Jerusalem (JTA) – Eucalyptus, a restaurant just outside the old town here, draws in diners by offering “authentic biblical dishes” made from ingredients and recipes found in the Bible.
The chef, Moshe Besson, has an unusual way of sourcing his food, thanks to some of the biblical-era herbs in the forests and fields around Jerusalem. So when he decided to certify the restaurant as kosher in 1997, he made special arrangements with Israel’s Head Rabbit that would allow him to find the herbs for himself instead of buying them from a certified merchant.
“I use ‘sheva minim,’ the seven species mentioned in the Bible, as well as all kinds of wild herbs,” Basson told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “I had a written agreement with Rabbit that I could continue to do so, as long as I checked them for bugs the way they instructed me.”
But other cooks began to complain that they weren’t allowed to use the products Besson was allowed to use. Eventually, three years ago, Chief Rabbit suspended his Kashrut certificate, and Besson began looking for other options.
He descended on Tzohar, a group of relatively moderate conservative rabbis who offer an alternative kosher certification service. When Besson asked Old Orthodox diners if they would accept Tzohar’s certification, he replied, “Half said yes and half said no.” The reaction of the young patrons was more enthusiastic.
“I went to each table with someone wearing a kippa and asked them if they would accept Tzohar Kashrut,” he said. “And almost everyone aged 20 to 50 said yes.”
Eucalyptus is one of more than 200 Israeli restaurants to have abandoned the main rabbinette’s kosher certification in favor of Tzohar. It is the latest sign that Jewish Israelis, who were divided into two broad camps of “religious” and “secular”, are now looking for more and more ways to practice their religion – many of them from the control of the main rabbinic. are out.
Now the increased diversity in kosher certification is getting government support. On Wednesday, Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana announced plans to reform Israel’s kosher certification system, effectively turning Chief Rabbit into a regulatory agency for private kosher certificates such as Tzohar — a role not previously held. has played.
Religious Affairs Matan Kahana speaks in the Knesset on June 28, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The Chief Rabbinet will continue to provide its kosher supervision to those restaurants that seek it. But private agencies like Tzohar will also get government recognition, and in those cases, the role of the main rabbinet will be shifted to ensuring that agencies are complying with a set of universal and transparent standards. The goal is to provide restaurants with a wider range of kosher certification options, while allowing those who wish to avoid direct contact with that opportunity.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, must approve the plan.
“Kosher Revolution will begin competing for kosher certification for the first time,” Kahana said in a statement. “This is a move that will improve kosher certification, streamline services, reduce prices and make the process easier for restaurants, hoteliers and the entire food industry.”
The main Rabbinet has pushed back against efforts to reform the certification system and has succeeded in making life difficult for its competitors. According to current Israeli law, Tzohar’s certificates cannot use the term “kosher” or its derivatives, which are specific to the main rabbit. Instead, a specific certificate will state that “All raw materials have been checked and approved by the Tzohar Rabbinic Organization.”
Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weiss, a member of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate Council, told JTA that certification of the Chief Rabbinate is the best way for a restaurant and its patrons to ensure they are eating kosher food.
“I come from England and I appreciate the tremendous superiority of the Israeli Rabbinet Kashrut over any organization that provides Kashrut around the world,” he said. “Obviously it’s legit and it’s part of the government, it’s a big advantage.”
Weiss said there are dozens of private certifiers, including Tzohar, who claim to offer Kashrut supervision but cannot be trusted.
“I wonder how many people have investigated the so-called kashruts of these various organizations claiming to give certification,” he said. “Nobody knows who they are or what they are. You wouldn’t think about it in any other situation, but when it comes to religion everyone thinks they can control it.
Despite decades of opposition from secular Israelis and repeated attempts by the government to curtail his power, Chief Rabbit maintains extensive control over Israel’s religious life. In addition to dominating kosher certification, the body has a monopoly on officially recognized marriage, divorce, and burial for Israeli Jews.
