Israelis love their cellphones. They seem incapable of performing almost any basic human function without either feverishly texting, or gesticulating wildy and screaming down the phone at someone who is presumably gesticulating and screaming right back.

According to the CIA World FactBook, one of my favourite reference sources, as far back as 2007 Israel already had more than 1.4 cellphones per capita.

So, when I came across the “Kosher Telephone” this week, I knew I had to share it with you!

Mirs Communications, an Israeli Motorola subsidary, recently introduced a mobile phone which has censorship built in for the Orthodox community . It is programmed so that it is unable to dial more than 10,000 sex lines, dating and other “inappropriate” services and comes with a warranty from a commitee of Rabbis that are “constantly reviewing” this list of numbers. In addition, it will have no SMS (text) capability, no internet connectivity, no camera and no video.

Apparently, it has come about because the orthodox elders, despite their discouragement of TV, radio, the internet and many of the modern tools of the 21st Century, have decided that a mobile phone is a necessary technological evil in todays world. However, they have decreed that such a device must not provide the means to lead folks off the conservative, religious straight and narrow path and into temptation with corrupting influences.

There has been so much interest already that, according to Abrasha Burstyn, the Mirs CEO, they are now planning to export the phone to other orthodox communities around the world.

I have to wonder, if it is necessary to block 10,000 inappropriate numbers in little Israel what size will the memory have to be to satisfy the needs of the Haredi community in the USA?

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