Elazar Stern
Elazar SternIsrael news photo: Flash 90

MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) spoke about the push to privatize kashrut supervision in Israel.

"Those who observe kashrut (eating kosher food) complain about how corrupt the system is," Stern said. "This topic bothers us, and we cannot rest for even one moment.

"I asked MK Eitan Cabel (Zionist Union), and he said it was a loaded topic. He's right, it's loaded with lots of money.

This is not the first time Stern has tried to denigrate the Chief Rabbinate. He also wanted to eliminate the hesder IDF program but did not succeed, and, as head of IDF Manpower, ended the separate units of hesder soldiers.

"I am still fighting to separate 'synagogue and state,'" Stern said, "but the issue of kashrut is making the project very difficult. It's an issue which pushes people farther away from Judaism."

"The Rabbinate expects us to do things which they don't do in their own homes. Their minimum standards are impossible to fulfill, and we cannot let the status quo continue.

"The Herzliya Rabbinate is currently insisting staff keep to standards which are considered mehadrin (super-stringent) in Jerusalem. Every rabbi is deciding for himself what the standards should be, and it's getting impossibly stringent.

"We can no longer rely on the Rabbinate's kashrut, because the system is corrupt.

"What do I want?" Stern continued. "Why does the 'Beit Yosef' kashrut organization sit in Jerusalem and tell everyone else what to do? They should have an office in every region. If Rabbi Landau is running his kashrut supervisory organization from Bnei Brak, Ramat Gan's rabbinate should be able to provide kashrut supervision all over Israel, too."