A kosher restaurant has opened up in the financial capital of Almaty in Kazakhstan, a Muslim state and part of the former Soviet bloc. Israeli ambassador Ran Ichay said, "I used to say the best kosher restaurant in Kazakhstan is in my kitchen, but now it's obviously going to change."

The state's chief Rabbi Yeshiyah Cohen recited a prayer in the opening ceremonies at the restaurant, which bears the simple name of "Kosher." Kazakhstan has been relatively tolerant of its 30,000 Jews, as opposed to other former Soviet bloc states where anti-Semitism is rampant.