Yehuda Weinstein
Yehuda WeinsteinYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Feuding Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, and Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein were both in attendance Monday at the opening session of the 15th Annual Conference of the Israel Bar Association

The saga between the Chief Rabbinate and the Attorney General began when two Jerusalem restaurants sued the state in the High Court for the right to call themselves kosher, despite the fact that their certificates were rescinded. 

Weinstein backed the restaurants' petition, claiming it is possible for a food establishment to present itself as “kosher,” even if the supervising agent is not recognized by the Rabbinate. 

The Attorney General then rejected Rabbi Lau's request to hire a private attorney to represent the Rabbinate's position during proceedings, incurring the rebuke of the High Court's judges. 

Weinstein reached out to Rabbi Lau during the conference, after the latter had spoken pointedly about "anchoring the legal status of the Chief Rabbinate as a body that advises the government on matters of Jewish law and tradition."

"I hope you're not mad at me following my position on the kashrut fraud case," Weinstein told Israel's Chief Rabbi. "That was my position and I'm ready to talk about it again and explain."