Eat Kosher? Now You Can Have Kosher Mobiles.



Found this interesting article on [Mobile 9] today.

Israeli operator MIRS Communication has released a mobile phone that suits the traditional way of life of ultra orthodox Jews in Israel. Perhaps a surprising move for a community so strictly bound to their traditions, the intrusion of technologies such as mobile phones has been studied extensively by scholars. A suitable phone, in which many modern features will be absent, has been developed at last. Although a phone is a communication device by nature, MIRS will charge low fees for calls on the own network, and extraordinary high fees for any calls outside the network. This should discourage subscribers to venture outside the community.

The Motorola handsets have been modified to disable internet access, SMS text services and video and voice-mail applications. Growing concern that new-generation mobile phones could threaten the conservative, ultra-Orthodox values and way of life, particularly among the young, led to a rabbinical committee being formed to examine the issue.

A daring move by the haredi community, one that could have enormous consequences in the long run. Will new technology find a place next to age-old tradition?