Kosher phone dispute grips ultra-Orthodox Tel Aviv suburb
by Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum in Bnei Br from on (#61JC6)
An opaque council controls smartphone access for Israel's Haredim population, but many are making forays online anyway
Tel Aviv's booming science and technology industry, bolstered by graduates of elite state intelligence units, has earned Israel the nickname start-up nation".
Yet in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox suburb just a few miles east of Tel Aviv's skyscrapers, a vicious fight is unfolding over whether smartphones are compatible with traditional Jewish law - and who should have the power to decide on internet access.
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