he seems to maintain a cross-section of approval.

  65. you need to get your facts straight before you begin speaking lashon hara against a group of Jews. Are you Jewish? Did you observe Yom Kippur? If so, then you have already written down the first thing upon which you must teshuva before next Rosh HaShana. You have plenty of time, Baruch HaShem.

  66. Why go from one extreme to the other? Surely even from a secular prime minister of the Jewish state we can expect that in the exercise of his duties he will respect basic Jewish customs. That doesn't mean we expect him to give the next shiur klali.

  69. Shlomo Godick You can expect that the democratic process will work to produce the man who is the least unacceptable to the greatest number of people. If lack of observance mattered to more people, you'd get an observant PM. Obviously, your sentiments are not shared by enough voters to matter

  74. This is the country of the jewish people, and as a jewish person, and he wants to represent ALL jewish people, he's expected to eat Kosher, just like jewish people are expected to do. I'm not religious, and I still think it's the right thing to do. Obviously, he felt the same, other wise he wouldn't have clarified it, I still don't believe him personally (and I used to vote for him in the past, as I come from a family that always voted for the Likud, we never voted for any party other the Likud since the day this country was founded, until Netanyahu showed up and showed what the Likud was really about, which is all about cheap politics and nothing else).

  76. Ms. Besser, the Israelis do, they voted for him, expecting a certain level of morality, when he goes to meet with Haredim when he wants them to vote for him, he wears a Kipah, he knows what's expected from him, and whenever it's convenient from him, he follows. He should follow these rules all the time, not only before elections. And, I'm not religious!

  77. Nice to see as Yom Kippur comes to end so many people ready to jump straight back into Averos, with Lashon Hara and slander of BIBI.

    Veal is a Kosher cut from a Kosher animal. There is no reason why it had to come directly from the kitchen of this restaurant and couldn't have come from somewhere offsite. Even if it had come from the kitchen of the restaurant, a reliable Mashgiach could have been onsite suitably koshering the kitchen. We are talking about Jewish BILLIONAIRES here, so if the rest of Jewry can manage to have suitably supervised kosher catering…I don't think the BILLIONAIRES would have a problem.

    The problem isn't what BIBI did or didn't eat… it is we as Am Yisrael are still to quick to judge one another. We were sent into Galut because of Sinat Chinam, how many more Pogroms do we need? How many more Shoahs do we need? How many more widows/orphans/dead Jewish individuals & families do we need? Why is it that we only come together when 3 boys are murdered?

    When will we learn to see the good in one another, unifying out of Love for good/happy reasons and leave judgement to the One True Judge whom we spent the last 25 hours over Yom Kippur davening too?

  79. When I attended an end of year party provided by my employers, I advised them that I would not be eating at the restaurant as I only ate Kosher but that I was happy to attend the function in the spirit of togetherness with the rest of the staff. Imagine my surprise when minutes after dinner was served to everyone else, a full Kedassia meal was put before me in sealed wrapping which included cutlery & a bottle of wine. There was also a similarly sealed dessert waiting. Maybe this was how Bibi was treated too.

  81. I don't understand the entire behala. The Prime Minister's statement is clearly backed by the sages statement in tractate Kerisot "Adam ne'eman al atzmo yoter mi'meah ish – A person is believed to testify regarding himself and is believed more than 100 witnesses to the contrary. The Rambam (Hilchot Shegagot 3:1) rules that this is the law due to migo. Notwithstanding as a leader of the State of Israel and a brilliant spokesman for the entire Jewish People, we should seek to show him the respect he clearly deserves, especially now after Yom Kippur. Just as we hope that the Almighty judge us favorably, so shall we judge our fellow man.

  82. If that is the case then what did he eat at Fresco by Scotto where the food is not Kosher and the restaurant is not Kosher? Did he just have a glass of water? Come on Mr. PM, what happened at the table with your friend Adelson at Fresco by Scotto?! The truth not the political rhetoric.

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