Bamba at Heart of Rabbinic Dispute
By Devra Ferst
An absurd argument over blessing snack food may help decide the future leader of Jerusalem’s Sephardi movement.
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Rabbi David Yosef, the two sons of Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Jerusalem Ovadia Yosef, leading Sephardi authority and spiritual leader of the political group Shas, have long fought over inheriting their elderly father’s kingdom. However, the feud has recently taken a turn for the ridiculous. The siblings are currently engaged in a public fight over which blessing to recite over Bamba, the peanut-buttery corn puff snack which is one of Israel’s most popular junk foods.
Both sons believe whoever wins the argument will be one step closer to their father’s blessing and kingdom.
December 21, 2007, 2:38pm
The Snack Food That’s Seen Israel Through Trying Times
By Daniel Treiman
The Jerusalem Post tells the story of a typically Israeli munchie:
The year was 2003, and in Israel, the Homefront Command worked to prepare Israelis for Iraqi missiles. Gas masks were issued, and all over the country, people bought heavy plastic sheeting to seal up a room. Everyone shopped for emergency supplies - flashlights, bottled water, milk, sugar, flour, bread - and Bamba.
Bamba, the peanut-flavored snack food, wartime essential? Indeed - on March 27, 2003, the Knesset declared Bamba a vital staple food, meaning that workers at the Bamba factory in Holon would receive call-up orders to produce Bamba, just like soldiers. “We see the Bamba factory as vital, just like a bakery,” said then-Labor Ministry official Nahum Eido.
See the full story, for the full story of Bamba.
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