Religious members of Knesset were quick to respond to the Supreme Court's decision forcing the Chief Rabbinate to provide Kashrut certification to establishments that wish to rely on the heter mechirah

Gafni, UTJ

MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) opposed the court ruling, saying, "The Chief Rabbinate Council is a duly-elected statutory body that fulfills its function on the Halakhic [Jewish legal] matters for which it is responsible.  The Council's decision is a measured one, allowing the local rabbi - the Halakhic authority in his city - to run the Kashut affairs of his city according to law and Halakhah.  The Supreme Court's intervention in the Council's decision, which was made legally and with Halakhic judgment, is a political intervention that stems from the judges' worldview - and they dare do this only in Halakhic matters.  It is sad, but not surprising, that the author of the ruling, Justice Rubenstein, decides on Halakhic matters that are outside his purview in opposition to the opinion of professionals in the field - the member rabbis of the Chief Rabbinate Council."

Orlev, NRP

MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) took the opposite approach, saying, "This is a black day for the Chief Rabbinate, which caved in to the approach of the hareidim [by not utilizing the heter mechirah].  This disgrace of the Rabbinate could have been avoided.  The Court made the right decision, and adopted the position of the NRP."

The Religious Zionist Women Movement, Emunah, also welcomed the decision.  Chairperson Liora Minke said, "The Supreme Court judges sent a life-raft, possibly saving the public rabbinate from collapse and total cave-in to the hareidi dictates."

Slomiansky, NRP

Another NRP Knesset Member, Nissan Slomiansky, did not agree totally: "I totally oppose any Supreme Court intervention in Halakhic rulings, or making the Rabbinate subservient to the Court.  But in this case the Chief Rabbinate caved in to the hareidi; turning the Chief Rabbinate into a sectarian hareidi institution has brought this calamity upon us."

Porush, UTJ

MK Rabbi Meir Porush of UTJ said that it might be time to do away with the Supreme Court altogether: "When we see the Supreme Court intervening once again in the affairs of the Chief Rabbinate, we should ask ourselves if the time has not come to do away with this relic of the British Mandate. After all, the Supreme Court is a result of the British rulers' decision that appeals against the High Commissioner should be heard before a court of British judges.  This anachronistic body later remained even after the establishment of the State, up until this very day - while in other former British colonies that received independence, it was not preserved at all."

Rabbi Porush continued, "The Supreme Court judges love to deal with Halakhic and ideological matters, and they are unwilling to give up at all on this power that they have taken for themselves... On the other hand, when a constitutional proposal is at hand to restrict the Supreme Court's authority in religious matters - i.e., banning it from revoking religious legislation - then the Justice Minister starts screaming, even though he is the one trying to limit the Court's powers. Given this complex and confusing situation, it would be a good idea to nullify this institution altogether."



Rivlin, Likud

Meanwhile, in the Likud, MK Ruby Rivlin said he was "relieved" by the Court ruling. Chairman of the Knesset's Shemittah Committee, Rivlin is known as a "traditional" (partially observant) Jew.  "I am relieved to know that I did not commit the sin of eating forbidden Shemittah foods when I relied on the heter mechirah my whole life," Rivlin said. "I am also happy that the Supreme Court, too, sees the Chief Rabbinate as a shield from commercial importers who are trying to influence halakhic considerations."



Trying to Renew Deliveries from Gaza

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simchon (Labor) has met with his Palestinian Authority counterpart in an effort to renew the delivery of vegetables from Gaza.  The Hebrew-language religious Ladaat.net reports, "This will help, first and foremost, those who observe the Shemittah laws" - referring mainly to observant Jews who do not rely on the heter mechirah.  Deliveries from Gaza were stopped last month after a Kassam rocket fired from Gaza hit an Israeli army base, wounding a dozen soldiers. 

The matter of renewing vegetable deliveries from Gaza will apparently be taken up at the next meeting of the government's security cabinet.