Orthodox Jews tuck into kosher Koogle

New kvetch engine for 'vital services'

By Lester Haines • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 15th June 2009 09:15 GMT

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Orthodox Jews - whose religious beliefs have previously kept them a safe distance from the internet - can now avail themselves of a "kosher" search engine, suitably tuned to satisfy even the most demanding rabbi.

According to Reuters, Koogle "omits religiously objectionable material, such as most photographs of women which orthodox rabbis view as immodest".

Site manager Yossi Altman said that the service - named in honour of a Jewish noodle pudding and, of course, the Great Satan of Mountain View - was instigated partly at the behest of rabbis, who recognised a need for believers to surf for "vital services".

Apart from viewing images of women, shopping for television sets is also considered non-vital, since these devices are forbidden in the orthodox home. That's not the only e-commerce prohibition, as Altman elaborated: "If you try to buy something on the Sabbath, it gets stuck and won't let you." ®

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