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Jerusalem Chief Ashkenazi HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Stern Shlita on Tuesday 27 Tammuz visited a tefilin production facility in Batei Ungarin in Meah Shearim that operates under his hashgacha, the Jerusalem Rabbanut.

The rav feels that many people buy tefilin in the area and for him, it is important that there is a hashgacha from one who is not involved monetarily. Hence, he approves the entire production process of the tefilin, relying on his mashgichim.

Rav Stern was escorted by Dayan Rav Yechezkel Solomon, who is response for the STaM Division in the Jerusalem Religious Council. They observed the entire process involved in the manufacture of batim, and the two rabbonim established the criteria to determine which batim are ‘kosher’ and what permits labeling them ‘mehudar’.

It was an emotional moment when the owner of the establishment, Rav Eisenbach, showed Rav Stern an extremely small pair of batim that he has from the Holocaust. The rav added upon leaving that his tefilin originated in Batei Ungarin and he believes he received them from the father or grandfather of the owner of the tefilin company.

Rabbi Stern feels it is of paramount importance to continue providing a Rabbanut hashgacha for the tefilin since many visitors to Israel and non-religious Israelis alike purchase from the factory and a third-party hashgacha is essential.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)