A selection of sufganiot in Israel’s Machane Yehudah market. (IJN)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s health minister called on the public to refrain from eating the traditional Chanukah treat sufganiot.
“I call on the public to avoid eating sufganiot, which are rich in fats,” Yaakov Litzman of the Orthodox United Torah Judaism party said this week during a conference to promote healthy eating, Ynet reported.
“You can find alternatives for everything nowadays and there is no need for us to fatten our children with sufganiot, which are not in line with the principles of health and proper nutrition.”
Sufganiot, or traditional jelly doughnuts, are deep fried and covered with powdered sugar, although variations include other fillings and toppings.
They are ubiquitous in the weeks leading up to the holiday, with bakeries frying them on the street and selling them fresh to passers-by.
“If I had to say this today, I’d say sufganiot out,” Litzman said. ‘You can eat them, of course, because it is part of the holiday’s customs, but there are alternatives.”
