Can kosher food be treif?

Most laws of Kashrut (Jewish dietary law) are pretty straightforward. No pork, shellfish, or mixing milk and meat. Some are a bit more complicated. All of these laws are spelled out in the traditional Jewish codes.
 
There has always been some disagreement and controversy over certain products (e.g. swordfish, gelatin, rennet). Still other matters are a matter of custom or stringency (e.g. waiting time between dairy and meat, glatt).
 
But now we find ourselves in a somewhat new, some might call it a gray, area. Can a product that is certified as kosher actually be forbidden for consumption?
 
The Law Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly  in Israel (the organization of Masorti/Conservative rabbis) long ago ruled that one must avoid  the common procedure in Israel whereby prior to selling a lamb it is given excess water and food, so that its weight will increase and it will fetch a higher price.
 
The Rabbinical Assembly also declared that shackling and hoisting animals and/or utilizing pens that turn an animal upside down in preparation for slaughter violate the prohibition against causing suffering to animals.
 
Judaism instructs us regarding Tzar Baalei Chaim (Unnecessary cruelty to animals). Should this not be a factor in determining which food we may eat?

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Separate but equal: can 'Mehadrin' buses be OK?

There was a time, not so long ago, that "separate but equal" was an acceptable practice in the United States. The concept is quite simple: Communities would establish "colored only" facilities or services for blacks, with the quality of each group's public facilities were (supposedly) equal.
 
Of course the concept never worked, and the facilities of minorities were rarely equal. And even where the facility may have been identical, morality dictates that there be no discrimination based on color.
 
Now, here in Israel, it is women who are being told to go to the back of the bus - literally! Egged, the national/public bus company, has several lines where women must enter from the rear of the bus. Women pulling a "Rosa Parks" risk scorn, if not violence.
 
These so called "Mehadrin lines" (a term usually intended to convey strict adherence to Jewish law) are intended to serve a fervently Orthodox public that would prefer to ride in segregated seating.
 
Is this OK? Well, maybe it is. 
 
Jewish law does not demand segregation. The illustrious Rav Moshe Feinstein ruled that there is no Halachic requirement to have segregation of the sexes on  public transportation. But this does not necessarily mean that it has no place.

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Civil Unions in Israel - but not for you

I continue, despite nearly 22 years of living in Israel, to be flabbergasted at the (select any of the following adjectives) stupidity, naivete, incompetence, ignorance and close-mindedness of our Knesset members.
 
Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Knesset Law Committee where a bill to legalize civil unions was discussed. Such unions would grant couples most rights enjoyed by married couples.
 
Many countries have such a law. In some, it allows couples to choose this path rather than a traditional religious ceremony. In others it may be augmented by a ceremony. Still elsewhere, it provides a solution for those unable to marry under state law.
 
Here in Israel all marriage is religious (read: Orthodox for Jews). This means that two Jews may marry via the official rabbinate. Two Catholics may marry in the church. Muslims may also marry one another in their faith tradition.
 
But Israel has over 340,000 citizens unable to marry at all. Imagine, a democratic country where such a sizable portion of the population must travel to Cyprus, or elsewhere in the world, to be registered as a married couple. These are mostly citizens who immigrated under the Law of Return but who are not halachically Jewish (not Jews in the eyes of Jewish law). They may live as Jews in every way, but they were not born to a Jewish mother and conversion in Israel is, even when one is willing to be demeaned by the process, nearly impossible.
 
I do not favor intermarriage. I work hard to see that a Jew will choose to marry a Jew. But it is just silly, presuming you do not favor a theocracy, for intermarriage to be illegal (of course, that is, unless you have the money to fly to Cyprus for the day). But even more silly is that there is no way for those with no official religion to marry at all. There is also no way for same-sex couples to marry (Israel will register the unions of gay couples married in countries that provide for this). There is no way for one of the 340,000 who may fall in love with a classmate, or a fellow soldier serving in the IDF, to wed.

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Rosh Hashanah - A time for dreaming

I dream of the day when all parking lots will be open on Shabbat in Jerusalem - but nobody will want to use them.

I dream of a day when there will be no protests if drivers do decide to use them.

I dream of the day when we have a Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem who comes from the religious Zionist world - and she is able to serve all of the city's residents.

I dream of the day when religion will not be used as an excuse to avoid paying taxes or serving our country.

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To hell with logic

Let me ask for your help in following the logic behind the laws and policies by which conversions are accepted, or not, by the State of Israel.
 
If you are converted by a recognized Masorti/Conservative (or Reform) rabbi outside of Israel - you are entitled to Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.
 
If you are converted by an Orthodox rabbi in the US who is a member of the leading Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), you will not be recognized - unless the conversion is performed by the limited list selected by Israel's Chief Rabbinate.
 
If you are converted by Orthodox rabbis who have been ordained by Hovevei Torah (the new Modern Orthodox rabbinical school) you will be given the run-around and, until matters change, not be accepted.

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On riots, baby starving, and ways of Torah

Of Judaism, and of Torah, we are told "all of its ways are ways of pleasantness."

For the past three weeks we have seen something very different on the streets of Israel's capital, Jerusalem. Tires have been set on fire, trash bins have been set alight, and riots have broken out among the fervently Orthodox.

What brought on this trouble that has resulted in both property damage and physical damage? On the face of it, there were two separate events.

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Desperately Seeking a Chief Rabbi

Help Wanted:  The City of Jerusalem seeks two Chief Rabbis

Qualifications for one: male, Zionist, "able to embrace all elements of Jerusalem's diverse populace and connect the entire Jewish people to Jerusalem,  including secular Israelis who love Jerusalem and who serve in the army," according to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

Qualifications for the second: male, clothed in black, non-Zionist, intolerant, won't eat food under the hashgacha [supervision] of the Chief Rabbinate, intolerant of non-Orthodox streams and of secular Jews, against army service, related to another present or former chief rabbi.

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Gay Pride in the Holy City?!

Let's begin with the Biblical understanding that humankind was created in the image of God.

Let us add the Rabbinic claim that the whole Torah exists for the sake of peace (Gittin). Let us be reminded of Reb Nachman's prayer:

Let there be a truly great peace between every person and their fellow... and let there be no discord between people even in their hearts.

In nearly every city in the free world, we find an annual Gay pride parade. Sadly, there are repressive regimes that would not tolerate such a thing. But Israel is a democracy that allows for, in theory if not always in practice, free expression by its residents.This week, Jerusalem will host its annual Gay Pride event.

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Silly minister (of justice), tricks are for kids

MK Yaakov Neeman has a long and honored history for his service to the State of Israel. An accomplished attorney - he has served as justice minister and as finance minister. Once again, he occupies the position of Minister of Justice in the Netanyahu government.
 
But Neeman is a great manipulator. He has a brilliant way of twisting justice to meet his point of view and shunting aside those who have views with which he disagrees. He is a supreme illusionist.

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No Ayatollahs for Israel

Many years ago, shortly after the first McDonald's restaurant opened in Jerusalem, I spoke with a group of Jewish youth visiting from the States. They lamented the fact that the restaurant was not Kosher. This led to a discussion where over half of the participants felt that Israeli law should require restaurants - at least in western Jerusalem - to be Kosher. No Big Macs with cheese. "This is a Jewish State and the laws should reflect Jewish values and traditions," one opined. 
 
"If this is how you feel," I asked, "do you feel the laws ought to prohibit women from wearing pants in public, require married women to cover their hair, outlaw couples from holding hands in public, and punish homosexuality?"
 
"I am not a fanatic," he responded.

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