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Last update - 01:35 13/02/2008 Asian eateries cut menu over plans to rid kitchens of foreign chefs By Reuters Tags: Asian Restaurants  Asian restaurants across the country went on a one-day spring roll strike on Tuesday in protest over government plans to rid kitchens of foreign chefs, and said sushi and noodles would be the next items off the menu. The restaurants are angry at the state's plans to purge Japanese, Chinese and Thai eateries of Asian cooks and replace them with Israelis as part of a broader program to cut the number of foreigners working in Israel. The Ethnic Restaurant Organization said the country's 300 Asian restaurants refused to serve spring or egg rolls - among their most popular dishes - on Tuesday, and planned a follow-up strike in two weeks for sushi and noodles. Advertisement "Today there is no egg roll and in two weeks time there will be no sushi and noodles," Arnon Volosky, head of the organization, told Reuters. Israel attracts virtually no immigrants from Asia since anyone seeking citizenship here must prove they have Jewish family or links to the country. Seeking to plug a gap in the labor market during the first Palestinian uprising, Israel allowed foreigners to work in the state. But now it is trying to limit those numbers to create more jobs for Israelis. This year the government is granting 500 permits to Asian chefs compared with 900 last year. Next year no permits will be issued, although restaurants willing to pay twice the average national salary will be allowed to employ chefs as "experts". The government argues Israelis can be trained. "Everyone can make Chinese food it's not impossible to learn," said Shoshana Strauss, a lawyer working on foreign worker issues for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. Asian restaurants first started dishing up chicken chow mein and Thai green curry to Israelis about 30 years ago and have evolved into a 1-billion-shekels-a-year industry. Sushi has proved a massive hit, particularly in the secular coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv and the city's 100th sushi restaurant opened last month. Volosky said his organization had asked the Supreme Court to force the government to rethink the decision, arguing it could force many out of business or make them inflate prices to cover the salaries needed to secure "expert" visas for chefs. Related articles: One man's street food is another's Asian temple Eilat hotels ban hiring foreign workers in favor of new immigrants At foreign workers' Christmas party, hopes for citizenship Foreign workers risk losing jobs, then insurance when ill Bookmark to del.icio.us   Seeking refuge 123 Sudanese refugees infiltrate Israel from Egypt overnight. Bracing for terror Israel, U.S. fear retaliatory strikes after killing of Mughniyah.   1.   Self inflicting wounds with a chopstick! 16:50  |  Figaro 12/02/08   2.   Durson, Dutch, lakshmi, et.al.! where is the usual nonsense? 16:52  |  Mefisto 12/02/08   3.   Shoshana Strauss and food 16:58  |  Gad Giladi 12/02/08   4.   Government beaucracy gone AMOK 17:10  |  Avrum 12/02/08   5.   Foreign chefs endangering our humus/felafel/matzoh balls?... 17:56  |  bat yam 12/02/08   6.   Back to lockshen..gefilte fish... 18:40  |  Stephen. 12/02/08   7.   No noodles???? 19:41  |  Jehiel Chaleff 12/02/08   8.   ISRAEL: THE JEWISH STATE 19:46  |  Steve 12/02/08   9.   Wrong priorities 20:13  |  Brod 12/02/08   10.   you gonna have to eat it 21:08  |  whoopsie 12/02/08   11.   an Israeli in every pot, a jew in every square hole 21:51  |  jewish doctor 12/02/08   12.   Paranoid racist inbreds running the country 22:21  |  Kiwi girl 12/02/08   13.   Eggrols & Sushi`s 23:18  |  Ice 12/02/08   14.   Israeli public policy 23:38  |  Danite 12/02/08   15.   Asian eateries cut menu over plans to rid kitchens of foreign che 23:52  |  Shneor Sherman 12/02/08   16.   