Israel army scraps punishment for US-born soldier who violated kosher rules with pork sandwich

JERUSALEM – The Israeli military on Tuesday scrapped a punishment for a U.S.-born Israeli soldier who had caused a stink by violating the military’s kosher rules by eating a pork sandwich while in uniform.

Earlier, the military said the soldier, whose name was not released, “violated rules and regulations,” which required him to be disciplined.

The soldier was initially given an 11-day prison sentence. The punishment was later converted to being confined to base for the same duration — after relatives talked to the media and a lawmaker wrote to the defence minister about the case.

But the military then changed its decision yet again, and cancelled any punishment.

“We were wrong. The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will continue to keep kosher on one hand, but will not probe a soldier’s sandwich on the other,” military spokesman Brig. Gen. Motti Almoz wrote on Facebook. “There are tensions in Israeli society and there are different stances and opinions. There is room for everyone in the IDF.”

Israel’s army maintains kosher kitchens on its bases.

Israel Radio said the soldier, who moved to Israel from Boston recently, was unaware of the army’s strict dietary restrictions and was merely snacking on a lunch his secular grandmother had made him.