Qatar reportedly backtracks on allowing kosher food and public Jewish prayer
Jerusalem Post reports that World Cup host initially allowed kosher food to be sold to religious Jews expected at the World Cup.
Qatar is breaking its promise to allow public Jewish prayer and Kosher food to be sold at the World Cup, according to a report by Jerusalem Post.
The report cites sources in Jewish organisations saying that they were were promised to be able to cook kosher food “including kosher meat, but at the moment have only been allowed to sell cold bagel sandwiches.”
Jerusalem Post had previously reported that Qatar would indeed allow Kosher food, with Rabbi Marc Schneier of New York, Rabbi Mendy Chitrik of Istanbul, and his son Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik supervising the first Kosher kitchen ever in Qatar.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Doha, called the apparent reversal by Qatar “startling”.
“Imposing a ban on religious observances and accommodations almost immediately after having guaranteed these rights to Jewish football fans – fans who were unlikely to have purchased tickets to the World Cup, paid airfare, and booked hotels without such guarantees; demonstrates a remarkable level of intolerance and religious prejudice, to say nothing of outright deceit,” Stirling added.
According to the report by Jerusalem Post Qatar also broke its promise to allow for Jewish prayer services in Doha during the games, saying it couldn’t guarantee security for such an activity.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
