The kashrut reform is coming to an end:
after discussions and deliberations, along with harsh statements and public outcry, the Religious Services Committee has ended up engaging in a reform that, according to Minister of Religions Matan Kahana, is expected to revolutionize the field.
"Israel Today" has reached the final version of the reform, which will now be approved according to the plan under the Arrangements Law in the second and third readings in the Knesset.
According to the plan, with the approval of the Arrangements Law, kosher areas will be opened, and the religious councils will be able to provide kosher services throughout the country, as agreed in the coalition agreements.
This means, for example, that Rabbi David Satyu, rabbi of the locality of Shoham, will also be able to provide kosher food in Eilat, which will make it easier and more open to provide kosher food in cities where a conservative rabbi serves.
The coming year will be a transition period, during which the Minister of Religions will establish the system in charge of kashrut in the Chief Rabbinate, install the regulations required for reform, and kashrut bodies will be able to begin obtaining a license to issue a kosher certificate.
On January 1, 2023, in a little over a year, private kosher bodies will be able to start providing kosher services for the first time and compete in the religious councils.
In the reform, the route of the three rabbis remains, which will allow the establishment of alternative kosher bodies, without the approval of the Chief Rabbinate.
This means that three rabbis with the qualification of a mayor, one of whom has served as an actual mayor, will be able to establish a body that will provide a kosher certificate.
Reform bodies have demanded in recent weeks to amend the route so that it will also allow them to provide kosher certificates, but in a meeting with the director general of the Ministry of Religions it was made clear to them that the minister outright denied any attempt to make changes to the reform.
Along with this route, it was decided to allow city rabbis and religious councils to continue to provide kosher services according to criteria determined by the Minister of Religions, among other things - proof that they have the manpower and are able to provide kosher services outside their city.
This is a decision that may provide city and council rabbis happy about the reform in the past, as it has so far denied them the option to give kosher.
This amendment, it seems, will allow them to continue to provide kosher services as they have been accustomed to until now, alongside opening up the market to competition.
The Ministry of Religions noted that MKs Avi Maoz, Yaakov Asher and Uri Maklev were involved in the committee's deliberations, and introduced amendments to the reform.
Another revolution that has entered the reform, and may help lower the cost of living, is a green route for training bodies that will allow services to be provided without further regulation by the rabbinate.
This means that a private kosher body will be able to approve kosher products from abroad, thus facilitating the issue of imports. "We have opened the kosher market to competition, and the rabbinate will continue to monitor," said Minister Kahana.