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WAR CRY: As Kashrus Reform Begins, Gedolei Yisrael Warn Rabbanim Not To Cooperate

Kahana claims that his kashrus reforms, denounced by the majority of Rabbanim, will lead to 'better prices.' (Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana (Danny Shem Tov/Knesset spokesperson); Image by RJA1988 from Pixabay.)

The first stage of the kashrus reforms advanced by Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana went into effect on Sunday morning, allowing food establishments to be certified by any religious council throughout Israel rather than only by local councils.

HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen, Nasi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, issued a call warning Rabbanim not to cooperate with the reforms, in a letter also signed by HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kaniesvky, HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, and HaGaon HaRav Shimon Badani.

The letter also addressed the giyur reform Kahana is advancing, warning that it will lead to “the ‘giyur’ of hundreds of thousands of goyim, contrary to the derech haTorah, that will harm Beis Yisrael and the kedusha of its yischusin through terrible assimilation.”

Regarding kashrus, HaRav Cohen warned of the destruction the reform will cause as “in a place that the kashrus certification was removed by the Mara D’Asra for halachic reasons, someone else will come and certify the establishment – and this will lead to the complete destruction of the entire kashrus system in Eretz HaKodesh.”

“Therefore we hereby are revealing our opinion, daas Torah – not to cooperate with them at all regarding both giyur, rachmana litzlan, and kashrus. No Rav should oversee kashrus [in an establishment] that is not located in his area and be masig the gevul by supervising kashrus in another city in any shape or form.”

“And those who are poreish from the kehal Hashem and transgress His will, his kashrus certification will be banned.”

Kahana and his supporters claim that allowing food establishments to be certified by any Rabbanim throughout Israel will open up competition and lower prices but this claim has been challenged by those familiar with the system, with the Koshrot organization saying that businesses that sought alternative kashrus supervision in the past did not do so due to lower prices or better service but because they were not willing to comply with the standards set by the Rabbanut.

Dozens of municipal Rabbanim published a letter a few weeks ago stating that they will not change their kashrus supervision when the reforms go into effect and will continue supervising only local establishments.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)



16 Responses

  1. I fully agree with Kahana. The Chief Rabbinate has a huge monopoly over the entire matter and is sitting on piles of money. This is not right and the Chief Rabbinate deserves to lose their authority in this matter. Besides, all private organizations are still required to uphold Kashrus Guidelines laid out by the Rabbinate.

  2. The Chazon Ish Paskened 100 years ago, that non frum people have the status of tinok sh’nishbah.

    he took off his glasses and refused to look at Ben Gurion because of אסור להסתכל בפני רשע
    he also stated at the inauguration of the State that: they are the same dangerous secularist
    as beforehand
    before they were with the pen and now they’re more formal with guns is the only significant difference

    those who have been indoctrinated, naive, and/or have an agenda cherry-pick don’t we ?

  3. There’s African Americans that work in our local community organizations
    can throw out some Yiddish phrases occasionally
    . According to the new conversion reforms shall we anoint them officially as Jewish
    or they Must take an official tour of Israel first?

  4. The non-zionist kashrus organization should be polite enough to refrain from gloating. For those who never accepted “rabbanut” kashrus as being proof that something is kosher, there is nothing new happening, other than they have finally been vindicated. In the United States, with a wide a variety of kashrus organizations, some better than others, we manage to get along fine without the government trying to define what is or is not kosher.

  5. Wonderful that the Gedolei E”Y have decided to uphold the values of Achdus, so that every city and town has only 1 Kashrus Authority and by the same token, the Gedolim have given their Hechsher Stempel to every Rabbanut Kashrus Authority in E”Y.

    Through these Takonos of Achdus may Moshiach arrive speedily in our days.

  6. Wrong state policy either way you look at it.

    A Jewish state should revere it’s holy sages.

    While a state run religion is disgusting in a secular state, where it should grant freedom of religion, and not legislate it. A secular government is not qualified to judge it, so don’t.

  7. bouncing Yak, Et al ,

    The same crowd, the means slightly different for the goals
    but the direction is the same
    who gave the Chief rabbinate that Monopoly
    it was Kahana’s forebears who gave it to them principally to destroy and weaken the older rabbinate which they did unfortunately both European and Middle Eastern all the while proclaiming they were doing this to preserve and better organize the Jewish world.

    Are people so unaware it’s the same now
    They were unfortunately so successful that now that they accomplished those so that the chief rabbinate became less and less a progressive Tool for the politicians/activists [and their Myriad of supporters who dwell only blocks away from you]
    well it’s overdue to move to the next nefarious goals:
    destroy the chief rabbinate itself or render it fellow Travelers

  8. @Rabbi Alan
    The holy sages who facilitated Meron? Or the ones who ignored Walder? Or perhaps the ones who ignored all Covid guidance?

  9. Our current government in Israel is now imitating ינאי המלך who rid Eretz Yisroel of its Talmidai Chachomim and instituted policies כנגד התורה. We all know the tragic aftermath of that. I hate to see what might happen this time. הלווי things should turn around for the better so we can soon see משיח.

  10. The only way stop abuse is the ways that Torah has given to Am Yisroel
    1. Separation between Men And Woman
    2. To keep to all Halochos of Tznios
    3. To be extra careful with all halochos regarding Yichud that is a
    mitzvah of making sure their is no reason for anyone to suspect
    of any wrong doing
    4. NOT LEARNING THESE THINGS FROM NON JEWISH SOURCES
    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Power2Power

    First
    Your ilk for decades been banging away till you subverted the system so that these unfortunate situations and frailties happened.
    next you hold it up as proof that the system doesn’t work

    how shrewd and canny you are

  12. @Avi Cohen: “the Gedolim have given their Hechsher Stempel to every Rabbanut Kashrus Authority in E”Y” WRONG! From the beginning it was always said, the losers are the traditional public who want a minimum kashrut standard but don’t have the knowledge to distinguish between an acceptable and in-acceptable Hechsher. As long as businesses cannot just go and look for another Rav who would authorise what the local Rav doesn’t, there is a minimum of control. Otherwise everything will get totally Hefker.
    The same is true with Giyur.

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