Pork, which Jews are forbidden from eating in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, has been a staple at restaurants in Israel’s most famously secular city for decades. Recently, however, restaurateurs have noticed a marked decline in demand for the “trafe” (unkosher) dish.
“We used to be the biggest pork restaurant in Tel Aviv,” Nir Weiman, chef and owner of Mel & Michelle, a popular non-kosher restaurant which for years was known for its pork dishes, told Haaretz. “But over time, more and more diners were telling us that although they enjoyed their meal, they wouldn’t be coming back. When asked why, the answer was always the same: ‘Because there’s pork in the kitchen.’”
Weiman explained that while Jewish patrons didn’t mind the presence of shellfish or other forbidden seafood in the kitchen, pork specifically seemed to strike a nerve. People would call the restaurant to inquire whether pork was served before coming, he said.
As a result, Mel & Michelle reduced the number of pork dishes on their menu from five to three, then from three to two. Today, the restaurant offers only a single dish including pork, and Weiman said it’s possible that, too, will soon be removed.
Tel Aviv was the place to go for pork in the early 20th century, when secular immigrants from Europe were pouring into the country with a taste for the meat and without cultural or religious sensitivities towards it. Even when pork was considered off-limits and abhorrent in other parts of the country, it was easy to find in Tel Aviv.
Today, however, things are different. A survey published earlier in the month revealed that a whopping 70.6 percent of Israelis do not eat pig’s meat, findings that are consistent with the first-hand experience of Tel Aviv restaurant owners and chefs..." Full text: “Taboo, Unclean, Untouchable” Pork Vanishing From Tel Aviv’s Restaurant Scene
Rev. 20:1–10 