Rebel rabbis seek break from Shmita rule
In a move that threatens to split the Chief Rabbinate, a group of religious Zionist rabbis rebelled against the state’s supreme rabbinic authority and announced Tuesday that they would set up an alternative kosher supervision apparatus during the shmita (sabbatical) year.
“If local rabbis refuse to recognize fruits and vegetables grown by Jewish farmers during the shmita year as kosher, then we will,” said Rabbi Rafi Freuerstein, chairman of the Tzohar organization.
“We believe it is important to strengthen Jewish farmers and Jewish agriculture and provide reasonably-priced produce to the Jewish nation,” he said.
“The Chief Rabbinate is not fulfilling its function as a rabbinic authority for the entire Jewish nation,” said Rabbi David Stav, a member of Tzohar, during a press conference Tuesday. “Rather, it has been taken over by Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and Lithuanian haredi interests. We are trying to save the Chief Rabbinate from itself.”
Members of the Chief Rabbinate’s governing council attacked Tzohar for undermining state-recognized rabbinic authority and risking a break between religion and state.
“If the rabbinate is dismantled as a result of internal fighting, we risk losing national recognition for rabbinic authority,” said Rabbi Ratzon Arussi, chief rabbi of Kiryat Ono and a member of the Chief Rabbinate’s governing council.
Rabbi Moshe Rauchverger, another council member, said that Tzohar threatened to break the rabbinate’s monopoly over religious services and open it up to Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism.
“If Tzohar starts providing kosher supervision, what is to stop Reform and Conservative from doing the same?” said Rauchverger.
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger, who is the supreme authority on issues of kosher supervision, declined to comment.
Metzger is under pressure from Lithuanian haredi rabbis to minimize the use of Jewish-grown produce during the shmita year.
Tzohar said it would provide kosher supervision in cities where the local rabbi was haredi and refused to provide kosher certificates to restaurants, supermarkets and other food-serving venues selling fruits and vegetables grown by Jewish farmers.
source: jpost
