Every ten years Israel, as well as many other countries, carries out a population census. Many questions are asked in an effort to obtain information about the citizens.
 
Regular surveys are a part of everyday life. Some are to determine political leanings, educational, culinary preferences, television viewing habits and more.
 
Recently I received a call from a polling organization asking me, among other questions, to categorize my religious leanings. I was given three choices: Dati (religious), masorti (traditional), and secular.
 
Wow! How to respond? Secular I am not. The word "masorti" as opposed to the "Masorti" (Conservative) Movement would describe the legions of Jews who, say, may attend synagogue on Shabbat morning and then drive to the soccer game. Or those who, say, do not watch television on Shabbat unless it is a really important game. That too is not me. The third option is Dati.  Indeed I observe Shabbat, keep the dietary laws, put on Teffilin each morning. By most objective measures I would be "Dati." But in Israel "Dati"[religious] is just another word for "Orthodox." I do not want to be counted in a survey as Orthodox.  Indeed one can be Reform, Conservative/Masorti, or even non-observant (Chofshi) and at the same time be a religious person. So answering this question presents a dilemma.
 
Last week I was asked by a co-worker, "Do you only drink Kosher wine." Another tough question to answer. If the wine were not Kosher I would not, of course, drink it. Yet, I have in my home, several bottles of wine that have "Not Kosher" printed on the label. Now what makes them non kosher? Do they combine the wine with pig's blood? Of course not. (And here I will not get into wine that is produced for pagan religious use or even wine produced by non-Jews. This is a whole separate Halachic discussion). What the person could have asked was "Do you drink wine that is produced without Hashgacha (Rabbinic Kashrut supervision)? To that I could have responded in the affirmative.
 
A small boutique vineyard approached the Masorti Movement to inquire about Hashgacha. Several rabbinic colleagues visited the winery which produces about ten thousand bottles each year. There are but three employees - two brothers and their father. The process of producing the wine is almost entirely automated, making direct human contact with the wine unnecessary. 
 
In order to obtain Hashgacha from the official Rabbanut the family would have to incur the following cots. There would be an up front payment of thousands of dollars for the Kashrut symbol of the Rabbinate. There would need to hire two Mashgichim (Kashrut supervisors). Why two? One for working hours and one for all other times. You see, if the owner were to, say, leave his keys by mistake in the office, the second Mashgiach would be available to open the place. The owner would not be permitted in on his own.
 
In addition, the brothers and father would have to give way to"“religious" workers. The Rabbanut would not permit non-Orthodox to be involved in the production of the wine. That means a total of five new salaries and the fee for the symbol.
 
But it would not stop there. Many Jews who drink wine under rabbinic supervision will not rely on Israel's official Rabbinate. Those standards are just too lax to be trusted. So there would be a need for an additional payment for yet an additional level of fervently Orthodox supervision.
 
All of this would price the ten thousand bottles out of reach for many consumers and put the winery out of business.
 
A couple of years back an acquaintance opened a sushi restaurant in Jerusalem. He was raised in an observant home and his place was Kosher (closed on Shabbat). It did not have Hashgacha. The Rabbanut insisted on a particular rice which the restaurateur felt would lead to an inferior product. Rather than compromise on the quality of his food he elected to go without supervision. If asked, is the restaurant Kosher? - it would be complicated to provide an answer. Indeed it was Kosher. But to most people that means under Rabbinic supervision.
 
So while some questions may seem easy they can really require complex or nuanced answers.
 
My favorite restaurant in Jerusalem serves Indian food in a private home. It has no Rabbinic supervision. On the Web site it sates: "Kashrut based on trust."
 
Now that I understand.