Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana admitted that the reason he removed HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu from a kashrus supervisory position is due to money, as heard on recordings obtained by B’Chadrei Charedim.

Kahana is heard responding to the criticism against him for his dismissal of HaRav Eliyahu, the Rav of Tzfat and one of the most senior Dati Leumi Rabbanim in Israel, who was temporarily responsible for overseeing kashrus in Hatzor HaGlilit after the Rav of the town passed away.

Kakahan ordered HaRav Eliyahu’s dismissal after the latter insisted that a factory owner uphold the most basic standards of kashrus and not sell bug-infested broccoli and cauliflower. Instead of doing so, the factory owner complained to Kahana who dismissed Rav Eliyahu.

“I won’t argue about halachic issues but on management issues, yes,” Kahana is heard saying on to the recording. “There was a dispute about broccoli. It can’t be that broccoli which comes from the same field, one factory is kosher and the other one isn’t because this local Rav allows it and the other one doesn’t. As long as I’m the Religious Affairs Minister, I won’t allow a factory to lose millions.”

Religious Zionist party chairman Betzalel Smotrich wrote in response to the report: “Day after day, Kahana is revealed as a superficial and dangerous populist, almost in the same league as ‘Moro V’Rabo Bennett.'”

“So that the factory won’t lose money, Matan Kahana will appoint a ‘rabbi on behalf of’ who will grant a kashrus certificate to non-kosher food, mislead the kashrus observant public and cause them to eat bugs. For those who don’t yet understand what’s behind Kahana’s ‘reforms’ in religious services…”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)