Reforms must keep our food kosher - opinion

• Author: BARRY NEWMAN
• Published date: 25 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Moshe, a fine, upstanding and pious man, was after a long and prosperous life, summoned to return his soul to the Creator. Upon arriving at the entrance to the upper strata, Moshe was greeted by an angel who enthusiastically welcomed the new arrival.

"Please," said the angel, "follow me. We've prepared a splendid buffet lunch in your honor," pointing to a lavish display of beef and poultry.

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With some hesitation, Moshe timidly asked, "What, may I ask, is the hechsher on the food here? I mean, who in fact certifies the kashrut?"

Surprised, the angel replied, "Why, the Boss Man Himself, obviously. Surely there is no one more reliable."

Moshe thought for a moment and, with a shrug of his shoulders, said to the angel, "You know what? Please prepare a platter of fruit for me."

As is common in most bad jokes, the relevance far surpasses the punch line, and in this specific case, the matter at hand is as topical as it is relevant. The issue of kashrut certification has been the center of heated debate for the last several months, with all sorts of accusations and claims of bullying and blackmail.

The controversy has finally been moved to the front burner since Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana has declared his plan to legislate reforms intended to bring to an end the Chief Rabbinate's monopoly over kashrut supervision.

The minister believes that decentralizing the functionality of kashrut supervision and enabling the establishment of independent supervisory authorities under the overall regulatory authority of the Chief Rabbinate will increase the standard of service that is currently being provided.

A centralized authority, in other words, is being exchanged for competition, and the players in the food industry will, presumably, be able to select the kashrut certification of their choice. Although judgment of this plan should be reserved until the actual protocol has been prepared and released, the initial reaction has been, for the most part, positive throughout the political and religious spectrum. With the exception, not surprisingly, of the rabbinate itself.

Not that decentralization of kashrut certification is an entirely novel idea, by the way. Kashrut supervision in Israel has already, to some extent, been decentralized. Sizable segments of the population do not believe that the rabbinate's standards are...