The Anisakis Worm Rears its Ugly Head Once More
International News
Written by 5TJT Staff
Monday, 23 May 2011 09:50
The Brooklyn Vaad HaRabbonim, the Baltimore Kashrus agency, and a handful of other Kashrus agencies were stringent. The Orthodox Union, in agreement with Rabbi Vay from Jerusalem, however, ruled that these worms while still in the flesh of the fish are kosher. [The interview of Rabbi Vay may be seen at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMtQLb1YmLo%5D. Even the lenient position is of the opinion that once the worm has left the fish it is no longer kosher.
So what happened now? Apparently, some top Rabbinic decisors have signed a letter clearly indicating their position that the Anisakis worm, while still in the flesh of the fish, is decidedly NOT KOSHER. The letter, which has yet to be published in the Jewish press, has the signatures of Rabbi Feivel Cohen Shlita, Rav Dovid Feinstein Shlita and Rav Aharon Schechter Shlita.
Rav Feivel Cohen is a Rav in Brooklyn and a prolific author of halachic works, Rav Feinstein is one of the leading Poskim in the United States, and Rav Aharon Schechter is the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva.
The Kashrus issue centers on the whether it has been demonstrated that the Anisakis worm clearly comes from outside of the fish or whether it may still be assumed that the worm develops internally. The Orthodox Union maintains that according to Jewish law, one may still make the assumption that the worm has developed within the fish itself. Other authorities maintain that the permissive ruling of the Shulchan Aruch does not apply when it can be observed that the worm actually migrated into the flesh from elsewhere.
The new initiative to ban the parasitic worm comes directly from the court of Rav Elyashiv in Jerusalem. Rabbi Efrati in particular has pushed the new effort toward the ban on fish that have not had the Anisakis removed.
Anisakis are rare in waters with low salinity and in the southern North Sea.