Restaurateur Owns The Kosher

By Sydney Morning Herald

For the next nine days, the restaurateur and political aspirant Peter Doyle will own the contents of the pantries in many Sydney Jewish households.

Mr Doyle, who is not Jewish, signed a contract to take ownership of all the leavened products – including food and alcohol – of thousands of Jews observing Passover. Jewish practice does not allow ownership of anything with leavening agents during the religious festival.

”It’s a legally binding contract. It includes plates, cosmetics, perfume, liquor and anything containing the five grains,” Mr Doyle said.

Whereas once this instruction was taken literally, and observant Jews threw out anything chametz (leavened), now it is done through lawyers.

Mr Doyle paid a nominal sum of $200 for the goods, which include an entire liquor business owned by a Jewish proprietor.

”I have free access to it and I can go into anyone’s home and take what I want,” he said.

But Mr Doyle, who will stand this year for Liberal preselection for the state seat of Vaucluse, does not intend to do so. At the end of Passover he will return the goods.

Mr Doyle made the agreement as a favour to his friend Rabbi Yoram Ulman, who celebrated the first meal of Passover with his family in Bondi last night. During the meal, Passover Seder, the story of the Hebrews’ flight from slavery in Egypt is recounted.

Rabbi Ulman helps Jewish prisoners celebrate and this year about 30 prisoners in NSW jails received kosher-for-Passover meal packs.