The mainstream media is having a field day following the unauthorized distribution of an internal document by the Kosharot Organization, which is based in Elon Moreh.
YWN reported in July (HERE) that Kosharot is working to increase kashrus awareness, but its primary function is that of preparing halls for weddings and other simchas, nothing more. The leaders of the organization may one day attempt to launch a kashrus certification, but the organization remains apolitical and does not seek to undermine the current kashrus realities, and makes Herculean efforts to work with the Chief Rabbinate, not against it, as some are seeking to portray in recent media articles.
Responding to a request from a rabbi who deals with American post-high school students, Kosharot prepared a document of restaurants to permit Rabbi Zimmerman to guide his foreign students through the maze of kashrus issues in the capital.
Kosharot official Rabbi Moshe Katz stated openly after someone released the document to the public that it was “not complete and contained inaccuracies” but nevertheless, the press is having a field day with it, citing it is “inaccurate” and it does not enjoy the backing of the Chief Rabbinate.
Like it or not, the issues addressed by Kosharot are indeed real, and the inundation of bogus kosher certifications in Jerusalem and other areas is a problem that is being ignored.
The latest scathing attack came from Rabbi Benny Lau, who also opts to ignore the fact that Katz admits the document is inaccurate and was not intended for publication, preferring to exhibit his loyalty to the Rabbinate and its kosher standard.
For most, including the media perhaps, it is a matter of the Rabbinate verses chareidi mehadrin hechsherim, but the sad reality is that many residents and most visitors from abroad are clueless to the poor standard maintained by many eateries in the capital, including those displaying ‘mehadrin’ supervisions, which in many cases, according to the Chief Rabbinate as well, are illegal hechsherim and the restaurants lack any mehadrin supervision whatsoever.
On that note, Jerusalem Kosher News continues efforts to work with Kosharot and other organizations seeking to increase public awareness and bring about a revolution in the kosher certification system in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel.
In light of the news circulating during recent months, it is incumbent upon local residents and visitors to familiarize themselves with reliable kashrus hechsherim to permit eating in Israel without falling victim to the shortcomings of the illegal kashrus agencies operating in Yerushalayim.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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3 Responses
The American system is better. We rely on the reputation of the rabbanim who give a hecksher, and if you don’t like, you go elsewhere. In Israel they attempt to use civil servants to supervise kashruth, and even if they higher excellent people (and some of them are), you have a hecksher given by employees of a government that is run by non-religious Jews. Only if Eretz Yisrael had a Beis Din truely representative of all the gedolim, and if that Beis Din exercised supervisory functions over the Israeli government (i.e. could issue binding orders to the prime minister, kenesset, supereme court, etc.) would an Israeli government (“rabbanut”) hecksher be inherently reliable.
It is essential to continue this work till the truth is known regarding kashrus in Israel without falling into the pitfall of political concerns.
treif food fits a treif state..the govt cant care less about kashrus, and the ehrliche yidden who are trying to make sure that whatever has a hechser is actually kosher, are fewer than those who have a political or monetary interest(i.e., secular people in the govt)