Thread by @modernhomesla

Israel's KosherMob

Ultra-Orthodox or Haredim
largely shun modern society.

4 decades,
Israeli govts
accorded them autonomy
in exch 4 their leaders’
support in parliament
+ subsidizing lifestyle
favoring Torah study over employment
w welfare payments.

archive.md/C6keq

Per-child welfare payments
support large Haredi families.

Ultra-Orthodox or Haredim
tend 2 have large families.
Ex: The Shinfelds
10 children + 30 grandchildren.

U feeling the KosherMob yet?

Where's Ron + Fancy Reagan
when we need 'em?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤓

They also very ANTI-vaxx⚰️
2-9

Is Mob Kosher?

“A complete collapse of values”
United Torah Judaism poli alliance.
“A cornerstone of
estab of Jewish state
has fallen,”
ultra-Orthodox Shas party.

One rabbi said allowing
women like Meckler
2B inspectors amounted 2
“sexual immorality.”

washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…

Israel’s new governing coalition,
which doesn't incl ultra-Orthodox parties,
moves 2 loosen ultra-Orthodox
*grip on food certification

+ other relig + soc policies:
- bans on Sabbath transit
- exemptions 4 ultra-Orthodox men
from military service.

archive.md/ftYRg

Existential threat <== lolol
Ultras snd nutters.

Neither Meckler nor
her bosses at Tzohar,
a pluralistic Jewish org,
belong 2 ultra-Orthodox Jewish community
that has held a *monopoly on
the official system of
'kosher certification' 4 decades.

archive.md/ftYRg

Under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s govt,
the kosher certificates granted by
alternative inspectors
such as Meckler
will soon carry same authority as
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate,
an office long dominated by
the ultra-Orthodox.

washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…

Bennett’s coalition
taken up legislation,
in part, would give Jews
other than ultra-Orthodox
say over
- whether converts 2 Judaism
have right 2 marry
- whether women will B allowed
more freedom of worship
at Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

archive.md/ftYRg

An agreement among lawmakers
2 ease restrictions on
women worshiping at the Western Wall
was originally negotiated in 2016,
only 2B sidelined by Netanyahu
at request of his ultra-Orthodox partners.
washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…

New regulations
have cut child-care subsidies
4 children of religious scholars.
Almost 1/2 of all ultra-Ortho men
opt 4 full-time study
in religious schools,
known as yeshivas,
instead of employment.

Their families have grown dependent
on govt subsidies.
archive.md/ftYRg

Minority Rules

Ultra-Orthodox or Haredim
as they are known in Hebrew,
make up about 13% of Israel’s pop.
But have gained outsize influence
over social + religious policy
bc their political parties
repeatedly provided seats
needed 4 would-be PMs
2 secure majority in parliament.

"Like a guaranteed contract from the govt."

Estimated 2/3 of Jewish Israelis
keep kosher 2 some degree.
Many don’t adhere 2 strict standards.

Retailers pay >$100M/yr
2 relig councils
whose inspects spend almost 6.5M hrs
making sure food, pans, pantries + ovens
R in compliance.

Most of those payments equaling $100M
go 2 ultra-Orthodox,
making enforcement of kashrut,
the body of Jewish laws pertaining,
among other things,
2 dietary practices
an important revenue stream.
archive.md/ftYRg

Voopsies

Monopoly system
has grown too expensive
+, in some cases, corrupt.

Tales of inspectors demanding
cases of produce or
free hotel rooms R common.

washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…

Head of Chief Rabbinate’s kashrut division
indicted on bribery charges in 2020
after being videotaped
accepting envelopes of cash <===
from food importers.
washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…

They're all about the Kosher... 🤑

Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen Arazi,
the exclusive authority
4 granting kashrut approval 2 imported food
indicted 4 bribery over several yrs.

Mob ===>
Rabbi Arazi took cash
in return 4 bypassing supervision procedures.
5-12-2020
jpost.com/israel-news/he…

In 1 video
rabbi Arazi seen counting bills.

In another video,
an importer tucks roll of bills
N2 rabbi Arazi's shirt pocket
+ asked him if he accepts checks
4 his son’s wedding.
5-12-2020
jpost.com/israel-news/he…

Minority Rules

Israel authorizes Chief Rabbinate
2 indict companies 4 Kashrut fraud.

Justice Ministry now allows the rabbinate
2 take criminal action
against entities that break laws
associated with it.

2-19-2020
archive.md/dXJDf

About [3] years ago
the Chief Rabbinate
asked Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit
4 auth 2 handle such cases itself,
*claiming lengthy legal proceedings
create loophole
businesses take advantage of
+ compromises deterrent effect of law.
2-19-20
archive.md/dXJDf

The law prohibits food businesses
from “presenting in writing
the restaurant is kosher
unless it has been granted a
kashrut certificate,”
+requires businesses that have such a certificate
“not serve or sell products
that R not kosher by Torah law.”
2-19-20
archive.md/dXJDf

Sr Rabbinate member, a rabbi,
received various benefits
other than money
in return 4 advancing Rabbinate proceedings.

"police announced
they had found 100s of 1,000s of shekels
in the suspects' houses."

8-13-2018
archive.md/38zE1

Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger
charged w taking bribes of
> 8M shekels ($2M),
as well as theft, fraud, breach of trust,
conspiring 2 commit a crime
+ money laundering. <===

His personal driver,
Haim Eisenstadt,
served as middleman
4 most of bribes.

3-11-2016
archive.md/LDC3N

Rabbi Yona Metzger
went 2 prison... 4.5 yrs

In 2013, while chief rabbi,
a fraud investigation was opened.
Metzger later pleaded guilty
2 number of corruption charges,
was tried + convicted,
+ after plea bargain was rejected,
he served prison time.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yona_Metz…