Israeli Parliament Repeals Knesset Member Matan Kahana's Controversial Kosher Reform

The Israeli Knesset approved in a dramatic vote during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday the repeal of the kosher certification reform introduced in 2021 by former Minister of Religious Services Matan Kahana. The bill to annul the reform, championed by Knesset Member Michael Malchieli, passed with 46 votes in favor and 41 against.

Malchieli, who led the effort to cancel the reform, expressed satisfaction, stating, "We succeeded in correcting the Kahana reform that threatened to breach the walls of kosher certification in the Holy Land." He emphasized that the new legislation will bring significant and historic improvements to kosher supervision, strengthen the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and local rabbis, regulate the employment of kosher supervisors, and reduce the cost of living for Israeli citizens.

The original 2021 reform had allowed private kosher certification bodies to operate alongside the Chief Rabbinate, with certification standards set by rabbis not necessarily public officials. This privatization sparked strong opposition from the Chief Rabbinate and leading rabbis, who argued that kosher certification must remain a public service to ensure transparency, objectivity, and public responsibility, avoiding conflicts of interest in the food industry.

The new law rescinds the provisions enabling private kosher bodies and reaffirms that the authority to grant kosher certification rests with the Chief Rabbinate Council, authorized local rabbis, and the military rabbinate. It also formalizes standards for kosher supervision, including separating supervisors from the entities they oversee.

Chief Rabbi Kalman Bar supported the repeal, criticizing the previous reform's impact on kosher certification reliability. During committee discussions, an amendment was accepted allowing religious councils, not only private corporations, to issue kosher certificates, enabling figures like Rabbi Shlomo Amar to continue certification through the Jerusalem Religious Council without forming separate entities.

This legislative change marks a significant victory for traditional religious authorities and reflects ongoing tensions over kosher certification governance in Israel.