A prominent kashrus expert has issued a sharp warning against efforts by the Tzohar rabbinical organization to establish an independent kashrus certification system in Israel, arguing that such a move could undermine the existing national framework.

Speaking Monday night in an interview with Avi Mimran on the program Hamehadura Hamerkazit, Rav Yochanan Reichman strongly criticized Tzohar’s petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice seeking permission to issue kashrus certificates without the approval of the Chief Rabbinate. According to Rav Reichman, the very act of asking the court to serve as an independent regulator raises serious concerns. “The very appeal to the High Court to act as its own regulator raises questions and red flags,” he said, adding that even the strictest badatz organizations operate in coordination with the Rabbinate.

Rav Reichman argued that attempts to create an alternative kashrus structure built on halachic leniencies are fundamentally flawed. “To base kashrus on bedieved, on shaas hadechak, on heterim—that is not how you run a system. No one begins with Plan B,” he said. As an illustration, he recounted a story about the renowned Yerushalmi tzaddik Rav Dovid Baharan, who once wept when he was forced to rely on a halachic bedieved ruling.

According to Rav Reichman, a proper kashrus system must be established from the outset on the highest lechatchila standards, with leniencies used only in rare and pressing situations.

During the interview, the discussion compared the national kashrus framework to other state institutions such as the military and the healthcare system. Rav Reichman warned that dismantling the centralized structure could lead to chaos. “Tomorrow everyone will set up his own army, his own hospital. That would be destruction,” he said. “You would be taking an institution that has stood for years with the backing of the gedolei Yisroel and destroying it.”

He pointed to the Military Rabbinate as an example of a successful state-run religious institution and questioned why Tzohar was not pursuing cooperation with the Chief Rabbinate in the same way other private kashrus bodies do.

Toward the end of the conversation, Rav Reichman addressed Tzohar chairman Rav Dovid Stav personally, saying that while he knows him and recognizes his positive character, he is surprised by the direction the organization has taken professionally.

“I say to Tzohar: be like everyone else. Don’t try to damage the kashrus of Am Yisroel,” Reichman said.

Host Avi Mimran concluded the discussion by noting that the issue will now move to deliberations in both the High Court and the Knesset, where it will be decided whether the Chief Rabbinate’s authority over kashrus certification will remain intact or whether the system will open to broader competition.

Religious and political leaders are closely watching the developments, as a ruling by the High Court could significantly reshape the kashrus landscape for restaurants and food establishments across Israel. Supporters of the initiative argue it could lower prices and improve service, while critics like Rav Reichman warn it could weaken the halachic integrity of the country’s established kashrus system.

{Matzav.com}