Thousands of chareidi customers have switched during the past
few weeks to kosher cell-phone plans endorsed by Mishmeres
Hakodesh Vehachinuch and supported by gedolei
Yisroel.
When cellular companies began providing services with deeply
offensive content several months ago, the development raised
serious concerns that merely possessing a cell phone posed a
very real spiritual threat. Heads of Mishmeres Hakodesh, led
by HaRav Yehuda Silman, contacted cellular company heads
asking to allow customers to block these objectionable
content services upon request.
Cellcom was the first to accommodate the request, devising a
special computer program to allow Cellcom Maalot subscribers
to automatically block offensive contents services.
Gedolei Yisroel publicized a letter calling on the
yirei Hashem public to switch to Cellcom's kosher
calling plan.
Meanwhile talks with competing companies continued,
eventually bearing fruit when Pelephone and Orange also
followed suit with special kosher calling plans. Pelephone
set up the Hakesher Hakosher plan while Orange began the
Orange Mehadrin plan.
The cellular companies' respective commitments to provide
kosher content services by totally blocking other services
were brought by Mishmeres Hakodesh heads to maranan
verabonon for a final decision. After examining the
proposals and determining that the three companies had indeed
met the requirements stipulated by Mishmeres Hakodesh
rabbonim, maranan verabonon approved the agreements,
issuing instruction to notify the yerei'im public that
all old and new customers should only subscribe through the
specially-approved plans.
Although maranan verabonon expressed satisfaction with
the new arrangements, warnings issued by leading roshei
yeshivos and educators against the possession of cell
phones by bochurim and seminary students for
educational reasons, remain unaltered.
Furthermore these recent pronouncements should not be
construed as a recommendation for any of the three cellular
companies since their other plans offer services and contents
that harm Torah and moral values, and anyone who is able to
cancel these services and contents entirely--tovo olov
brochoh.
