The Israeli Chief Rabbinate appeared on Thursday to authorize the liberal Tzohar Rabbinical Organization to issue kashrut certifications under Israeli law for the first time, following a High Court of Justice ruling last month requiring it to withdraw its refusal to recognize the group.

But within hours, the decision came under dispute, with senior officials saying the approval had not been properly authorized and therefore had no legal standing.

Religious Services Ministry Director General Yehuda Avidan said the approval signed by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate Director General Yehuda Cohen was issued without the necessary consultations and exceeded his authority.

“Therefore, this approval has no power and cannot be acted upon,” Avidan said in a statement.

Tzohar responded that the matter is subject to the approval of the Rabbinate only, not the Religious Services Ministry, and that the license is valid.

“Hundreds of businesses with Tzohar certification, and hundreds of thousands of their customers, can already eat in places that are certified kosher by Tzohar with the authority and permission of the Chief Rabbinate, starting yesterday evening,” the statement read.

“Tzohar provides excellent kashrut and its procedures, and we call on the general public and business owners to start consuming Tzohar’s kashrut,” it added.

The Chief Rabbinate has not issued a final clarification on the matter, which remains unresolved.

If Tzohar, a Modern-Orthodox, liberal-leaning organization founded to bridge gaps between religious and secular Israelis, were ultimately cleared to give kashrut certification, it would likely lead to significant shakeups within Israel’s food industry, experts said, increasing transparency and reducing prices while decentralizing state control over the kosher certification process.

However, the Chief Rabbinate will likely resist efforts to weaken its control over kosher certification, said Benjamin Porat, Director of the Institute for Research in Jewish Law at Hebrew University. According to reports in the Hebrew press,........

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