A new Kosher vending machine in one of Europe's busiest airports has launched, giving Jewish travellers a new catering option.
Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the Chairman of Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States unveiled the new machine in Istanbul airport.
He told the JTA: "There are more flights to Tel Aviv than to London, It’s definitely a very important hub where hundreds of thousands of kosher-eating Jews pass through, and sometimes they stopover, sometimes they get stuck.”
For those who might be stuck at ✈️ IST @igairport because of the ❄️ storm:
— Rabbi Mendy Chitrik (@mchitrik) March 10, 2022
Kosher food is available at a vending machine between Concourse A and B in front of Starbucks (near the youth lounge).
Kosher food is available at the İGA Lounge on the Mezzanine level above duty free! pic.twitter.com/5FO6q9StOP
The new machine will offer food produced by local Kosher caterers La Casa, who donate proceeds to local Jewish families in the Muslim-majority country.
Turkish airport authorities put plans in place for the vending machine after chabad rabbi Chitrik tweeted asking why there was no Kosher food in Istanbul.
Why is there no Kosher food available in the Istanbul Airport?
— Rabbi Mendy Chitrik (@mchitrik) November 10, 2021
Everytime I fly - I bring with me food for stranded & hungry Jews who missed their flight.
Isn't it time for @igairport and @TurkishAirlines to assure that Kosher food is available for purchase and in the lounge?
Chitrik, the country's Ashkenazi chief rabbi, who oversees Kosher certification in Turkey said that before the vending machine was in place, he would frequently bring food with him to the airport to help stranded Jewish travellers who were stuck without anything to eat.
“It’s a statement of comfort, of welcoming, of tolerance and coexistence,” Chitrik said. “And that’s a good thing. It’s a sign of the normalization of Jewish life in the Muslim world.”