Pregnant woman banned from entering hospital with hametz

A pregnant woman arrived at Laniado Medical Center in Netanya on Sunday and was required to leave her snacks in a box at the hospital entrance because they were not kosher for Passover. 

This occurred shortly after the "Hametz Law" passed in Knesset prohibiting Israelis from bringing hametz into hospitals nationwide. 

After the incident, the woman told Walla News that she "arrived at the hospital for treatment in the at-risk pregnancy unit. At the hospital's entrance, a guard asked us to take out all the food we had with us and leave it outside. You get a number and put all of your hametz in a cardboard box, and you can take it when you leave. If you want to eat it, there is a nearby tent where you can eat but it is not allowed inside."

"I'm a pregnant woman," she said, "but it's not just pregnant women. Everyone who spends a few hours or more [in the hospital] wants to eat the food they bring with them. It's outrageous. It's the only hospital in Netanya, it's not like there are other options. 

What are the parameters of the Hametz Law?

The bill requires that a hospital director “take into consideration the rights and needs of patients” before making such a decision. It also requires that a directive to bar hametz be published on the hospital’s website and that signs be put up within the hospital, as well as enables the director to appoint a hospital employee to update fellow employees and patients on the matter.

According to the bill’s explanatory section, the legislation was intended to overcome a ruling by the High Court of Justice in April 2020, that a ban on bringing hametz into a hospital on Passover was given without authority and therefore void.

Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.