Chief Rabbinate Legal Advisor Rules Kashrut License to Tzohar Organization Invalid

The legal advisor to Israel's Chief Rabbinate declared on Tuesday that the license granted to the Tzohar organization to provide kosher certification was issued unlawfully and therefore holds no validity or authority. This ruling follows the Chief Rabbinate's announcement last Thursday, which officially authorized Tzohar Rabbis to grant kosher certification to businesses, similar to other kosher certification bodies. Tzohar, comprising hundreds of rabbis from the Religious Zionist community, aims to make religious services more accessible to the broader society.

The legal advisor's letter was sent on the same day as the Chief Rabbinate's announcement and was met with immediate opposition. Yehuda Avidan, Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services, demanded the decision be revoked, stating that the license was granted illegally and did not receive the required approval from the Chief Rabbinate Council. The dispute over the license occurs amid ongoing tensions between Yehuda Cohen, Director General of the Chief Rabbinate, and Yehuda Avidan of the Ministry of Religious Services. Cohen is set to leave his position in two weeks, and the license approval for Tzohar is widely seen as a retaliatory move against the Ministry and Avidan, who is affiliated with the Shas party and opposes granting the license to Tzohar.