[RBS] re JPost article about Haagen Daaz

[Phil'n'Chanie Rosenfelder]

The article in the Jpost about Haagen Daaz left out some important
information  (and if anyoen knows how we can get this to the post,
please let me know) :

1.  any store that has a hechsher FOR THE ENTIRE store is NOT ALLOWED
to sell anything that does not have a rabbanut hechsher  or ishur (for
imported items).  This , of course, makes perfect sense.  If a
supermarket has a hechsher, then the customer knows that every thing
on the shelves is kosher,according to the standards of the
organization that gives the hechsher.  This is something that
basically only exists (as far as I know) in Israel.  (NOTE: there are
some very popular stores here in beit shemesh that do NOT have a
hechsher from the rabbanut on the entire store)

2.  By Israeli law, only products / stores bearing a kashrut
certificate from the Rabbanut can use the word Kosher - this is to
prevent all sorts of non-Orthodox organizations from claiming kashrut,
but it also means that ALL mashgihim that use the word Kosher are tied
to one basic standard (minimum, many have "mehadrin" status, adn that
also has a set standard) and that all teh mashgihim are in touch with
each other adn with the import division, as well as with the Office
for Preventing Fraud in Kashrut (run by Rav Rafi Yohai, email:"Yohai"
<achifa at rabbinate.gov.il> ).

3.  The rabbanut is possek differently than the OU , sometimes
"l'kula" (gelatin) and sometimes "l'humra" (hadash, halav yisrael,
bishul yisrael).  When there is a mahloket and the rabbanut standard
is meikel, they will make sure that the kula is mentioned next to the
hechsher (look at mentos, next to teh hechsher , it says "contains
gelatin".  same for "avkat halav nochri").

4.  regarding Halav Yisrael, the psak is different for milk powder
than for liquid milk.  At the bottom of  this email are links to two
articles explaing the difference in psak that were published in one of
the best resources on modern halacha - T'humin, an annual Machon
Tzomet publication.

5.  most chain supermarkets have a rabbaunt hechsher onteh whoel store
- you can see it next to teh kupa rashit, in addition to a hechsher
for each department .   Look for this before you buy packaged goods in
a store if you don't want to have to check each and every packaged
item.

6.  The rabbanut office for enforcing the laws against fraud in
kashrut sends out updates regularly to all mashgihim and rabbanei arim
, and tells them if a food has been imported adn cannot be sold in
"kosher" stores.  While individual people may choose to eat these
foods becasue they "go by" the OU, the rabbanut has an obligation to
keep to its own standards

7.  none of this is new.  There are brands of canned salmon that have
been taken off the shelves in supermarkets, despite having an OU,
because of rabbanut psak about bishul yisrael.  Cheerios, Pringles adn
other american products with flour will not have anishur if they are
manufactured after certain dates because of Haddash - last year we saw
quaker squares that did not have an ishur, and instead had a note from
the importer sying "hashash hadash ad 23 Nissan".
Haagen Daaz does not meet Rabbanut standards, and therefore, the
rabbanut has to take it off the shelves in stores that have their
hechsher.

8.  Is one obligated to take on the piskei halacha of the rabbanut
when one makes aliya?  Good question.  After all, when our
grandparents moved to Canada, they took on the COR as their kashrut
organizations, with no "but we did it differently in poland,
hungary... "  Even here, for the most part, each of us adopted a rav
and ask him all our questionss, andd don't call  our old rav from
golus - certainly this was the case when i made aliya and phone calls
cost the earth and there was no email.
On the other hand, there is no sanhedrin yet, adn therefore, no
rabbanut or moetzet rabbanim has the halachic status that is
"m'hayev".  THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO REALIZE,  because it is
ONLY A SANHEDRIN whose psak has the halachic status of "lo tasuru
mikol asher yomru lachem".   (Anyone else using that "halacha" in our
days is simply incorrect, no matter how wonderful their rav is. )
So, everyone has to choose their rav and their psak, and decide for
themselves if they will eat Haagen Daaz (or imported flavours of Ben &
Jerry's, etc), but one cannot complain that the rabbanut does not
approve of something which, by their psak, they CANNOT approve.

9. mistakes happen (and importers sometimes forge ishurim), and anyone
who sees a food item with a rabbanut ishur and has a question is
always invited to write to Rav Rafi Yohai (again , his email is
"Yohai" <achifa at rabbinate.gov.il>).

rav bakshi doron on the policy of the rabbanut on milk, powdered milk,
etc - and why, incl some sources
http://www.zomet.org.il/?CategoryID=258&ArticleID=274

and rav veitman of tnuva has an article in tehumin vol 22, page 455
(not available online besides the contents)
(we do have all of thumin on disk somewhere)