While YWN in no way agrees with the Reform-affiliated Hiddush organization and its agenda, it does believe it is important for readers, members of the frum community to remain aware of what is going on and the ongoing efforts to uproot traditional frum Yiddishkheit – perhaps better explained as keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. The following was released by Hiddush, angered and concerned over the ban against Xmas trees in kosher hotels in Israel.

Up until two years ago, the Chief Rabbinate threatened to withdraw the kashrut certification of any hotel in Israel that displayed any Christian holiday symbols during the Christmas and New Year’s season. Upon Hiddush’s legal appeal, these demands were removed by the Chief Rabbinate. Nevertheless local rabbinates continue to ignore the newly issued kashrut regulations, and continue to illegally enforce their ban of Christian holiday decorations.

Head of Hiddush Rabbi Uri Regev, Esq.: “We are offering our assistance in enforcing the law against the recalcitrant Rabbinate, which is funded by the State of Israel but continues to reject its laws.”

With 2017 approaching, and with it – Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, Hiddush – Freedom of Religion for Israel wrote a letter to the Director of Israel’s Hotel Association, Mr. Bar Nir, as well as to the Director of Jerusalem’s Hotel Association, reminding them that the Rabbinate’s ban on Christmas trees has been officially abolished. Up until two years ago, the Rabbinate threatened hotels with withdrawal of their kashrut certifications, should they not comply with this illegal demand, but following a series of legal appeals by Hiddush the Rabbinate’s regulations were amended. Religious Shabbat restrictions and prohibitions hostile to Christianity, none of which had anything to do with the kashrut status of the hotels’ food and kitchens, were removed from the Rabbinate’s newly issued regulations.

Nevertheless, despite the issuance of the new Kashrut regulations, Hiddush received information and inquiries revealing that local rabbinates were ignoring the Chief Rabbinate’s new regulations and illegally prohibiting the placement of Christian holiday symbols in hotels. In addition, some local rabbinates extended their prohibitions, demanding that hotels forbid Christian pilgrim groups that annually visit the State of Israel from holding holiday events for Christmas and New Year’s.

Notably, the Chief Rabbinate’s longstanding requirements were against the Israeli Kosher Fraud Law, which states that “the kashrut inspector should only consider standards of kashrut alone in certifying an establishment as kosher.” The Chief Rabbinate’s requirements were also against the ruling of the Supreme Court. In its letter, Hiddush offered to provide assistance to hotels in dealing with local rabbinates that insist upon enforcing regulations that contradict the law in this realm.

Rabbi Uri Regev, Esq., Head of Hiddush – Freedom of Religion for Israel: “After Hiddush succeeded at bringing about change and abolishing the Chief Rabbinate’s longstanding, illegal kashrut regulations that enforced religious Shabbat observance and anti-Christian practices, we quickly realized the need to ensure that the newly issued regulations would actually be enforced. We’ve heard many times that local rabbinates do not consider themselves subject to the law or Supreme Court rulings. We understand the delicate situation faced by the hotels, and are offering our help to enforce state law upon recalcitrant rabbinates, which are funded by the State but continue to ignore its laws.”

BACKGROUND

The story began in December 2013 when Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett and Deputy Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, both of the Bayit Yehudi party, declared the establishment of “kosher police” to prevent defrauding and misleading the public about what is kosher. Following this announcement, Rabbi Regev appealed to Bennett, Ben-Dahan and Attorney General Weinstein demanding that they take action to prevent abuses of the law made by the Chief Rabbinate itself in kashrut regulation. Rabbi Regev referred to the Chief Rabbinate’s kashrut standards and regulations for hotels and hostels and event halls, including conditions related to Sabbath observance and a prohibition against the use of Christian symbols, regardless of establishments’ kashrut standards for their food.

The Chief Rabbinate had been in violation of the Kosher Fraud Law for many years, which states that that “the kashrut inspector should only consider standards of kashrut alone in certifying an establishment as kosher.” According to a Supreme Court ruling, basing an establishment’s kosher certification upon considerations such as Sabbath observance or modesty was in contravention of the law. Regev notes that “the Court specifically wrote about preparations for New Year’s Eve, placing Christmas trees in hotel lobbies, playing music and using microphone on Saturdays, and employing a Jews as receptionists on Saturdays, etc.; and explicitly rejected the stance that such acts should have any bearing upon whether hotels receive kashrut certification. Hiddush’s pursuit of this legal matter was unfortunately necessary, in part, because the hotels themselves dared not stand against the Chief Rabbinate’s extortion, for fear of retaliation or retribution.”

Rabbi Regev’s correspondence with the Chief Rabbinate advisors stretched for over a year. It took this long for the Rabbinate’s legal advisors to review the legal requirements. Finally, last week, the Chief Rabbinate’s attorney Harel Goldberg wrote to Hiddush that following Rabbi Regev’s comprehensive legal research and outline of Hiddush’s demands, the Chief Rabbinate had approved a series of changes in the kashrut regulations for hotels, hostels and event halls.

Here are the main changes:

• Repealed the ban on video devices, audio and musical instruments at events held in hotels on Saturdays, except when food is served.
• Repealed the restriction upon only having non-Jewish receptionists to receive payments on the Sabbath. From henceforth, this regulation applies only to activities related to ordering food and paying for it.
• Repealed the regulation that all hotel elevators must be run as “Sabbath elevators” on Shabbat. From henceforth, only the elevators used in food preparation and delivery on the Sabbath must be operated as “Sabbath elevators”.
• Repealed the ban on the use of Christian holiday symbols, such as putting up fir trees for Christmas and New Year’s season.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)