Security guards haul in ‘hametz’

Security guards at hospitals and universities nationwide are confiscating hametz (leavened) products ahead of the Passover holiday, sparking protests that the move is a violation of privacy, the Ynet news website reports.

Students at the Hebrew University campus at Ein Kerem, which is adjacent to the Hadassah hospital, argued with the security guards on Monday about the directive, while institutions around the country said the policy is not new.

One Orthodox student complains that the guards are overstepping their authority.

“His job is to provide security. That’s why they gave him a gun and not a ‘Hametz-ometer.’ Who are you to come and go through my bag? It’s not yet Passover and I want to finish my hametz and bring cookies to my lab and eat it during the day. Why shouldn’t I be able to do this?” she says.