The seaside municipality of Netanya, Israel's 8th largest city, has banned the sale of pig meat in residential and tourist areas. The "other thing," as pig meat is often known in Judaism, may be sold only in two outlying industrial zones.
The Netanya City Council convened on Tuesday, in light of sharp protests against the opening of a giant supermarket that planned to sell pork. Between 50 and 70 stores sell pork products in the city center, and most of their customers are new immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Some 40% of those immigrants brought to Israel by the Jewish Agency are not considered Jewish according to Jewish Law.
The opening of the latest store sparked particularly strong opposition, and some religious Jews even chained themselves to the store's doors on Sunday. In a quickly called session, the City Council voted 12-3 to forbid the opening of new pork-selling stores and close down existing ones. Half of the council members are religiously observant.
Mayor Miriam Feierberg, who did not object to the bill, said that the issue is actually one for the Knesset, not city councils. She called upon the national legislature to pass a law forbidding the sale of non-kosher meat in Israel.
Opposition councilman Boris Tzirulnik, and others, said they would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
MK Yossi Beilin, of the far-left Meretz party, said the decision is "legal but piggish."