The General Assembly of Italian Rabbis has accused non-Italian rabbis of interfering in local affairs by classifying certain hotels and restaurants as “kosher.” A communique published following the Assembly’s meeting in Florence did not mention the names or nationality of the non-Italian rabbis who it accused of “repeated insupportable behavior.”
The communique claimed these rabbis were violating “the Jewish principle that imposes respect for the competence of each local rabbinical authority.” It deplored the alleged behavior as “intolerable interference” and urged Italian rabbis “to combat this phenomenon with all means in accordance with halacha” (religious law). The rabbis meeting in Florence asked the Jewish public not to patronize hotels and restaurants designated “kosher” by other than the local rabbinical authorities.
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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.
