More than three years after the current coalition came to power, the Knesset on Tuesday evening approved in a preliminary reading legislation that would reverse the controversial kashrus reform enacted under former Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana.

The bill passed its first reading by a vote of 49-34 and now heads to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for further deliberations. Despite clearing its first hurdle, it remains unclear whether supporters will be able to complete the legislative process before the Knesset dissolves and Israel heads to elections.

The proposal has become a source of frustration among some figures in the chareidi parties, who questioned why the legislation was not advanced earlier during the coalition’s tenure.

“We failed not only in passing the draft law and regulating the status of yeshiva students; we failed on many religion-and-state laws that were critical to us,” senior sources in the chareidi factions said in recent days. “What is the explanation for the fact that this law was not brought to a vote three years ago, two years ago, or even one year ago? Why wait until the last minute, when there may not be enough time to complete the legislation? It is a failure.”

The bill seeks to dismantle key components of Kahana’s reform, which opened the kashrus market to private certification bodies. Under the new proposal, authority to issue kashrus certificates would once again be concentrated in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate Council, authorized local rabbanim, and the Military Rabbinate, where applicable.

In addition to restoring the previous framework, the legislation would establish updated regulations governing kashrus standards, the operation of agencies involved in kashrus supervision, and oversight of the certification system.

During the Knesset debate, Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni emphasized the need for professionalism and public confidence in kashrus supervision.

“On the issue of kashrus, there must be professionalism,” Gafni said. “This matter needs to be corrected in an orderly manner. There are things that need fixing. We are asking for a professional discussion so that when a product carries a kashrus certification, the kashrus should be genuine.”

The explanatory notes accompanying the bill argue that Kahana’s reform effectively privatized the kashrus system by allowing private certification organizations to provide supervision and issue certificates based on standards established, in part, by rabbanim who are not public employees.

According to the bill’s sponsors, the Chief Rabbinate Council and the chief rabbis who led it strongly opposed the reform because they believed the unique nature of kashrus supervision requires it to remain a public service rather than a private enterprise.

The explanatory notes state that maintaining public control over kashrus helps preserve transparency, objectivity, and accountability. Supporters of the repeal argue that removing certification from direct public oversight could expose the system to significant economic pressures from the food industry, potentially creating conflicts of interest and allowing outside considerations to influence kashrus standards and enforcement.

Whether the legislation ultimately becomes law may depend on the political calendar, with supporters racing against the possibility of early elections before the bill can complete its remaining readings in the Knesset.