MK (Yesh Atid) Elazar Stern feels the time has come to make a change regarding religion and state, being among the advocates of eliminating state control over religious services. Stern explains that one of the stumbling blocks to making this badly-needed change is the state-run kashrus, which he calls “corrupt” and “worthless”, explaining standards vary from city to city even though they should be uniform, and each city decides indecently which level it wishes to maintain.
Stern explains some cities insist on maintaining mehadrin standards while others prefer being lenient. He adds the system is corrupt and it is all about money, stating anyone who is serious about kashrus will not rely on the Rabbanut in any event so it is time to bring an end to state control over kashrus and other religious services.
During the Knesset discussion on kashrus, MK (Bayit Yehudi) Shuli Muallem called for establishing a new kashrus agency which would operate under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Services.
MK (Yahadut Hatorah) shouted at MKs from Yesh Atid, stating “you are not interested in kashrus reforms but in reforming kashrus halacha. You are seeking to neutralize the authority of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel… you are using the headlines to bring the matter to the agenda, using the Reform Movement and others to uproot religion…The Rabbanut is not a monopoly just like no other state agency is a monopoly…”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Probably time to privatize the Knesset.
Clowns like Stern wouldn’t last half a day.
Stern is 110 percent correct. The “hashgacha” business (and it is a business) should never have been vested within the administrative apparatus of the so called “Chief Rabbinate”. The extensive evidence of corruption and inefficiency is really unchallenged. As the article notes, local practices and traditions govern what the tzibur in each community wants and expects. The most expedient approach would simply designate a good chassideshe hashgacha in each jurisdiction and designate them as the default authority since a good chassideshe hashgaca minimizes the likelihood of corruption or fraud. At the same time there are other groups such as the Eida who also have the confidence of some yidden and could offer their services where the preferred Chassidish vaad is unable to meet the demand for their services or locals have some special needs and prefer an alternative hashgacha.
GodolHadorah is the new akuperma
People who take kashrus seriously are not reassured on hearing that the Israeli government says that something is kosher. One solution would be to limit voting for the Kenesset to Bnei Torah (not practical, at least until Meshiach comes). Another solution would be for the zionists to exclude zionists from kashrus (not practical and quite unfair to many frum zionists). The alternative, implemented since 1948, is to rely on knowledge of which hecksherim are good and which aren’t (just like in galus), and why one needs a government agency offering hecksherim is questionable.
Ash,
They are the same just this ones a democrat and this ones a republican. To me that doesnt make a difference.
It seems to me that they key to kashrus is the reliability of the hashgacha. In the US, there are only privatized hashgachos and people ask their rav which hashgachos are acceptable.
While no model is without its shortcomings, why wouldn’t such a system work in Israel as well?