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Influential haredi rabbi calls for iPhones to be burned

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 16:48

Rabbi Haim Kanievsky, who ranks in some estimations among the top five most influential rabbinic authorities, issued a public notice on Sunday saying that anyone who owns an Apple iPhone should burn it.

In the pronouncement, published on the front page of Yated Neeman - the most influential haredi newspaper - as well as several other ultra-Orthodox dailies, Rabbi Kanievsky said that it is completely forbidden to own an iPhone, comparing the device to weapons of war in its potential to cause harm.

Rabbi Kanievsy’s public announcement is part of a general offensive being waged by many ultra-Orthodox rabbis at the moment, who frequently denounce smart phones and the Internet because of the ready access they provide to pornography, as well as sources of information beyond the strict confines of the ultra-Orthodox world.

Many members of the ultra-Orthodox community have “kosher” cell phones that have no Internet connection and cannot send or receive text messages.

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