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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

High Court sets Tuesday deadline in Tzohar kashrut-license dispute

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • Israel's High Court of Justice has given the state until Tuesday to respond to Tzohar Kashrut's newly issued license as an official kashrut-certifying body.
  • The license, granted last week by the Chief Rabbinate director-general, was quickly challenged by senior officials within the Chief Rabbinate and the Religious Services Ministry.
  • Tzohar Kashrut argues it received the license from the legally empowered official after years of delay and has already begun relying on it, while opponents question the administrative process and required approvals.

A dispute has erupted over Tzohar Kashrut's newly issued license to operate as an official kashrut-certifying body in Israel, prompting intervention from the High Court of Justice. The court has set a deadline for the state to respond to the license, which was granted last week by Chief Rabbinate director-general Yehuda Cohen, ending a years-long effort by Tzohar to enter the official certification market.

significant questions have arisen over the administrative process that led to the license.

— Yaakov OferChief Rabbinate legal adviser, in a letter to Tzohar Kashrut, raising concerns about the licensing process.

However, the approval was swiftly challenged by senior officials within the Chief Rabbinate and the Religious Services Ministry. Chief Rabbinate legal adviser Yaakov Ofer sent a letter to Tzohar stating that "significant questions" had arisen over the administrative process, warning that reliance on the license "may raise a difficulty." The letter did not revoke or suspend the license but indicated it was under review.

the authorization had no legal validity because it lacked the approval of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which he said was required by law.

— Yehuda AvidanReligious Services Ministry director-general, questioning the legal standing of Tzohar's license.

Religious Services Ministry director-general Yehuda Avidan further argued that the authorization lacked legal validity without the approval of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which he claimed is legally required. The council's secretary, Rafael Frank, stated that the council had not been informed in advance and had not received the necessary documentation to provide its position within the legal 30-day timeframe.

it had not been informed in advance, had not received Cohen’s reasoned decision or the underlying material, and therefore was not approving the license at that stage.

— Rafael FrankSecretary of the Chief Rabbinate Council, explaining the council's position on the license approval.

Tzohar Kashrut, through its lawyers, responded by asserting that it had received the license from the officially empowered authority after years of delays and High Court rulings. The organization stated it had already acted upon the license, invested in preparations, and issued updated certificates to businesses under its supervision. Tzohar's counsel accused the rabbinate of years of foot-dragging and noncompliance with the law, arguing that any attempt to cancel the license must follow proper legal procedures.

It requires no small degree of audacity for the rabbinate’s legal adviser to send such a warning.

— Tzohar's counselResponding to the rabbinate's warning letter, accusing them of foot-dragging.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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