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‘It’s not kosher’ - Jewish media decry lack of ethnic food in Malta
Finding food that's kosher for Jewish travellers to Malta is a nightmare.
23 February 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
A yeshiva boy checks prices for mozzarella cheese at a New York supermarket.
Jewish media have criticized Malta for having no supply of kosher food, despite accepting and organising an event for a 120 strong Jewish student delegation from 16 countries last week.
The Jewish European Press reported that it was a real challenge to bring kosher food to "the small and remote Mediterranean island," as the Jewish European Professionals (JEP) attended their four-day launch conference.
Kosher food was needed for the sizable group at breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as at a 24hour coffee break.
"The abundance and variety of food was in no short order, but getting it there was no easy feat. Some was delivered by airplane and the rest was sent with a seven tonne truck from Brussels to Italy where it boarded a ferry to Sicily... In Sicily the truck was ferried to Valletta," the website said.
All imported food had to be calculated perfectly as no additional kosher could be purchased during the program.
The importation required many hours of document preparation for transport and clearance of various types of food, including kosher wine.
Marco Sarfati, the caterer, travelled with his Mashgiach (Kashrut supervisor), chefs and staff for three days before the start of the event for all necessary preparations.
The hotel where the event took place purchased some new dishes for the sole use of the JEP group, but the majority came from Brussels by truck.
JEP is a sister organization of Brussels-based ECJS (European Center of Jewish Students). It provides young professionals, aged 27-39 personal and professional networking opportunities.
It is designed to create a vibrant young Jewish community focused on making a positive contribution to the world. The organisation will hold three major European events each year.
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It pains me to read such hostile comments from fellow Maltese, we are all in a bad situation and should do our utmost to greet and welcome any tourism of whatever nationality. Plus it is a pity that no kosher foods can be found on the Island......please don't mention vegetables being kosher again.
Furthermore comments about finding no pastizzi abroad (which btw are available in London Uk) is with all due respect showing one's ignorance on the matter i.e. Kosher food is sought after by a faith not a nationality the best comparison is Halal for the muslim faith.
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I think most of the comments are totally ridicules and the article is mostly untrue. Why do people have to connect everything to the Palestinians, JEP is an organization that has no connection to politics and made a great event in Malta with the help of the wonderful small Maltese Jewish community.
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I think most of the comments are totally ridicules and the article is mostly untrue. Why do people have to connect everything to the Palestinians, JEP is an organization that has no connection to politics and made a great event in Malta with the help of the wonderful small Maltese Jewish community.
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timo.quintero has read more in my comment than was written. May I say that I totally condemn the degrading treatment, oppression and brutal suppression of Palestinians and indeed of any human being of whatever nationality.
As a point of interest, last year Malta received 59,436 tourists from Israel and there are currently 68 companies registered in Malta with an Israeli shareholding.
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Ciarlo...
Your answer is so typical; trying to spread fear that if we do not cater for these people we'll be losing out on so much money and all that. Typical Jewish scaremongering revolving around business and money.
Ciarlo... we weren't born yesterday. We can see through you. Our income from Israeli tourists is probably as big as what we get from say Ghana (as an example).
And we know very well about Israel's political realities - don't try to be lofty with us, indirectly treating us as stupid. We know full well what Israel is doing to the Palestinians; a whole weaker nation subjected to degrading treatment day in/day out, oppressed and brutally suppressed, to the point where life is not worth living anymore.
Try your supposedly discreet, fear spreading mind games elsewhere Ciarlo... we can see through you and we know what you really stand for.
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I wonder if we can open a pastizzi shop in Isreal ?
I wonder how far you'll get if you decide to open a maltese food store ? in Isreal
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From the comments below one can conclude that these readers have little or no knowledge of what is Kosher. Also that little is known about the Israel's political realities and not all Jews or Israelis approve of their secular government's policies. I'm afraid your readers comments do not augur well to the efforts by Maltese government and private investors to attract Israeli tourist and business to Malta.
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Well then...
For them not to have to endure this 'suffering', they shouldn't come here then no? Would serve them - and us - well!!!
It's not right us Maltese causing this suffering on the poor Israelis no??? ;-) Particularly when they are so nice to everyone else and specifically the Palestinians no??!!
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Its funny, I though you had to be Jewish to sell the products, and to pack the products and Jewish to open a Jewish supermarket, and go to a Jewish bank to get a loan, and buy the property from a Jewish person. There are a few, maybe they should form a cartel like everywhere else. LOL. A joke in bad taste.
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A couple of members of the JEP stopped at a village restaurant and after making their order asked the waiter if there was any Maltese Jews.The waiter says"Let me ask the chef" He comes back and says "Chef never heard of it" but these two persist and tell the waiter to ask someone else if there was any Maltese Jews "OK I will ask the barman" a couple of minutes later he comes back "Barman says he only got Orange juice, apple juice and strawberry juice"
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Qatt ma semghu bil-Miracle Foods? Ghandu kemm trid.
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Vegetables are all kosher; and besides we should do as many Israeli do: not a Jew, no citizenship and no rights? That's what they are doing to the Palestinians. Israel should exist; indeed it should be protected by the world community but what Netanyahu (and his American Johnie come lately) is doing to the Palestinians is a disgrace and an affront to the millions of suffering Jews who perished in Nazi Germany!
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"It is designed to create a vibrant young Jewish community focused on making a positive contribution to the world. The organisation will hold three major European events each year." ......... Exactly they started by whinning about kosher food. Give us a break.
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veru mela...... Same happens to me. When abroad i never find pastizzi or qassatat........I therefore have to make a big sacrifice and eat awful tagliatelle and tortelloni in Bologna or fresh oysters in Dublin. Poor me.
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Oh stop your kvetching. If the JEP organised this event, then the JEP is responsible for ensuring that any special requirements for their group are catered for. Malta has a very small Jewish community, many of whom probably don't have such strict requirements as the ultra-orthodox branches of Judaism, so it's no surprise that Malta can only provide a small quantity of kosher food at any one time. Importing food, especially from other EU countries, happens all the time. If the participants in this conference have such particular requirements that it put the JEP to a lot of extra hassle, Malta can hardly be blamed.
PS: Aren't fresh vegetables considered kosher? Lots of veggies in Malta.
