A mashgiach from the Edah Charedis ended a secret mission in Dubai this past Thursday to oversee the production of a special product line that requires supervision during all parts of the production. The mashgiach, who is Israeli but also possesses a foreign passport, entered Dubai on his foreign passport and while the government knew that he was there, and what he was doing, he required a large security contingent around him at all times in order to prevent harassment at the hands of the populace.
Israeli media website LaDa’at discovered that the specific item is manufactured in Israel as well and involves fruit, but cannot be manufactured in the amounts needed to supply the growing demand for the item in Israel. Hence the trip of the Eidah Charedis representative to Dubai to oversee the production there. It was also reported that the item is mainly in demand during Pesach.
Local security forces required that the Mashgiach hide his payos, tzitzis, and any other sign that he is Jewish. He was also asked not to speak in Hebrew or Yiddish in any public area. The Mashgiach conducted his tefillos in his closed and locked hotel room. Likewise, he was also asked to hide his lighting of the Chanukah candles, the first two candles of which he lit in Dubai as well.
The Mashgiach utilized a coffee cup and pair of inverted ashtrays to hold his oil cups so that he could light the candles in his hotel room without anyone noticing.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
” but cannot be manufactured in the amounts needed”
oh, the irony of saying that on chanuka
“He was also asked not to speak in Hebrew or Yiddish”
is yiddish recongnizable by arabs as a jewish language?
“to hold his oil cups so that he could light the candles in his hotel room without anyone noticing”
the whole country’s floating on oil, and someone’s gonna notice this?
Like it was really important to have some dried fruit or jam manufactured in Dubai with Eidah hashgacha and there was no where else this essential pesachdika candy or condiment could be made? And imposing sakanas nefesh to do this was really important?
Seriously?
Many frum people visit Dubai.
I’ve visited Dubai with Israel stamped on my passport.
The whole story is absurd.
While Kosher products are few and far between in Dubai I found no shortage of kosher products in the supermarket there.
I found Kosher grape juice, peanut butter, cream cheese, crackers, tuna fish and more with hashgacha.
No one cared that I was Jewish.
I had a hat and a beard.
I walked around with a sefer in my hand and no one said a word.
When I told people I had a special diet they went out of their way to cut up raw vegetables for me with a plastic knife.
The whole story is silly.
YWN – ‘Marrano’ means ‘Pig’ and is a derogatory term used by Christians in Spanish speaking countries for Jewish Anusim. Anusim are offended by its use. I would suggest that in the future you use the term ‘Anusim’ or even ‘Conversos’.
Yagel Libi,
Your comment is a riot. “Anusim are offended.”
Can you please point out an anus who is indeed offended by this? Last I checked there are no more live anusim.
When I was younger, if somebody said they were offended, we would tell them to grow the heck up!