Last update - 00:00 07/09/2006
Ultra-Orthodox committee rules Harduf organic products non-kosher
By Amiram Cohen, Haaretz Correspondent
The kosher licensing committee of the ultra-Orthodox High Court of Justice in Jerusalem on Thursday ruled that organic foodstuffs from the Kibbutz Harduf factory could not be considered kosher due to the kibbutz's affiliation with the anthroposophy movement, which the committee considers a non-Jewish "missionary organization."
The Tnuva company, which retains ownership rights of Harduf products, said in response that "the factory was given kosher certification through the chief rabbinate of Israel, not through the ultra-Orthodox court, and is therefore still kosher."
Anthroposophy is a movement based on meditation, organic foods and the preservation of the natural environment. Ultra-Orthodox authorities decry the movement, which they say is governed by "Christian essence" and "Christian rituals" and seeks to build connections with the dead and the afterlife through meditation.
The ultra-Orthodox counter-missionary organization Hand to the Brethren said the movement is devoted to "the defilement of the holy city of Jerusalem."
The anthroposophy movement in Israel is led by Yishayahu Ben-Aharon, son of former Histadrut Secretary General Yitzhak Ben-Aharon.
The Harduf factory has been under the full ownership of Tnuva for the last two years.