The response of the Director-General of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel is that the Finance Ministry’s report on the cost of kashrus in Israel “is cut off from reality”. The report claims that kashrus costs NIS 2.8 billion annually.

The words headline of the report is “The Effect of kashrus on the cost of living and the significance of the Chief Rabbinate being the only entity granting kashrus”. The report was ordered by the Finance Ministry budgeting officials in the hope of determining the cost of kosher certification on the economy. According to the Walla News report, officials in the Chief Rabbinate were not pleased with the report, which they insist points to the ignorance of kashrus matters by those involved in preparing it.

The report states kashrus costs the state NIS 2.8 billion annually, of which NIS 600 million is to pay for operations of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the costs associated with granting kosher supervision. Chief Rabbinate Director-General Moshe Dagan told Walla “The report was not done professionally to put it mildly and the facts presented are cut off from reality”.

Dagan feels causes for this include a lack of basic knowledge of kashrus and along with a lack of familiarity with several areas connected to it that are contained in the report. No differentiation is made between the cost of wanting to have kashrus and the cost associated with kashrus policy”. He adds “the recommendations contained in the report are not doable and they will not result in a reduction in the increase in prices of items”.

He concludes “As a responsible government body, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel feels it is an important value to reduce the price increases associated with kosher food for as long as it does not interfere with adhering to regulations for kashrus as laid out by the Chief Rabbinate Council from time-to-time”.

The Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah organization expresses agreement with DG Moshe Dagan, adding that anyone in the know realizes that unfortunately, some of the demands associated with kashrus as the system operates today do in fact drive up the cost of a product and the lack of competition also negatively impacts the quality [of the kosher supervision]. The organization is waiting for the report to be submitted by Tel Aviv Chief Rabbi Micha Levy, a report that evaluates the system and will be making recommendations as to how to improve the system and establish competition towards lowering costs and most off towards returning the trust that used to be associated with a sign reading “kosher”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)