Stores located in Ramat Bet Shemesh displaying an Eida Chareidis hashgacha but do not have a local rabbinate hashgacha were visited by inspectors. The stores were given warnings, informing them it is illegal to advertise as kosher without having supervision from a local rabbinate, in this case the Beit Shemesh Rabbinate. They were told that this time they have been given warning fines of NIS 1,000 and NIS 2,000 and next time they would actually be fined.
Clearly the visits to the stores were made amid shouts the inspectors discriminate and only target stores with other private hechsherim and not badatzim, stating one such hashgacha is that of Rabbi Aron Leibowitz; Hashgacha Pratit.
In essence, the state-run kashrus under the Chief Rabbinate of Israel is fighting for survival leading to recent reports the Chief Rabbinate is discussing possibly willing to outsource the actual inspection of establishments rather than hiring its own mashgichim.
A recent High Court of Justice ruling strengthened the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive control over kashrus but it was accompanied with a warning – that if the system is not revamped within two years, the decision will be revoked.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
The inspectors are not targeting rather inspecting that all establishments have Rabbinate supervision. A law is to be upholded!
Baning non-zionist kashrus is as serious a challenge as conscription. As long as they allow non-frum Jews to sit in the parliament, the government’s hecksher will always be suspect.
Why’s the Rabbanut supervision only on stores with good hechsherim instead of stores selling pork and other treif stuff?
The court was willing to allow the rabbinate control over kashrus but not on weddings and death. Is there a double standard?
The solution for the stores is to not claim they’re kosher but under badatz supervision, leaving out the word kosher. Only the rabbinate can claim”kosher”.
#4 Halevai this would be the only problem with Israel’s court.
Re prg #2: very smart solution. This answers my question in #3 how stores who sell chazer treif can carry on.
With so many really good chasideshe hashgochos that are approved by the Chief Rabbinate of EY and such hashgachos are clearly the “gold standard” of kashruth, why would a frum yid in Beis Shemesh want to buy from a store or restaurant with Eida hashgacha mashgichim. Stay with a chasideshe hashgacha and sleep well and with confidence.
#6 “why would a frum yid in Beis Shemesh want to buy from a store or restaurant with Eida hashgacha mashgichim.”
Because there are people who only eat from Eida whether it’s approved by the Rabbanut or not. On the other hand, no chareidi would eat with the hechsher from the Rabbanut if it does not include a hechsher from the Eida or a chareidi Rav.
Gadolhadorah,
Why do you thing the hasidic have a good hechsher? They may. They may not. The fact is that the clientele wants Eida and they should be able to have it!