The Amazing Unit: Kosher Supervisors with Beards and Keffiyehs

A group of kosher supervisors from the Jerusalem Rabbinate recently relocated their comfortable and familiar workplace to... Jordan. Sounds strange? Not to people who are willing to do everything to properly observe the laws of the Sabbatical year.

As part of the preparations for the Sabbatical year, it was decided that the most appropriate and cost-effective place to source vegetables without concerns of Sabbatical prohibitions for consumers would be Jordan. Due to the fact that this is an Arab country, there is danger for Jews to walk around Jordanian fields freely. Therefore, if you board the minibus heading to Jordan, accompanied by local police and filled with people wrapped in keffiyehs, know that beneath the completely authentic Arab appearance hide beards, sidelocks, ritual fringes, and most importantly, beating Jewish hearts seeking to fulfill the will of Hashem.

Protecting the crops, so we don't stumble (Illustration)

The chairman of the Jerusalem Religious Council, Yehoshua Yishai, conducted extensive checks and investigations and selected kosher team members who would be trained to work in the hostile environment. Once a week they return to Israel, and until then they sleep in the fields in an organized compound secured by Jordanian police, do not speak Hebrew, and eat kosher food that the Rabbinate has provided for them.

They supervise the fields daily, checking that there are no worms in the growing areas, and that everything is operating properly. Currently, there are four supervisors in Jordan, but with the expected increase in crops in the coming months, with the onset of the Sabbatical year, at least ten kosher supervisors will operate in Jordan daily.

According to Yishai, "As part of our preparatory work to find solutions to reduce the prices of fruits and vegetables for consumers, we found Jordan during this Sabbatical year as a destination from which discounted goods can be imported for conservative consumers. At the same time, we are also working for less conservative populations so that everyone can receive the appropriate solution at a minimal price."