#1007 Kosher Flu

The world just seems to get stranger every day. And you never know who’s going to take offense to what. It’s as if we’re all developing a permanent chip on our shoulders.
I read an article in the Seattle Times about Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, who was demanding that they change the name of the swine flu. Because the word swine is offensive to Jews and Muslims. I’m not sure who he was asking to change the name. Possible the World Health Organization.
So it may have been WHO who he was asking.
Still. I’m worried about Wendy’s billboards depicting Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers.
How could they possibly be offended by something they have known for centuries was a dietary preference of every other religion? I mean, you could expect a Hindu to have a cow over beef fat in McDonald’s French Fries.
But just calling a disease the swine flu...
And then I got it. If you have the swine flu in your body and you’re a Muslim or Jew, then you are, at least in name, carrying particles of pork in your body. There’s a problem for the Jewish dietary scholars. Pre-microscopic Leviticus said nothing about viruses.
Can a virus that carries some genetic material from a swine be considered un-kosher?
The alternative the Israeli Health official offered came with its own set of problems. He suggested since swine was offensive to Muslims and Jews that they name the disease the Mexican flu. Apparently his cultural sensitivity only went so far.
Mexico was surprisingly un-flattered with having a potentially epidemic flu named after them. As I recall, they much preferred the term amoebic dysentery to Montezuma’s Revenge too.
And rightly so. I personally prefer the more sensitive and inclusive TRavelers Overseas Toilet Syndrome. TROTS for short. Maybe we should just call the flu Type H1N1 or whatever the technical designation is.
There’s one bright shiny pearl of wisdom in the whole swinish affair. It’s an extremely good sign when you have an Israeli official finally seeing some common ground between Jews and Muslims.
America, ya gotta love it.