Please stop printing lies 00:09  |  Gee 13/02/08   17.   This is simply very very weird 01:06  |  Mark B. 13/02/08   18.   1930`s all over again 01:17  |  Jim 13/02/08   19.   WHAT, NO CHINESE TAKE OUT OR SUSHI? 01:25  |  Petra 13/02/08   20.   Just for Shoshana Strauss 01:40  |  Jim 13/02/08   21.   Good 02:03  |  Andrew 13/02/08   22.   It`s not so daft 02:33  |  Daniel Borden 13/02/08   23.   Danite and Kiwi Girl 03:01  |  Mark Lincoln 13/02/08   24.   #8 Steve 03:10  |  Jim 13/02/08   25.   Mark Lincoln re Kiwi Girl 04:34  |  Danite 13/02/08   26.   What is obsene 08:01  |  Miche Norman 13/02/08   27.   Reply # 8 Steve. No Israel is a democratic State 08:57  |  SJ 13/02/08   28.   Wages 10:20  |  Ethan 13/02/08   29.   wider immigration reform needed 12:13  |  Machiavelli Spinoza 13/02/08   30.   Bring back good wholesome Jewish cooking 13:44  |  L A 13/02/08   31.   Fish and Chips 14:16  |  andyt 13/02/08   32.   Asian eateries cut menu..... 15:23  |  Diane 13/02/08   33.   Thais making Japanese Food?!- Authentic!? 16:59  |  Nadav 13/02/08   34.   Steve from Tel Aviv 17:34  |  America 13/02/08   35.   Israelis in the kitchen 19:08  |  Ariella Cohen 13/02/08   36.   KOSHER FOOD ACT 2009 19:40  |  Smart Jew From NYC 13/02/08   37.   ISRAEL DOES IT AGAIN!!!! 19:41  |  SMART JEW 13/02/08   38.   #27 REPLY -Funny guy!!! 19:50  |  MR BIG MAN 13/02/08   39.   Here`s a new concept for Israeli Lawmakers: "Free Market" 21:13  |  B`Galil 13/02/08   40.   #34 If Gay is a sin God is to blame he made us NO! 21:31  |  L A 13/02/08   41.   LEARN TORAH AND KNOW BLISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 22:19  |  Marvin P Shnook 13/02/08   42.   LEARN TORAH AND KNOW BLISS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 22:25  |  Moshe Cohen 13/02/08   43.   31. Fish and Chips 22:27  |  justajew 13/02/08   44.   How I was cured from Homosexuality in 5 minutes! 22:29  |  Moshe 13/02/08   45.   Say it ain`t so Cho 22:31  |  Egg Roll Monster 13/02/08   46.   To #36 apologies to #34 22:44  |  L A 13/02/08   47.   THIS NEW LAW MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE 11:34  |  JS 16/02/08

Today Online Israel: We know how to deal with threats by Hezbollah Responses: 109 Palestinians: Ailing woman dies after IDF denies her access to ambulance Responses: 188 Editorial: As with Mughniyah, killing terrorists sometimes unavoidable Responses: 145 Zvi Bar'el: Roiled Hezbollah chief throws down the gauntlet Responses: 107 Roi Ben-Yehuda: If U.K. rejects sharia law, beit din will face same fate Responses: 86 Rosner's Domain Clinton's peace team: the attacks on Rob Malley "vicious" (WTR) Brzezinski in Israel (WTR) Most blatant example of Israeli interference in American election The U.S. and Mughniyah / Not just 'who' but also 'where' Poll: Was killing Mughniyah both justified and wise? More Headlines 12:18 Report: Some suspects in Mughniyah death are Arab security officials 10:11 Top Islamic Jihad militant, seven others killed in Gaza blast 07:12 Islamic Movement blames Israel for quake-induced hole on Temple Mt. 11:41 Eritrean refugee killed trying to enter Israel illegally from Egypt 07:26 U.S. meets Iranian officials to discuss 'terror' funds 00:59 Sarkozy defends Holocaust education proposal amid uproar 19:22 UN official says situation in Gaza Strip 'grim and miserable' 19:57 Israeli wounded in Molotov cocktail attack in West Bank 01:54 Hezbollah chief's threats raise alarm among Jewish groups worldwide 20:45 Israeli citizen reportedly murdered by robbers in India 20:08 Italian officials: Canada extraditing wanted Nazi war criminal 22:49 Hamas tells Egypt it is ready to discuss truce with Israel, Shalit deal Previous Editions Select Day 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb 12 feb 11 feb 10 feb 08 feb 07 feb 06 feb 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb

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