Qatar Backtracks, Prevents Sale Of Kosher Food And Public Jewish Prayers At World Cup Competition

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Jewish organizations are complaining that Qatar authorities are not allowing them to sell cooked kosher food to the thousands of Jews who have arrived in the Arab country to participate in the soccer World Cup.

Additionally, Jewish groups told the Jerusalem Post that Qatar, a country which funds Hamas but maintains low-level contacts with Israel, had violated its promise to allow Jewish prayers to take place publicly during the course of the games taking place in Doha. Qatar first claimed that it could not provide security for such activities and then prohibited them altogether in the public arena.

“They promised us that we would be able to maintain a minyan[quorum] for prayers so that religious Jews arriving in the country would have a place of worship,” the Jewish representative said. “Lately we were told that they had prohibited places of worship for Jews since they cannot secure them.”

Hundreds of Jewish media representatives from around the world have arrived in Qatar, many of them religious. Estimates say that there may be over 10,000 religious Jews from Israel and abroad at the events in Doha. Altogether some 30,000 Israelis are expected to take the unusual opportunity of direct flights from Tel Aviv to an Arab country which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Jewish groups were told that they would be able to cook kosher food including meat but currently they are only being allowed to sell bagels. Another source said that a large group of American Jews had cancelled their arrival, stating that they do not feel secure and would not have enough food to eat.

Jews who observe kashrus will be able to buy kosher sandwiches in Qatar. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Turkey, announced the opening of a first ever kosher kitchen in Qatar under the supervision of himself ,his son Rabbi Eliyahu and members of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Rabbi Chitril tweeted pictures from the kosher kitchen.