Kashrut reforms to abolish Chief Rabbinate kashrut monopoly

Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana (Yamina) announced on Tuesday a far-reaching set of reforms to the kashrut market which will establish the Chief Rabbinate as a regulator over independent kashrut organizations which will serve as the kashrut service provider.  

The move is designed to create competition for kashrut supervision services and thereby increase the standard of service provided, while at the same time solving some of the worst problems in the current system which have led to corruption and poor standards. 

Kahana said at a press conference on Tuesday unveiling the reforms that it would also give businesses freedom to chose whichever supervision authority they wish, and would also lead to cheaper prices for consumers. 

The minister argued that the measures he seeks to institute, which need to be carried out through legislation, would strengthen the Chief Rabbinate since it will be in charge of determining nationwide standards and overseeing the different independent kashrut authorities. 

At the same time, Kahana admitted that the chief rabbis are not “overly excited” by the reforms, especially a track allowing for a kashrut provider to determine its own standards if approved by three municipal chief rabbis.

The Chief Rabbinate immediately denounced the reforms, describing them as “dangerous” and saying that they would “destroy kashrut in Israel.” Ultra-Orthodox MKs also attacked the measures as soon as the minister announced them, with United Torah Judaism chairman Moshe Gafni denouncing Kahana as “seeking to eradicate any spark of Judaism” in the country.

Moderate religious-Zionist lobbying group Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah, which helped draft the measures, welcomed the reforms however, saying it would allow for real competition in the kashrut market and increase kashrut standards. 

Under the reforms, the Chief Rabbinate will set unified countrywide kashrut standards, likely with at least two levels, and will also be in charge of an oversight body that will check compliance of the independent kashrut providers. 

The kashrut providers will be headed by a rabbi with qualifications from the Chief Rabbinate to serve as a municipal chief rabbi, and the provider itself will commit to upholding the standards set by the Chief Rabbinate at which ever level they chose. 

Any existing kashrut provider could become a Chief Rabbinate-approved provider, including local religious councils, the most stringent ultra-Orthodox kashrut supervision authorities, and that of the moderate religious-Zionist rabbinical association Tzohar. The only ones that can currently provide totally legal kashrut supervision services in the country are the local councils. 

At the same time, there will be an alternative route for any kashrut provider that wishes to provide more basic kashrut standards from those determined by the Chief Rabbinate. 

Such a provider would need to seek the approval for its operations of three rabbis with qualifications from the Chief Rabbinate to serve as municipal chief rabbis, and declare which kashrut standards it follows. 

The Chief Rabbinate’s oversight body would also perform oversight for such a provider and ensure that it complies with the standards it declares to uphold.

Businesses which would avail themselves of the services of such a provider would be able to declare themselves kosher, but not under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate. 

The reforms will be carried out through legislation in the Arrangements Law which accompanies the State Budget, giving it a greater chance of approval through the legislative process.