在以色列特拉维夫大拉比的敦促下，美国快餐巨头麦当劳在该市的两家分店将更换标志颜色，以显示它们的顾客和所售食品更符合犹太教的标准。

    据路透社3月1日报道，这是麦当劳首次对其标志做出更改。特拉维夫的这两家麦当劳餐厅将把位于金黄色“M”标志下面的红色背景换成蓝色。此外，新标志上的“kosher”字样（犹太教食品）将用希伯来文和英文同时标注。

    麦当劳此次改变标志图案的行动源于特拉维夫的大拉比梅厄·劳提出的要求。劳认为，麦当劳在特拉维夫的标志应有所特色。他说：“蓝色代表天空，同时也是以色列国旗的颜色，所以（麦当劳标志上）应该是蓝色而不是红色。在以色列地区的麦当劳标志必需要有明显特征。”

    目前，以色列共有100多家麦当劳餐厅。这些餐厅所出售的肉食都严格遵守犹太教规的戒律，但大部分餐厅还是因同时出售奶制品和肉食并且在犹太人安息日和其它宗教节日照常营业而违反了犹太人的法律。其中只有12家分店严格遵守犹太教规里规定的“不得出售奶制品和食品必需符合宗教标准”，并在安息日等节日停止营业。劳指出，他相信麦当劳将来会在严格遵守犹太教规戒律的分店里采取新的运营方式。

    麦当劳表示，希望在特拉维夫的改变标志策略也能适用于以色列其它地区，以便为在以色列开设新的符合犹太教规定的饭店铺平道路。

    特拉维夫当地的一名犹太教用餐者表示，麦当劳此次的更改标志行动受顾客欢迎，“根据新标志，我在老远的地方就可以判断这家餐厅是否符合犹太教的标准”。然而，也有当地顾客对此无动于衷并指出：“我不喜欢新标志，因为我对麦当劳的红黄色标志已经习惯。而不能买奶酪的犹太教顾客也不会有什么好胃口。”

    Under pressure from the city's chief rabbi, two Tel Aviv branches of the fast food firm McDonald's have changed the colour of their trademark signs to assure diners that their burgers and fries are kosher.

    In a first for McDonald's Corp., the golden arches at the two branches have new blue backgrounds, replacing the trademark red ones. The new signs also display the word "kosher", both in Hebrew and English.

    The changes were made after Tel Aviv's chief Rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, demanded that a distinction be made.

    "I was worried people would be confused, especially tourists who do not know Hebrew," Lau said.

    "Blue is the sky, blue is the flag of Israel and blue is not red," Lau said. "There must be a clear and sharp difference."

    All meat served at McDonald's branches in Israel is already kosher. But most of the more than 111 outlets serve dairy and meat items together and are open on the Jewish Sabbath and religious holidays, which is forbidden under Jewish law.

    Only 12 branches are considered strictly kosher, where the menu does not include dairy products and the food is prepared to meet religious standards. Those 12 outlets are closed on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays.

    Lau said he believed McDonald's would adopt the new style in other strictly kosher branches over time.

    McDonald's said it hoped the change in Tel Aviv would be adopted in other areas of Israel and clear the way for new kosher restaurants to open.

    Michael Kramer, a religious diner relishing a burger at one of the two Tel Aviv branches, welcomed the changes. "I can see from far away whether it is a kosher one," he said.

    Roi Gerstein was unmoved. "I do not like this change because I am used to the red sign," he said, adding that kosher burgers without cheese were "just not tasty".