Pakistan: A Shabbos to Remember

[Solomon2]

Spring 2013


Have you ever thought about why the

is called an “international kosher organization”? It is not simply because the OK mashgichim fly to Europe or South America to do inspections or supervise productions. Kosher productions occur in the most unlikely places, which is why a couple of OK mashgichim could regale you with stories from the kosher work they did in… Pakistan.

Rabbi T.* is one of those mashgichim. A few years ago he was asked by the OK Israel office to fly to Lahore to supervise a kosher candy production in a small nearby town. Rabbi T. has dual American and Israeli citizenship and can enter Pakistan thanks to his American passport. American citizens are entitled to a visa on arrival, provided they can show an invitation letter from the local company as well as a few similar documents.

Rabbi T. got his visa without any problems and the kosher production started as planned. Everything went smoothly until the weekend. Then, very early on Shabbos morning, Rabbi T. was awakened from his sleep by loud knocking on the door of his hotel room. Sleepily, he asked who was knocking and got the reply: “Police, open at once!”

The shocked Rabbi T. got up and opened the door. No fewer than ten people entered his room: local policemen, secret service officers, and a few security guards. “We know you are Jewish and we have no problem with that,”‘ they informed the obviously chassidish Rabbi T., “but we want to know what you are doing in such a distant location. What is your business here?”

Rabbi T. explained about kosher rules and the candy production, but they were still incredulous. Going so far for candy bars? They insisted on checking his belongings. They opened his tefillin bag and wanted to know what it contained. They went through his suitcase. They took his cellphone and checked the records of incoming and outgoing calls. “Why do you have so many Israeli numbers here?” Rabbi T. explained that he had many Israeli friends. Then they turned on Rabbi T.’s laptop. “Why do you have so many documents in Hebrew, if you are an American?” Rabbi T. told them that Hebrew was the international language of the Jews.

Fortunately, they were satisfied with his answers. (Also, they miraculously failed to find his Israeli passport, which would have been harder to explain.) It turned out that they were not so much suspicious as worried. They simply feared for the safety of the Jewish-looking stranger who suddenly appeared in the small Pakistani town. The Pakistani company had provided Rabbi T. with a security guard, but the police were not satisfied. From then on, they informed Rabbi T., he would be accompanied everywhere by a policeman as well. Also, he should always go back to the hotel by a different road from the one he used to go the plant. Finally, they warned him, “Don’t tell anybody that you are Jewish.”

“It was definitely a Shabbos to remember,” says Rabbi T. And no, he didn’t get to enjoy the close attention of the Pakistani security forces for very long. When the OK Israel office heard the story, the production was halted, his flight was changed and he went back to Israel much earlier than was initially planned.

“I relied on the judgment of the Pakistani security forces,” says Rabbi Aharon Haskel, head of the OK Israel office. “Since they obviously thought he was taking a risk, we took care that he wouldn’t be at risk any longer.” The OK no longer certifies any products in Pakistan because of the security and safety risks involved.

link

*Name changed for security purposes.

 

[Solomon2]

I find the fact that there are no comments yet on this thread more interesting than the article itself.

 

[W.11]

I find the fact that there are no comments yet on this thread more interesting than the article itself.

it is best to avoid your bullshitt then reply your troll posts as long as you dont get kicked out this pakistani forum permanently

 

[Solomon2]

it is best to avoid your bullshitt then reply your troll posts as long as you dont get kicked out this pakistani forum permanently

The mods seem rather broad-minded and won't kick you out permanently for an occasional outburst. I think if you stay polite they won't give you the boot even temporarily.

So go ahead, make your comment. What was the "bullshitt" exactly?

 

[W.11]

i dont know why the rabbi or the organisation is getting offended by the security care which was given to him

first of all in pakistan a jew and an israeli are always suspected because of obvious reasons that image of israel is not good in pakistan and their activities

second thing is isrelis have very active spy networks, as soon as the guards were ensured he wasnt trying to do some mischief, they not only cleared him but also provided security to him, its provided to any foreigner coming to pakistan

 

[airmarshal]

The mods seem rather broad-minded and won't kick you out permanently for an occasional outburst. I think if you stay polite they won't give you the boot even temporarily.

So go ahead, make your comment. What was the "bullshitt" exactly?

It wasn't 'bullshit' but I m surprised an Israeli in a Muslim country without some mischief up his sleeve!

Anyways, if Israelis stop creating trouble in the neighborhood, then they are our cousins as Muslims are our brothers.

 

[xyxmt]

I can not understand the purpose of this thread
I have the same story about a Pakistani company HELLO but i wont go into it because its just as boring

 

[Icewolf]

What kind of **** is this?

Trolling just for the hell of it?

 

[Solomon2]

i dont know why the rabbi or the organisation is getting offended by the security care which was given to him

Just one item is sufficient: the police asked that the rabbi not identify himself as Jewish, yet it's not possible for the rabbi to do the job the Pakistani company invited him down for without advertising that he's Jewish, because one can't inspect and certify a product as kosher under the OK if you're not Jewish, and that's what the Pakistani company wanted.

first of all in pakistan a jew and an israeli are always suspected because of obvious reasons that image of israel is not good in pakistan and their activities

The police didn't know he was an Israeli.

second thing is isrelis have very active spy networks -

Guys, has even ONE "isreli" spy been caught in Pakistan?

...they not only cleared him but also provided security to him, its provided to any foreigner coming to pakistan

He already had security from the Pakistani company that hired the OK's services. The police didn't like that.

I'm not blaming anybody here. The rabbi and his bosses believe the police were acting in their best interests. So the Pakistani candy factory didn't get certified; other factories in S. Asia can provide the necessary ingredients for advanced candy-making. Maybe it cost Pakistan a few dozen or thousand jobs; but at least neither the Pakistani company nor the OK's personnel are being risked and Pakistan's police can conserve its efforts by concentrating on more important matters than protecting the odd foreigner.

I can not understand the purpose of this thread
I have the same story about a Pakistani company HELLO but i wont go into it because its just as boring

What kind of **** is this?

I thought I'd share with you how Pakistan's police and environment appears to some non-Pakistanis visiting the country on business - specifically, Jews. It's all very weird, especially the built-in hostility to Israelis. Also so that people who invite me to come can understand why I won't accept such invitations any time soon.