Jerusalem – The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Magistrates Court convicted Rabbi Avraham Yosef, son of late Chief Rabbi and Shas Party founder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, of violating public trust for allegedly using his position as chief rabbi of Holon to further the interests of a family-run kosher oversight organization.
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Yosef was charged in 2015 of using his position as Holon Chief Rabbi to ensure preferential treatment for the Beit Yosef oversight body, at the expense of other kashrut authorities in the city.
“The Badatz Beit Yosef [a private kosher food oversight organization with close links to the Shas Party] is a private business that was founded by the defendant’s father and is closely identified with the accused and his family. The accused has a clear personal economic interest in the success of the Badatz Beit Yosef. The accused’s actions helped further the Badatz Beit Yosef. This harmed other kosher oversight groups and struck a blow to the public interest,” said Justice Tzachi Uziel.
“Business owners in Holon and Or Akiva have been forced to purchase Badatz Beit Yosef kashrut (kosher food) certificates [rather than oversight certificates from other organizations].”
The ruling prompted a furious response from Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas), a long-time confidant of the late rabbi and standard bearer of the party he created. Deri said the ruling was timed to distract attention from the party’s appeal of a High Court of Judgement ruling to allow grocery stores and kiosks in Tel Aviv on Shabbat.
Meat restaurants here have one of 2 hechscherim: Machpud or Beit Yosef. Anything else doesn’t stand a chance, which is a problem for.Ashkenazim and some of them don’t use Machpud. It’s all money & politics and the consumer suffers because the monopoly is fixed. Perhaps the courts here would look into unfair business practices… oh, but wait! Our heilige Mayor, Moshe Abutbol, is a member of Shas. Forget it!
Rabbonim have figured out every possible angle to squeeze a dollar from each Mitzvah, the Yosef family have elevated this corruption to an artform.
Machpud is the only schita not using a heter for זְּרועַ לְּחָיַיִם וְקֵּיבָה so their kashrus for beef is #1 .
Eidah charedis relies on a very old heter. If you hold by that, good for you.
Machpud is Teiman, not sfardi.
Nobdy is more machpid than machpud.
The treifa medina rshoyim ym’sh had do something that would stick. The tried more hypocrisy but got no place.
Beit Yosef oversight body is a group that gives hechers to questionable products, such as Jack Daniel’s Honey, which is just one product that the US hecher bodies, OU, OK, StarK do not recommend, yet the Beit Yosef, a local Israeli group gives them a hechser!
Stay away from products with their hechsher, they seem to use lenience that no one else will do!