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| Orthodox Jewish man with beard illustration |
(Scroll down for video) As many Israelis are going to distribution centers in order to pick gas masks as talks of a strike on Syria is heating up, ultra-Orthodox Jews are demanding the Israeli government to distribute more beard friendly gas mask.
Orthodox Jews and other bearded men have learned that the government only has a limited supply of bear friendly gas masks, and they are reserving them exclusively for the elderly and people with respiratory problems.
The demand for protective equipment has soared since the U.S. government confirmed that Syrian civilians were killed last week by chemical weapons.
Last year, the Israeli government decided to provide all citizens with gas masks in case of an unconventional chemical attack, but there is a serious shortage of masks, according to one parliament member.
The Orthodox Shas Party is demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the mass production of hooded devices, which were available to bearded men during the Gulf War, when Iraq attacked Israel with conventional weapons.
Unlike traditional gas masks, which cannot form a seal over a beard, hoods cover the entire head.
Many Orthodox Jewish men erroneously believe that it is forbidden to cut the beard.