(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
The matter of employment of Ethiopians and kashrus is once again in the news in Israel following the case in which the Badatz Eida Chareidis compelled Barkan Winery to move Shomer Shabbos Ethiopian employees to a “less sensitive” position in the winery. The badatz explained some rabbonim question the Jewishness of members of Israel’s Ethiopian community and since the badatz’s policy is to comply with all viewpoints, they instructed the winery to move the employees in question. That case led to shouts of “racism” by many public officials and organizations alike.
The latest case involves a catering company with a hechsher located in the southern municipality of Kiryat Gat, and the city’s chief rabbi, HaRav Moshe Havlin. The caterer is certified as ‘mehadrin’ but Rav Havlin has now come out, taking issue with a number of veteran employees, Ethiopian women involved in the cooking. Rav Havlin has prohibited them from cooking until such time their Jewishness can be confirmed. The rav insists this is not against Ethiopians, but a move that is compelled regarding any employees whose Jewishness is not verified, since they are involved in cooking.
The KAN News report explains the rav’s issues with the catering company, despite the fact the women have been working for years as cooks. The report adds that until such time the women’s status is confirmed, they are banned from cooking.
When asked by KAN “What is the status at present”, Rav Havlin said, “These goyim are not permitted to cook”.
The situation begs the question as to why the Rabbanut does not just check their status and then permit them to continue cooking or remove them, based on their findings, rather than making an issue as was done at Barkan Winery, which has once again exploded in the news.
Officials at the catering company are questioning why suddenly this is an issue after the caterer has been certified as mehadrin for years, with the Ethiopian women in question working as cooks.
It is pointed out that Rav Havlin is a Chabad Chossid and Chabad generally does not view Ethiopian as Yidden if they did not undergo giyur.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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25 Responses
looks like this racist Rov has forgotten his chumash…..”al oidos hoisho hakutis asher lokach..)
Yeah but some fool pronouncing a dead Rabbi as the messiah is ok to be part of a minyan and to cook his meals.
rob,
Whether you agree with his position or not, this has nothing to do with racism. It’s simply a question of whether we except them as Jewish as is, or do they require conversion. No one cares what color their skin is.
And bringing a proof from Tzipora is useless. She was not originally from bnei yisrael. She converted.
accept them as jewish. Not except.
why is racist become such a sin overweighing the worst sins like sodom sins etc etc?
yes the torah is full of what YOU call racism… this ‘RACISM’ cry became such a ….
rabbi of berlin (couldnt find a better location to be rabbi?)nu, so what moishe rabbinu’s wife had proper geiros, or maybe dont you believe in torah ball peh?
by the way berliner rebbe…where were you all these years?
cowdoc
so whats wrong? What issur is he commiting as opposed to safuk bishel goy?
To Cowdoc:
I don’t agree with Rav Havlin and find his arguments circular and quasi-racist but I would NOT call him a “fool”.
rebbitzen of berlin
NOT letting a non jew cook is racism,
not allowed to marry, see ki saytzay who not … is racism…etc etc so you dont agree with the torah join the other movements. we will adhere to the mitzvos given to us …racism or not…in fire or water as our forbearers
The same question should be raised of any group of immigrants to Israel whose ancestors were not strictly Shomer Mitsvos (including virtually all non-frum Ashkenazim), and is compounded since the Israeli government decided to allow in persons with Jewish ancestry who had converted to Christianity and now wished to return (at least in order that the could immigrate to Israel) but who may have had non-Jewish female ancestors dating to the period they were living as Christians. The origin of the problem was the decision of the zionists to define Jews as a “race” or “tribe” rather than as a “religion” (since doing so would have excluded zionists, since most zionists reject the traditional Jewish religion).
If you are so concerned about a Goy cooking your food, then dont go into the Local Pizza store in Brooklyn. I dont know about you, but Ive never seen a jew cook a pizza there (Yeah I know they turn on the oven, and Im sure thats what was done here)
am i overlooking something? doesn’t the mashgiach turn on the fires and then the goyim (or jews or maybe jews) cook (according to ashkenazi rulings)?
where in the torah is there assur racism?….the whole goyish velt including the movements who call themselves jews are like a bunch of crybabies ..crying racism, racism….what is it about racism as if its the most terrible calamity…!!! i will not hurt, trample the rights, and will respect etc etc any human being . but if i think a ertain group of people are( Fill in whatever)…its become like dictatorship, tyranny, when someone will accidently slip wrong word and will be fired, tyranized etc etc we are losing our freedom from ‘groups’. PETA..no shechite, kappores. Human rights goups…no metzitze, even mila and so on. No gentile cares if we have separate swimming public places or we mila whichever way, shicita separate sitting busses(which has nothing to do with inferiority but with kedushas am yisroel!!) etc etc IT IS THE RISHAY ‘YISROEL’ WHO ARE THE LEADERS OF THESE GROUPS that are taking away our religious liberties!!! ‘UMACHRIVAYICH MIMCHA YOKIM’
problem is very old; the majority of Eithiopeans are not really Jewish, rather they came here for a better life. The fact that the Zionist government brought them here was a mistake that can not be undone; but if they are sincere to be Jews, they must undergo a brief conversion process….
