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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Bethan McKernan and Quique Kierszenbaum in Bnei Brak

Kosher phone dispute grips ultra-Orthodox Tel Aviv suburb

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man uses his phone in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man uses his phone in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. Photograph: Reuters/Alamy

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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