A shipment of 150 tons of kosher meat from the United States has been held up in Israel, it was reported here today. Chief Rabbinate circles said that “certain conditions of halacha”–Jewish religious law–must be fulfilled before the import of kosher meat from abroad is approved. While these conditions were not spelled out, it was pointed out that the Chief Rabbinate’s general practice is to oppose import of meat from abroad unless the meat is slaughtered under the supervision of the rabbinate’s own “mashgichim”–religious supervisors of ritual slaughter.
According to the rabbinate here, American suppliers from whom the Israel Trade Ministry has ordered meat did not comply with kashruth arrangements conforming with the rabbinate’s conditions. Trade Ministry circles said they expect a settlement of the issue with the Chief Rabbinate within a few days, thus making possible the completion of kosher meat shipments and the sale of that meat to the Israeli public. Israel imports 2,500 tons of meat from abroad annually.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
