Tnuva, Israel’s largest dairy cooperative, which produces a sizable mehadrin line, insists the allegations are baseless but Yad L’Achim’s Rabbi Sholom Dov Lifshitz insists his organization’s information has been confirmed.
This story begins in Kibbutz Herdoff in the Lower Galil, a community located in the Jezreel Valley Region. The community, which was founded about 30 years ago boasts a profitable organic industry, but Yad L’Achim explains things are not as innocent as they appear, reporting the community follows Anthroposophy, a spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner, which R’ Lifshitz explains is avoda zara (idol worship) by every Torah definition of the word. So what’s the connection to the largest dairy, mehadrin consumers and Israel’s dairy industry?
According to the weekly Sha’ah Tovah Magazine, Tnuva operates a production line in the community, producing its ‘gevina shel pa’am’ (old fashion cheese) line which bears a Tnuva mehadrin kashrut.
Rabbi Lifshitz explains that consumers buying the products, including frum mehadrin-seeking shoppers, are directly funding avoda zara and in this case, community efforts to increase their numbers, outreach programs targeting Jewish children. He explains the community has an educational system inculcating children with its philosophy, and is quite active in promoting its agenda.
The report further adds that the word “kosher” does not appear on these products for a simple reason, such a claim would by state law compel a kashrut supervision by the local rabbinate as well. This would demand listing the place of origin and other facts that Tnuva does not wish to advertise. Therefore, the products only bear a ‘vaad mehadrin Tnuva’ claim, omitting the word “kosher”. Yad L’Achim insists this is to circumvent the need to tell consumers the mehadrin products originate in the idol worshipping kibbutz.
There is a code used for these products, which appears in the form of English letters, making it even less intelligible to many shoppers to whom English is foreign, or even the English speakers, who remain clueless as to the code.
Tnuva rejects Yad L’Achim’s allegations, insisting that the production line is not rented from the community, but owned outright by Tnuva and therefore, there is no connection to the community and its lifestyle. Furthermore, anything pertaining to kashrut is in line with the regulations of the Vaad Mehadrin and Rav Whitman, Tnuva’s rav, the firm’s officials explain.
The company does not deny that the place of manufacture of the product line does not appear on the finished product, but for an entirely different reason. They explain Kibbutz Herdoff is known for its organic products and putting the community’s name on non-organic products would have an adverse impact on its image. Products exhibit the “Vaad Mehadrin Tnuva” which is an appointed body by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, thereby satisfying the law and the word “kosher” is superfluous since it says “Vaad Mehadrin” which must obviously be kosher too.
Rav Lifshitz is adamant, insisting Yad L’Achim gathered the facts and it can prove the case. He further adds that Yad L’Achim approached the Eida Chareidit, which was approached by the kibbutz to give a hechsher on its organic products. Lifshitz admits that halachically they are okay by-and-large, however, after explaining the situation the Eida complied with the Yad L’Achim request and rejected the kibbutz as a potential client, realizing by doing so, the religious community would be supporting a community that supports and promotes idol worship.
(Yechiel Spira – Jerusalem Kosher News)
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9 Responses
good . we need more rabbis like him who do l’shem shomayim without allot of noise- except where necessary.
unfortunately, Rabbi Lifshultz is not as knowledgeable or accurate as would need. If you google Anthroposophy you will see that it is an off shoot of Christianity, certainly not desirable in Israel, but a makolkes if it is really Avoda Zara or not.
I still think they should be banned, but not as the article suggests that “R’ Lifshitz explains is avoda zara (idol worship) by every Torah definition of the word.” should be re-examined.
lazarc,
Anthroposophy is most certainly not an offshoot of xianity in the conventional sense. It is most certainly a breakoff of Blavatsky’s Theosophy. Theosophy is an Eastern influenced religion. These religions have a strange racist (though not in a conventional sense) view of the universe. Any christological elements are reinterpreted within their own thought system. I read Steiner’s Cosmic Memory. It’s got more Star Trek (Steiner refuses to divulge details about the highly evolved life on Planet Vulcan) that xianity.
In any case, Anthroposophy is another stream of a movement which found its way into Nazism. Steiner himself was no Nazi and indeed the Nazis were against Anthroposophy, but some of Steiner’s ideas did parallel those of the Nazis. If I recall correctly, he believed that the Jews are a sort of cosmic throwback to some earlier race. They don’t call for extermination, but they do call for assimilation. (Some caution here: the case can be overstated as well as understated.)
Kudos to Yad L’achim for warning us of yet another threat in the Holy Land.
Such situations are discussed in countless places in Avodah Zarah. and halachicaly there probably isn’t any problem (without knowing more details) even assuming this is Avodah Zara gamur. This is more about principle.
BS”D
Notzrus is shituf and might as well be a’z for Yidden, and Rav Lifschitz has dedicated his entire life to making sure not one Yid ends up in the hands of the mission or any other a’z. Whether notzrus is a’z for a ben Noach (a topic for debate but barely worth debating unless perhaps you want to use it break a notzri who believes in “replacement theology”) has nothing to do with Yad leAchim’s purpose and aims.
And frankly this anthroposophomoric cult is plain mishegoss. It has no place in Eretz Yisroel as it is an alien cult.
#2 Kibbutz Harduf is involved in outreach programs targeting Jewish children to a non-jewish religion.
Hopefully, the Edah Charadim community will pressure and possibly boycott Tnuva until they shut down or move the line. This is a fight that is more important than dried up pagan bones and would be supported among all datim.
We should put our energies in closing down all missionary activity and forget about pagan bones.
Lifshitz should find something better to do. Antroposophy is avoda zara??
#2 – it is as much an offshoot of Christianity, as that Islam is an offshoot of Judaism.
Antroposophy is just a way of life – there is nothing ‘avoda zara’ about it. I know quite well, since I have in the past known many such people. Lifshitz’ claims are baseless and show just how little he knows about the world.
lazerc,
Not only is Anthroposophy a philosophy based in Christian thought, it accepts reincarnation which is something we find in our tradition and not in Christian tradition, and its founder, Rudolf Steiner, spoke out loudly against anti-Semitism and was a bitter opponent of the Nazis at the end of his life! Neither Tosafot nor Meiri would have considered Anthroposophy to be Avodah Zara.
BS”D
Yawn. ANYTHING other than Torah, including secularism, is a’z for Yidden, if not by strict definition then by its results.
If they were spreading their shtus to Arabs, then you might have an argument, but they are spreading it to JEWS! Therefore they need to be dealt with far more firmly than the medine, itself guilty of shmad going back to the maabarot, will ever do. The hahahaharedim who are busy making us look bad every Shabbos should surround this kibbutz and keep trucks from ever getting to the stores rather than waste time demonstrating against the disruption of pagan remains.
Hindus also speak out against anti-Semitism. But Hinduism is a’z plain and simple and any Yid who gets into it like the Israelis in India is a meshummad plain and simple.
As for you, Daniel, have you done what Rav Lifschitz has done to save bnos Yisroel trapped in marriages to Arabs? When you have done that, come back and tell us how little this tzaddik knows about the world.