News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) An Australian prison official told a Jewish inmate he could not wear the traditional tzitzit, a four-cornered fringe garment, because it would provoke other prisoners. The order was given to a man who is in a jail pending a trial for murder, according to Australian Jewish News.

The prisoner complained of discrimination, noting that Muslim inmates, who comprise a majority of the prison population, are allowed to use prayer mats. The Jewish prisoner was allowed to wear his skullcap (kippa) after he appealed to the prison chaplain but said he was restricted to wearing it only in his cell.

Prison chaplain Rabbi Yoram Ulman said he is trying to convince the prison to approve tzitzit and tefillin as allowed religious items.