The Netanya City Council convened a special meeting where a
large majority decided to ban the sale of pork in the city.
The decision was passed by 18 councilmen with objections from
councilmen from the Russian party and two abstentions.
The urgent meeting was initiated by the local Degel HaTorah
chairman, Councilman Rabbi Moshe Lachover and Councilman
Atty. Shlomo Rosenwasser, who signed other councilmen on a
written petition to hold the meeting. The heated public
debate followed the opening of a large downtown meat market
that sells pork products. In recent years similar stores have
opened in the city itself, but the matter reached a head now
with the opening of Maadanei Aviv Osovlansky Ltd on Rechov
Shaar Ha'emek.
While the meeting was in session, hundreds of people —
both observant and non-observant — demonstrated outside
the store. The protesters claimed the move was a blow to the
character of the city and a stumbling-block for shoppers who
would come to the store not realizing they were buying
pork.
Harsh remarks were fired back and forth during the meeting
between the supporters of the proposal and the three Russian
councilmen who opposed it. Following the vote a decision was
reached to ban the sale of pork in Netanya's residential
areas. The city already has a municipal ordinance banning
pork sales outright throughout the city. The law was canceled
by the High Court, but now the figures behind the new law
studied the reasons given in the High Court decision in order
to ensure that the new ordinance would not encounter legal
problems.
Rabbi Lachover said Netanya is a mostly traditional city and
its character should not be altered by opening pork stores
inside the city. He praised the majority of councilmen who
joined the initiative, saying it attests to the public's
sweeping opposition to undermining Jewish tradition in the
city.
