Haredim may get emergency SMS to ‘kosher’ phones
Israel - The Home Front Command is working to find a way for
members of the haredi community to receive SMS messages sent to their
cellphones warning of emergency situations such as missile attacks, earthquakes
and similar events.
The Home Front Command is conducting a trial of the
messaging system in which it sends text messages to cellphones in various
regions of the country in which a mock “warning” alerts recipients of incoming
missile attacks.
Many members of the haredi community, however, have
“kosher” cellphones which are configured to prevent the sending and receiving
of SMS messages as well as access to the Internet, to prevent exposure to
inappropriate material.
These safeguards also prevent owners of kosher phones
from receiving the Home Front Command’s SMS messages.
A spokeswoman for the Home Front Command said that it was
working with a body known as the Rabbinical Committee for Communications to try
to resolve the issue.
The spokeswomen stressed that the SMS service was in no
way designed as a replacement for other warning methods such as radio, pagers,
sirens and similar means employed to warn of emergency situations and that the
haredi community will be fully aware of any warnings the Home Front Command
issues.
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