By Duvi Honig, Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce 

Thirty plus years ago, a smaller Jewish community could understand and bear the additional costs associated with producing Cholov Yisroel dairy products. The limited market justified the higher prices. But now, our thriving community, blessed with larger families, faces an unsustainable economic strain due to these inflated prices. While adhering to the mitzvah, we cannot allow these companies to capitalize on our religious devotion, profiting millions at the expense of our financial well-being.

As our community has grown exponentially over the past few decades, it is imperative for leading rabbinic authorities to address the pricing of Cholov Yisroel products.

This concern urgently requires the attention of leading rabbinic authorities to demand a reduction in pricing by at least 30%. The current cost structure, which places a heavy financial burden on our communities families who strive to observe the mitzvah of consuming Cholov Yisroel, must be reevaluated.

Historically, our rabbinic leaders have stood against such exploitations. Over a century ago in Europe, rabbinic authorities addressed the exorbitant cost of esrogim by ruling that only one esrog per community was necessary. More recently, a revered Rebbe urged his followers to boycott expensive shtreimels, emphasizing the importance of affordability over extravagance.

Currently, the disparity in pricing is staggering. A box of 12 chocolate ice cream popsicles at Aldi’s costs $2.47, while a box of 6 Ice Cream popsicles can cost between $8- $11 in a kosher store. This represents an unjustifiable markup that places undue financial pressure on our families. It is outrageous that a bag of kosher salad can cost as much as a piece of meat. These inflated prices exploit our commitment to maintain a kosher home and adhere to Cholov Yisroel standards.

Imagine a bag of kosher lettuce cost as much as a roast its pure insanity and unacceptable for us as a community to stay quiet about it.

If Rav Moshe Feinstein were alive today, I am confident he would take decisive action against these companies making excessive profits while burdening large families. Simple grocery shopping for a few yogurts, ice creams, cheeses, and two bags of salad can easily surpass $100, excluding other necessary Cholov Yisroel items. This is an extraordinary and unsustainable expense for our community especially those with large families.

There is a growing sentiment that Cholov Yisroel and bug free lettuce companies are essentially commodifying a Mitzvah, profiting millions at the expense of the devout members of our community.

We must unite and demand a 30% price reduction or boycott these companies lining their pockets with millions while taking undue advantage of the community — especially those with large families struggling to make ends meet.

Burdening Tomchei Shabbos is not a solution or fair to those organizations who try so hard to help large families be able to feed their families. we can remove stress from large families and make groceries more affordable for all and remove excess burden from our amazing communal organizations who need to raise millions more a year to make these companies more profitable.

It is incumbent upon us to call upon our rabbinic leaders to intervene in this matter.

We must urge them to promulgate a stance that will compel these profit-driven companies to reduce their prices. By doing so, we can reaffirm our commitment to fair practice, ensuring that every family can afford to fulfill their religious obligations without undue financial strain. Let us come together as a community, just as we have in the past, to address this pressing issue and protect the sanctity of our mitzvot from commercialization.

We extend our gratitude to Matzav.com for shedding light on this critical issue. The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce has long been aware of this concern, but it is the community’s voices that highlight its unsustainability. It is time for our leading rabbinic authorities to demand a reduction in the pricing of Cholov Yisroel products by at least 30% or boycott them. Our families deserve a fair opportunity to uphold their religious values without facing financial hardship.

The time for action is now. Let us unite and call upon our leaders to ensure that our community’s spiritual and economic needs are met fairly and justly.

{Matzav.com}