Camel Controversies and Pork Politics in British Mandate Palestine

Abstract

ABSTRACT World War II brought an industrial boom to British Mandate Palestine, but also extreme inflation and scarcity in essential commodities and foodstuffs. In Europe, fresh meat shortages created a market for meat preserves. In Palestine, meat shortages caused an unusual surge in marginal meats, namely, pork and camel. This article traces how pork and camel meat were bred or brought to wartime Palestine, the unusual visibility they gained, and the controversies they caused. Through the struggles of Palestinian Christian pig breeders and disputes over the Jewish consumption of pigs and camels, this article highlights the haphazardness of British provisioning politics as well as the evocative relationship between humans and the animals they rear and consume. Illustrating the decoding of kosher law in a new environment, camel controversies and pork politics illuminate a moment of transition for wartime Jews, from a religious minority in Europe to a settler-colonial minority in Palestine.