HaGaon HaRav Reuven Elbaz Shlita is expanding his Badatz Ohr HaHidur organization. Rav Elbaz is also Rosh Yeshivat Ohr HaChaim and a member of Shas’ Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael. Rabbi Elbaz will now have his own poultry shechita and provide a hashgacha for 4 minim for Sukkos.
The badatz was established shortly before Pesach 5775 and it is now expanding. At the time the rav gave a hashgacha on matzos. The rav’s chickens will be sold under the “מילועוף” (Milui Ohf) label. Followers of the rav explain there is a nationwide demand for the rabbi to expand his hashgacha as his talmidim are found in all areas of Israel.
Many view the expansion of the hashgacha as competition for Badatz Beit Yosef, the well-established hashgacha that is run by Rabbi Moshe Yosef as well as competing with Badatz N’vei Tzion which is headed by HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita, the head of the Shas Moetzas Gedolei Hatorah.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Always a plus to break up monopolies. With success…
This is very dangerous. If these people start their own hashgasha organization, next a hedyot will start his own. Kashrus must be overseen by the rabbanut, otherwise it will open the door to chaos.
Always the same story. The weaker and more gullable members of society will blindly pay 20 to 50% more for this or Rubin or Machfud when compared to the OU or other cheaper poultry hashgachot
I will explain the difference between the giyur and the kashrus situation for those two thick to see it for themselves.
1) Giyur is currently centralized and decentralization will in fact create chaos – and this would be true even if the “alternative” batei din were on a par with the Rabbanut batei din. Therefore although the Rabbanut is far from perfect, the status quo is better than the alternative.
Kashrus is currently completely decentralized and adding another agency to the mix has very little downside. If its a respectable agency the upside is that standards will be maintained and the cost of hashgochos will be kept under control.
2) The “alternative” giyur bais din is coming to the table trumpeting lower giyur standards, not higher ones. These will not be accepted by the larger Orthodox world, thus creating chaos.
The new kashrus agency is coming to the table with equal or better standards and thus will jeopardize absolutely nothing.
In Israel there have always been ‘giyur Beis Din’ not under the Rabbanut … So it is harder to specifically finger point this new creation.