Chief Rabbinate Council rejects Tzohar kashrut license hours after issuance

The Chief Rabbinate Council stated on July 2 that it would not approve a kashrut authorization granted to Tzohar earlier that day. Officials said the approval had not gone through the council as required. Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services Yehuda Avidan demanded the authorization be revoked.

"The approval was granted unlawfully and did not go through the Chief Rabbinate Council as required," Avidan said.

Background on the authorization Director General of Israel's Chief Rabbinate Yehuda Cohen had granted the authorization earlier in the day. A statement from the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization said the decision followed years of efforts to establish Tzohar as a recognized certifying agency.

The Chief Rabbinate Council responded that its members had not been informed of the intent to grant the license. "In light of this, the Chief Rabbinate Council is not approving the license for the Tzohar organization at this stage," the council stated.

Tzohar response Tzohar issued a statement disputing the council's position.

The organization said the Director of the Religious Services Ministry has no authority over issuing kashrut certificates and that only the Director General of the Rabbinate can issue such licenses. "Hundreds of businesses with Tzohar certification, and hundreds of thousands of their customers, can already eat in places that are certified kosher by Tzohar with the authority and permission of the Chief Rabbinate, starting yesterday evening," the statement read.