Rabbi says Qatar 2022 food will be kosher

ISRAELIS WILL be welcome to watch World Cup football in Qatar and Jewish fans will have access to kashrut catering, according to a New York rabbi.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, from the Orthodox Hampton Synagogue in Long Island, said he had been asked by Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary general of the competition’s organising committee, to help plan the 2022 event.

He told Bloomberg that he and Mr AlThawadi “have been in conversation for the last several months about certain ideas and initiatives he would like to implement to welcome and accommodate the many Jewish visitors they are anticipating at the World Cup.”

Bringing in kosher food was among those initiatives, he said, although he declined to comment on details.

Unlike many Arab countries, Qatar does not refuse admission to Israeli passport holders, although it does require a visa in advance.

Rabbi Schneier previously made headlines for introducing kosher hot dogs to New York baseball stadiums.

The 2022 World Cup will be the first to be held in a Muslim-majority country. The summer heat in Qatar also means that it will be held between 21 November and 18 December.