Israel’s new government is often called “the government of change.” Admittedly, the ideological differences between its members have resulted in slow, often plodding change. On the other hand, when it comes to matters of religion and state, the changes being introduced could run deep. The main reason for this is the absence of any ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition. These parties have a long track record of interfering with any reforms or changes on issues like conversion, opening the economy on the Sabbath, and so on. Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman has, in fact, taken steps to incorporate ultra-Orthodox men in the workforce.
The new Minister of Religious Affairs Matan Kahana, a former fighter pilot, is a religious man and a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party, which tries to give voice to the moderate wing of the religious Zionist movement. One month after assuming office, Kahana introduced a reform to rules concerning kosher certification services for businesses, which had been dominated exclusively by the Chief Rabbinate until now.
Kosher certification is one of the most prominent legislative issues in Israel because of the impact it has on the lives of all citizens. Most restaurants and businesses dealing with food request kosher certification, so that they can serve the religious population. Actually, most Jews who define themselves as “traditional” also prefer to purchase food at shops and restaurants with official kosher certification. Even some hotels in popular tourist destinations like the United Arab Emirates have arranged for kosher certification that meets the standards of religious and traditional Jews.
The problem is that the Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over kosher certification has tarnished the kosher certification process, opening it up to inefficiency, a bloated bureaucracy and even claims over corruption. As such, it has been criticized repeatedly by the State Comptroller. Perhaps the worst case of this was the State Comptroller’s Report of 2017, which called for a thorough investigation of the system.
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