Jerusalem – Israel’s Sephardic Chief Rabbi: Relying Exclusively On Eda Charedis ‘Hechsher’ Is Madness

Jerusalem – Taking aim at the Eda Charedis, a powerful and respected rabbinic authority in Israel came out with a public endorsement of Rabbanut kashrus, categorizing it as excellent and reliable in almost all circumstances.

Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, Israel’s Sephardic chief rabbi, made the remarks during a recent lecture as reported by Kikar HaShabbat (http://bit.ly/2Y1Y9S3).

“I don’t know why it is considered to be not good,” said Rabbi Yosef. “The Rabbanut is very good, what is this all about? I am there and I see what goes on and even the ritual slaughter of chickens is excellent.”

Rabbi Yosef told one story of a Charedi man who was in jail and insisted that he relied only on the Eda Charedis’ standards of kashrus. The matter was brought to Rabbi Yosef who ruled that there was no reason to supply him with Eda Charedis-approved fare.

“I wrote that they should bring him only Rabbanut,” said Rabbi Yosef. “He was such a virulent Charedi. Rabbanut wasn’t good enough for him.”

The chief rabbi’s endorsement of the Rabbanut’s kashrus supervision stopped short of one area – meat products.

“With meat it is better to be more stringent,” said Rabbi Yosef. “But with everything else, the Rabbanut is excellent. There is some kind of madness in kashrus, as if the Eda Charedis has descended from the heavens.”