MK: Israel's Water Guaranteed 'Chametz-Free'
Israelis may not realize it, but during Passover, their
water comes not from the Kinneret, but from underground wells. “It has been
like this for years, and will continue this year,” said MK Moshe Gafni (United
Torah Judaism).
In a letter to Gafni, Alexander Kushnir, the chairman of
the Israel Water Authority, said that this year, as in years past, the
Authority would stop pumping water from the Kinneret into the National Water
Carrier three days before Passover. Instead, the Authority will pump water from
underground wells into the water system.
In a request to Kushnir for clarification on the matter,
Gafni said that in the past, many Israelis did not drink water from the tap out
of fear that it contained chametz, the leavened material that is forbidden for
consumption by Jews on Passover. “The fear is that chametz could be present
because the Kinneret is an open body of water.” Pumping water from the
underground wells, where it was far less likely that bread of other chametz
could reach, was acceptable to everyone, Gafni said.
The Kinneret will “rest” throughout the holiday. Pumping
of water from the large fresh water lake, via the National Water Carrier, will
begin after Passover has passed.
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