To cowdoc:
Next time you are stuck in some backwater, don’t look to Chabad for anything. At least stay true to your ignorance & stupidity.
Nothing to do with racism.Unfortunately, Israel has let in many,many people who aren’t halachically Jewish especially from the former Soviet Union and Ethopia.There are disagreements between Ashkenazi and Sephardic poseks as to whether Ethopian Jews need a giyur .
The Rov makes a totally valid point. Their Jewishness need to be validated. Btw Is it true Ariel Sharon too has a questionable background since his mother converted i believe after he was born.
Ethiopians are not Jewish unless they converted to Judaism through a kosher bais din. They don’t pray in Hebrew nor do they practice Judaism. They do have some rituals that can be attributed to their ancestry that may have been Jewish. Or maybe not. Nobody can say for sure. Rav Eliyashiv has relied on an only source of someone (I can’t remember the name now) who wrote about kushim being Jews. Most Rabbis will understandibly not accept that as definite proof that these people are Jews.
All these supposedly “Jews” practice
Christianity and build and abundance Christians of churches throughout Israel.
Many Ethiopians do convert and they are as Jewish as any kosher Jew, this has nothing to do with racism regarding skin color.
Tziporah was NOT Kushis, she was Midianite. Rashi, who ALWAYS gives the simple pshat, says she is called “kushis” only because she was as beautiful as an kushi is black. That is not medrash, it is what the posuk means, so claiming otherwise is amhoratzus.
As for the so-called Jews who lived in Ethiopia, the simple fact is that they are not of Jewish descent. They are descended from former Christians who several hundred years ago stopped believing in the New Testament. The Radvaz heard some legend about their descent from Shevet Dan, but they absolutely deny such a thing, so on what possible basis should we believe it? Thus to be Jewish they have to convert, just like any other gentile. Of course those who have converted, and their descendants in the female line, are 100% Jewish just like any ger.
cowdoc, there is no requirement that someone agree with your opinions in order to be a Jew. There *is* a requirement that someone be born of a Jewish mother, or convert properly, in order to be a Jew.
I see this rav thinks he’s smarter than rav ovadia Yosef
Akuperma, according to the report, Rav Hamlin didn’t “raise” a “question.” “Rav Havlin said, “’These goyim are not permitted to cook”‘ without any reported evidence of an inquiry beyond checking the color of their skin. As for Zionists, they define Jewishness as nationhood, as was evidenced on the Israeli ID card until several years ago. It is gentile observers who have spoken of us as a race and American Jews who singsong about our being a tribe.
* I meant to write in my previous post Rav Ovadia Yosef, not Rav Elyashiv, relied on someone’s writing years ago who wrote that he found kushim who were practicing Jews .
The Ethiopians claiming to be Jews are mostly practicing Christians so these writings very likely don’t pertain to them and even if originally did describe them, at this point they are not practicing Jews so one can’t call them Jewish.
hml writes: “Next time you are stuck in some backwater, don’t look to Chabad for anything.” In backwaters the world over I am always amazed how people who are usually makpid about which hechsherim they eat from eat in Chabad houses. These places rarely have any hashgocha, you are simply relying on the local shaliach who may even be a meshichist, an oved avoda zora. In the real backwaters, that may be a person who rarely davens in a minyan, has no fixed chavrusas etc. etc. You have no idea what he knows about kashrus on the ground.
wow-all these commenters had nothing to do these last few days. I did. Anyway, Rav Ovadia Josef considered them full Jews. Who am I to argue differently? And to insult his memory and say that he only saw “some story” -as philosopher claims- is adding insult to injury. And for “milhouse’ to dismiss the Radvaz , the greatest Posek of his generation is true desecration of a godol. That Rov in Kiryat gat is a racist and yes-shimen- racism is a terrible thing.
rabbiofberlin, I am not insulting Rav Ovadia Yosef’s memory. I’m stating a fact that that Rabbi Ovadia Yosef relied on the writing of one person who wrote an historical account . Rav Yosef can rule whatever he decided, and he could very well be right, but the vast majority of Rabbonim, Ashkenazim and Sephardim, are of the opinion that the Ethiopians are safek Jews and to be considered really Jews they need to convert. And as we know, halacha was always decided by the majority of ruling Rabbonim.
And the FACT also remains that the majority of Falashim are practicing Christians IN Israel.