 Kashrus Officials Wary Of New Kashrus Definitions
Officials of kashrus agencies are applauding efforts by the Conservative and Reform movements to involve their flock in observing kashrus, but they are wary of attempts to broaden its definition. Evidence continues to mount that more Conservative Jews are buying kosher products, but experts say that the numbers are still comparatively small. The Reform movement too has in recent years established a task force on kashrus, but it has yet to define its interpretation. At times the movement seemed to be espousing traditional kashrus, but at other times it has included vegetarianism and even eco-kashrut, the newest term used by both the Conservatives and Reform.
In a recent development, a joint commission of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly is working to create a tzedek hechsher, a certification for food produced in a socially just way, particularly with regard to safe, fair working conditions. The label would be used in addition to traditional kosher certification. The Conservatives say that the new label isn’t intended to replace existing kosher certification, which is under Orthodox supervision, but constitutes a broader definition of kosher food that incorporates ideas of social justice from the Torah and Talmud. Kashrus officials reached by Kosher Today weren’t exactly sure how to react to the new eco-kashrut designation, but most did say that the Torah already covered the social justice issues that eco-kashrut is supposed to cover and that kashrus means the laws of kosher, period.  Rabbi Menachem Genack, head of kashrus for the Orthodox Union, said that concern for workers’ rights and animal welfare “are worthy goals,” but rejected trying to create certification for such things within the context of kosher food production. (www.koshertoday.com)
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