When I was a young fellow studying biology at the University of Northern Iowa (yes, that’s a real school), I took Genetics 1 and 2 from a young prof we all liked, who asked to be called “Dr. Bob.” Despite professing (hah) a fondness for grilled frankfurters, he nevertheless cautioned us about the content and manufacturing processes of that favorite cookout staple. He called them “Death Missiles” despite cooking and eating them regularly because, as he correctly pointed out, “They are delicious!”
There’s a problem, though, if one happens to be an observant Jew who keeps kosher; most frankfurters are made from pork. While not Jewish myself, my favorite hot dogs are the Hebrew National beef dogs, which are amazing; I can’t recommend them enough, kosher or not.
Two soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF,) however, were obviously not cooking kosher Hebrew National dogs in an IDF military kitchen on a recent Shabbat, and for that, those non-kosher soldiers were sentenced to 20 days in the stockade.
Two soldiers have been sentenced to 20 days in military prison after being caught warming up hot dogs in a military kitchen on Shabbat, according to a KAN11 report on Friday.
The pair were caught by a third soldier who entered the kitchen and saw them committing the act.
They were summoned to trial, where they initially denied the charges but later confessed and were sentenced to at least 20 days in prison.
One of the soldier’s fathers said that “the punishment is disproportionate, illogical, and constitutes a complete lack of understanding of the disciplinary law.”
While some of the soldiers who were inconvenienced by this are no doubt relishing this sentence, I agree with the dad; it does seem a little extreme. Granted the two malefactors may not be good roll models for the rest of the IDF who are presumably more observant, but 20 days will require these troops to be playing ketchup when they return to duty. Still, it’s not the wurst thing that could happen; religious infractions have, historically, been punished pretty harshly. Even so, 20 days in the bun-itentiary seems harsh.
The fact that the slip-up occurred during Shabbat made it even less likely to cut the mustard, as it would be during any religious holiday.
Leavened bread will remain banned from IDF bases during Passover as the High Court of Justice rejected a petition on Sunday that sought to limit the restrictions to common dining areas.
The ruling found that the injury to the rights of those who wished to consume leavened food products was limited in proportion to the needs of the military and those keeping Passover dietary restrictions.
Speaking as a once and former U.S. Army soldier who was at one point appointed as a food service officer, I can say with great assurance that nutrition is very important in military organizations. Napoleon correctly noted that an army runs on its stomach, and a good meal before a bunfight is essential for victory in the battlespace. Without that, an army can end up in a real pickle.
Still, these troops doubtless knew the rules, they tried to get away with it, and they lost. I find that in such matters, it’s usually weiner takes all.
