The Knesset next week will discuss a bill from MK (Yesh Atid) Elazar Stern seeking to compel the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to grant kashrus certification to businesses that are mechalel Shabbos. Currently, the Chief Rabbinate will not provide a hashgacha for a business that is not shomer shabbos.

The bill already enjoys the approval of the Ministerial Law Committee from the previous Knesset during which the chareidi parties were in opposition. It was approved by the Law Committee comprised of the Likud, Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi coalition government.

If Stern’s bill passes into law, a local religious council, which acts as an arm of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, will be compelled to grant hashgacha to a business that adheres to kashrus standards even if it operates on Shabbos and Yomtov. The latter will not be permitted to be used as a consideration in granting or denying kashrus as is done today.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)