Knesset repeals 2021 kashrut reform, restores Rabbinate control over certification

The Knesset has repealed the 2021 kashrut reform, restoring the Chief Rabbinate's control over official kashrut certification. The amendment, passed by a 46-41 vote, blocks private bodies from issuing official certificates, returning this authority to the Chief Rabbinate Council, authorized local rabbis, and the Military Rabbinate. This move reverses the 2021 reform's aim to introduce competition and separate regulatory and certification functions, a market that never fully materialized due to delays.

Kashrut is not a business. Kashrut is a state responsibility.

Shas chairman Arye Deri stated, emphasizing the return of kashrut to its "natural place" under the Chief Rabbinate. The new law also addresses the conflict of interest where kashrut supervisors were paid directly by businesses, by mandating their employment through religious councils or local authorities. Critics, like Tani Frank of the Shalom Hartman Institute, argue this will deepen the Rabbinate's monopoly, hurt consumers, and transfer substantial costs to the public sector. The repeal's impact on Tzohar, a private kashrut organization, is ongoing, with a High Court hearing scheduled for November 2 regarding its previously issued license to operate as an official certifying body.