Lone soldier almost lands in jail for… nonkosher sandwich

A lone IDF soldier who came from the United States was sentenced to 11 days in a military jail for eating a nonkosher sandwich during training by his unit.

His punishment was lightened to a revocation of his weekend furlough only after Israel Radio’s veteran military reporter Carmela Menashe called the IDF spokesperson’s Office for a clarification of the incidents.

The soldier lives on a kibbutz with his grandmother, who gave him the sandwiches. He also offered some of them to his friends. When the battalion commander learned that the sandwiches were not kosher, he was called in, promptly tried and sentenced to jail. The soldier’s defense was that he was not aware of the military’s laws of kashrut.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said the soldier’s actions are “disharmonious with what is expected from a cadet in a commanders’ course and this is why he was tried severely. Nevertheless, after reexamination of the matter, his punishment was changed.”