Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/15/koogle/
Orthodox Jews tuck into kosher Koogle
New kvetch engine for 'vital services'
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 [1] "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." ®