HaRav Michah Halevy, the Rav of Petach Tikvah and the Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Ateres Nechemia, a Dati Leumi yeshivah, slammed the government’s kashrus reforms two days after meeting with Religious Affairs Matan Kahana. Speaking at the Ichud Rabbanei HaTzionot HaDatit conference on Thursday, Rav Halevi, one of Israel’s leading Dati Leumi Rabbanim, first addressed the government’s disparaging behavior toward the Rabbanut, saying that the Rabbanut and city Rabbanim connect Israeli Jews with kedushah. “Every Jew in Israel, even before he uses the Rabbanut for practical matters – just the fact that there’s a Rabbanut and a city Rav enables him to feel connected to the kedushah of the Torah.” “How is it that we’re not crying?”, he said in a choked voice. “Speaking disparagingly against the Rabbanut is a strike against the heart of every Jew. Criticism needs to be said with a goal of correcting and not destroying.” Rav Halevi then spoke at length about the kashrus reforms, saying that the reforms are not based on halacha. “The shita requires the presence of a Mashgiach from the Rabbanut – without the local Rabbanut, the private hechsherim are not in accordance with halacha! The shita that the reforms propose is not halachic, it’s a non-kosher shita.” “I fully identify with the position of the Moetzet HaRabbanut HaReishit and the majority of all Rabbanei Yisrael that it’s halachically assur to cooperate with the kashrus reforms.” “When you want to fix something you don’t trample on it and speak against it and you don’t create something that is fundamentally tainted.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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