Earlier in the week, Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita expressed harsh criticism against the Chief Rabbi of Shoham and head of Tzohar Rabbonim, Rabbi David Stav. Rav Lau accused Rabbi Stav of criticizing ongoing kashrus reforms without being familiar with the plan or his ongoing efforts.

Firing back, Rabbi Stav explains “Slanderous words are not a substantive criticism and the harsh words said about my remarks regarding the conclusions of the Chief Rabbinate’s Kashrus Committee did not relate to the merits of anything other than being unfounded”.

As he sees it, “The real problem is not in the form of an inappropriate statement, but in the decisions of the committee which probed the kashrus. No defamation will succeed in covering up the fact that most of the members of the committee also wanted to break the corrupt monopoly that exists today in the system and under pressure from rabbonim and politicians, the decision was not carried out. The committee recommendation to adopt a model for kashrus mashgichim in which they are employed by the religious councils buries the possibility for bringing about a significant change in the kashrus system in Israel”.

Rav Stav does not stop here, but cites the recently-released State Comptroller’s report which documents nepotism in over 20 religious councils, the hiring of family members and we have seen how Chief Rabbis take part in discussions surrounding the hiring of their relatives as well.

Rav Stav feels “The decision by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to give absolute authority to religious councils in the hiring of mashgichim promises there will be additional years of corruption”, promising he and his colleagues in Tzohar Rabbonim will continue working towards improving kashrus in line with Halacha in the Jewish State “based on the principles of yosher, truth and darchei noam”.

And Rav Stav concludes “We have accomplished this in the area of chasenahs despite the criticism of activists who feared for their hold [monopoly], we did it with proving one’s Jewishness, and thousands of Jews managed to preserve their identity and remained a part of the chain of generations. We did this will bar/bas mitzvos, as well as with assisting mourning families, and we will do it with kashrus too.

“This rotting system must be uprooted by courageous decisions and not covered with hollow words”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)