Israel – Chareidi Kosher Internet Cafe Opens in Modiin Illit

Modiin Illit, Israel – The ultra-Orthodox city of Modiin Illit has got its own Internet café for the very first time. The café, an initiative of haredi businessman Yehuda Weisfish, was opened after he received rabbinical approval.

The new experimental store is called “Gilad Net” and is strictly kosher. For the haredi public this is a real revolution, as the Internet has been considered abominable by rabbis for years.

Every passing day, Weisfish says, proves that progress cannot be made without the worldwide computer network. “We are becoming a small global village, and one can no longer do with just faxes and telephones.”

Trying to explain the contradiction between the opposition to the Internet on the one hand and rabbis’ approval for his store on the other hand, he says that the haredi public objects to the Internet as a recreational activity.

The store, which is located in the most conservative haredi city, is currently undergoing a trial period.

He received rabbinical approval only after accepting the rabbis’ rules and introducing a content-control system which allows surfers to visit specific websites only like Gmail, government ministries and IKEA. News websites like Ynet, and even some haredi sites, are blocked.

“People who come to surf here stay for a short while because they’re not here to hang out, so we charge NIS 5 ($1.45) for every 15 minutes. So far we’ve been successful and have already had more than 100 visitors.”