Knesset Requires Voice Notices for Kosher Phones

The Knesset approved a law requiring the Tax Authority, Population and Immigration Authority and National Insurance Institute to send recorded voice calls when a mobile number cannot receive text messages. Recipients must be able to confirm receipt or receive reasonable repeat attempts, and messages must remain available by callback for at least 30 days. The obligations may be phased in, reaching at least 60% of applicable messages within two years and all such messages within three. The measure gives kosher-phone users, including Haredi families who avoid internet-enabled devices in accordance with rabbinic guidance, access to essential public notices.