Representatives of Israel’s Chief Rabbit distribute kosher certificates at a local restaurant in central Jerusalem on December 31, 2019. (hadas man/flash90)
Tzohr, which claims more than 1,000 rabbis and teachers as members, has been a pioneer in offering an alternative to the strict policies of the main rabbinate or to conservative Israelis shut down by an insidious bureaucracy. It was founded in 1995 following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a Jewish extremist, and aims to dispel schism in Jewish society while offering a more accessible approach to Jewish society.
The organization also administers weddings, and because its rabbis have Orthodox ordination, those unions are recognized after the fact by the chief rabbis. Conversely, weddings performed by non-Orthodox rabbis, or by rabbis whose ordination is not recognized by the chief rabbi, do not receive official recognition and are technically illegal, although many Israelis opt for them anyway. Huh.
Tzohr offers free prayer services on Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur, when spots in the synagogue can be scarce, and has increased its kosher operations despite opposition from Chief Rabbit.
“Kashrut Tzohar has become a valid alternative, and the fact is we are increasing every week,” said Rabbi Oren Duvdevani, who is responsible for food supervision at Tzohar. “Just signed two new contracts today. If restaurants ask us about it, we say ‘ask your customers.'”
The organization employs 40 kashrut supervisors across the country – a third are women – and has five senior kashrut inspectors, including two women. None of the main rabbit’s supervisors are female.
While supervisors from the chief rabbinet come to the restaurant only to check that all rules are being followed, tzohar supervisors work in the kitchen. They check for worms in vegetables or rice that make the food non-kosher, and often also pee in chopping or cooking vegetables.
“We don’t know how long it will take, but we hope they make some changes to the law,” Duvadevani told JTA in an interview before announcing plans to reform certification. “But we also know that politicians sometimes have their limits on what they can do.”
The kosher certification scheme may be the first of several religious reforms adopted by the current government, not including a Haredi conservative party for the first time in six years. The largest party in the coalition, Yesh Atid, has long advocated a liberalization of religious rules, which polls indicate most Israelis will support.
According to surveys conducted by Hidush, an organization that advocates religious pluralism, a solid majority of Jewish Israelis want Israel to offer civil marriage and accept a wide range of Jewish conversions. In a 2020 survey, the Hindush found that only 11% of Jewish Israelis trust Chief Rabbit as an institution.
The restaurant owners, who are making a ruckus over the demands of the Chief Rabbinet, are seen taking action. Take the case of Cafe Kadosh, a Jerusalem bakery and restaurant established in 1967.
View of Cafe Kadosh Bakery in central Jerusalem on October 21, 2018. (hadas man/flash90)
Earlier this year, Chief Rabinette told the cafe that it would have to put stickers on its products saying they are dairy and triangle its croissants. The latter mandate was part of the main Rabbinette’s effort to establish a nationwide standard in which dairy pastries would be shaped as triangles to make them more recognizable.
“The rabbit started really bothering us,” owner Itzik Kadosh told JTA. “Everyone knows all our croissants are dairy. There’s no way I was going to change the size or put a sticker on it. I go to eat shawarma and there’s no sticker that says it’s meat .
After Kadosh publicly protested, the main rabbinet stripped the restaurant of its certification and launched a smear campaign on Facebook saying it was open on Shabbat, which was not true.
That’s when Kadosh decided to contact Tzohar. She said Tzohar’s female supervisor checked more than 300 of her products to make sure they were kosher. Tzohar kashrut costs 200 shekels a month more than the main rabbit, Kadosh said, but the supervisor spends three hours a day checking the flour and cleaning the vegetables. In addition, because the supervisor is an employee of Tzohar, not the restaurant, he does not have to pay his benefits.
Kadosh said his business has not suffered and that even Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox Jews, continue to patronize his restaurant.
“The rabbit behaved like a mafia,” he said. “Maybe people were afraid of him, but I refused to be blackmailed. I told him, “Okay, take my certificate. Tomorrow I will go to Tzohar.”