'Kosher cell phone' bill passes major hurdle in Knesset

A hard-fought bill with implications mainly on haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society passed a series of votes in the Knesset Economic Committee on Wednesday and will likely pass into law in a final vote in the Knesset plenum next week.

The purpose of the bill, spearheaded by Shas MK Yinon Azoulay and supported by MKs from United Torah Judaism and the Likud, is to preserve in law the Rabbinic Committee for Communication’s ability to control some 500,000 users of what are known as “kosher cell phones.”

The committee, which includes representatives from several haredi groups, was formed in 2005 to make joint decisions and find solutions to what they view as the threat of smartphones with internet access. The committee, which formally is a listed NGO, began marketing cell phones that were labeled “kosher” after passing inspections and undergoing technological adaptations that blocked certain services, chiefly among them internet access.

The committee also signed a series of deals with Israeli cellular service providers, allowing it to block registered users from calling certain numbers and designate certain cell phone numbers as part of a “kosher platform.” For example, kosher numbers for those registered in Pelephone begin with 050-41..., while in Cellcom, they begin with 052-71 or 052-76. One cannot transfer these “kosher” numbers to other cellular phones.

This has forced haredim who wish to use smartphones to use other phone numbers, and thus, the committee was able to track who was using a “kosher” phone and who wasn’t.

Over the years, the committee faced several complaints. These included the fact that there was no standard procedure for blocking calls to certain numbers; that some of the committee members were financially involved in the marketing of the kosher phones and, therefore, had a conflict of interest; and, perhaps most importantly, critics argued that the “kosher platform” was an invasion of privacy and a means by the committee to control haredi life by acting against those whose numbers were not part of the platform.

Undoing the reforms

In a move that was heavily criticized by haredim across the board, former communications minister Yoaz Hendel launched a reform in 2022 to cancel the kosher platform and enable haredim to choose whether or not they wanted a kosher cell phone, without the committee’s ability to control their choices. The reform’s implementation, however, was delayed after a challenge in the High Court of Justice; the government then fell, and the next government, which included the haredi parties, stalled it. The purpose of the bill that progressed on Thursday was to bury Hendel’s reform once and for all.

The bill stipulates that individuals or groups may voluntarily register on the “kosher platform,” and they may only change their numbers to a different number that is also part of the platform. To assuage some of the concerns, the bill included several regulatory measures: the committee must publish its policy regarding the numbers it intends to prevent users from calling; it will not be permitted to block emergency numbers or any other three- or four-digit call centers, as well as other full-length emergency numbers designated by the communications minister; it may not block political advertising during election campaigns; individuals or firms whose numbers have been blocked may appeal the decision to the communications ministry; and more.

However, officials from the finance ministry, the competition authority, and the communications ministry itself argued that the bill would have negative economic effects. Without the ability to compete with non-kosher cell phone services, the bill could lead to an increase in the number of providers, which would drive up prices.

Furthermore, since it is a law that applies to all citizens, it can lead other conservative groups, including Israeli Muslims, to begin operating the same types of “bubbles” of cellular services that are significantly more expensive than the general market.