MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern, who describes himself as an Orthodox Jew, appears committed to destroying Yiddishkheit in Israel, at least from the perspective of prominent rabbonim in the chareidi and dati leumi camps. Stern is behind many bills, some already passed into law, bills that compromise religious control of giyur, marriage, limud Torah and now, kashrus.
Stern feels that legislation is required since the Chief Rabbinate of Israel still feels shmiras Shabbos must be a component to granting a hashgacha. He points out that the Supreme Court decision in the case of Peninah Comforti must compel the Chief Rabbinate to grant kashrus to stores open on Shabbos and stores operated by non-frum Jews.
Comforti is a Messianic Jewess who took her case to court when the Ashdod Rabbanut would not give a hechsher without full time mashgiach presence. Ashdod Chief Rabbi Yosef Sheinin explained that since Comforti is not observant, she is not halachically trustworthy, hence demanding a full time mashgiach, as reported by YWN-ISRAEL.
Stern feels that his bill represents another step towards separating religion and state, and it is the correct path towards preserving the integrity of Israel as a democratic Jewish state. He explains that one’s personal religiously or affiliation is not at all relevant regarding kashrus and for as long as a store adheres to the laws of kashrus a hechsher must be given. Stern explains his view of kashrus is in line with the “position of important rabbonim in the Zionist camp and this will lead to many more restaurants with hashgacha and bottom line, to offer a Judaism that attracts and not one that pushes people away.”
It is unclear at this time in the Bayit Yehudi party will back Stern’s latest bill.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
This could help the kashrus situation tremendously. Once an official government hecksher becomes totally worthless, which to all hareidim it always has been, frum Jews will insist on a non-government hecksher. Even the more pious of the Dati Leumi will have to give the idea that the medinah is the basis of religious life, and go back to rely on the more traditional reliance on daas Torah.
Remember that in the west, “separation” of “church and state” had to do with freeing religion from state control. In places without separation, the government hires the clergy, tells them what doctrines to follow, what to advoacte in sermons, to hold special religious services to honor the government, etc. In America, we rejected all that – with the result that America is well known as the “most religious” industrialized country.
Let the zionists make their own hecksher into a joke. Hareidim have been laughing at them for the better part of a century.
“compromise religious control of giyur, marriage”
This is false. What he would do is to have conversions and marriage in the control of local Orthodox rabbis, which is how Judaism has functioned for over 1900 years. Funny that the people who scream, “Mesorah! Mesorah!” at innovations by rabbis in the diaspora support changes to the Mesorah by the charedi-dominated Chief Rabbinate.
“the Chief Rabbinate of Israel still feels shmiras Shabbos must be a component to granting a hashgacha”
All the major kashrut organizations in the US supervise at least some businesses that operate seven days a week without a mashgiach.
Hall: giving a hechsher on a factory that’s not shomer shabbos is not the same as giving a hechsher on a restaurant that’s not shomer shabbos. No one’s going to be able to sneak in treif ingredients to the Coca Cola factory, what with a paper trail that is checked regularly and a staff of hundreds. But in a mom-and-pop store, where the same guy does the ordering, paying, receiving, and cooking, tarfus can be introduced without any difficulty at all.
Akuperma: it will also demonstrate to MO Americans that they can’t just eat at any restaurant in Israel with a “Kosher” sign.