Kosher Conversations: Among Friends & Family & a Falafel Chef
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| Kosher stamps indicate rabbinical approval. These are printed on every food item in Israel. Only a small percentage of the food consumed in Israel is sold without Kosher approval. |
Kosher food conversations hover in the background here in Israel. Hover because the definition of what is kosher means different things to different people. Hover lightly not heated debates, not bitter complaints, just a faded blurt "that's how it is". In it's core, Israeli food is kosher, for secular Israelis as much as for Orthodox Israelis. The conversations hover because of what kosher has become in a modern Jewish state (it is strange and bristly issue.) To secular Jews kosher means not eating pork and keeping milk and meat separate. How separate one keeps the two is one topic of conversation. Kosher also means rabbis inspecting restaurants and shops assuring milk products are not stored together or mixed in cooking with meat. Kosher inspection is a big business for the rabbinical inspection authorities. Tamir, a small falafel stand owner started out paying 300 shekels a year for his Kosher certification. That was eight years ago. Then he sold Falafel and coffee. Basically nothing that needed inspection. He added schnitzels (fried chicken breast) to his stand, which increased his income three fold. (previously he did not have meat or milk, just vegetables which are called "parve".) The kosher inspector raised his inspection fees by 50% every year, now reaching over 8,000 shekels a year. Tamir, pays the fees without any official complaints, what else can he do? He estimates that 15% of his clients come because he has a kosher certificate. The inspector has not shown up at his stand for five years. Even if he did show up in a surprise inspection, nothing would cause the old Falafel stand to lose it's kosher certification.
The secular businessman lives with this hidden tax, actually more of a low level bribe. The fees goes to the rabbinical system. A system which supposedly has official government support but certainly not enough as an official state religion. [Editor: this first person description of "bribe" by the writer is his own personal opinion. This is what Israelis are saying in private. Not the blogs official stand. ] State sponsored religious services, Kosher inspection being part of it, are not a big problem for secular Israelis. Actually, by my unofficial survey, secular Israelis complain more about Kosher restaurant food being boring or bland, than about the Kosher food inspection. This view reflects the Kosher restaurants customer preferences, simply functional food no gourmet or healthy preferences. Quality and taste of food in Israeli restaurants has nothing to do with Kosher cooking observance. There are plenty of good Kosher restaurants, especially in Tel Aviv. Maybe not enough, since most are busy and probably more successful than non-Kosher restaurants. Just last month I was invited to a Kosher restaurant in Azrieli center in Tel Aviv. Mercado is a meat restaurant and we had a delightful surprise. It is off the main shopping center at the third floor, round building. See menu on REST site [HEBREW]. There are plenty of nice Kosher restaurants in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In smaller towns you need to ask around. If you know of good Kosher restaurants, leave a comment. AND ENJOY !
Now, what does Kosher has to do with secular Jewish religion in Israel? NOT MUCH ! Secular state religion for most Israelis means celebrating the Jewish holidays. Holidays and ceremonies play an important part in Israeli life. Most secular Israelis love the holidays for their specific celebrations (Seder in Passover, candle lighting in Hanukkah.) This includes very basic Kosher observance, you pretty much can not find pork unless you really go looking. You will not find cheeseburgers or any kind of sandwich with meat and cheese. Most restaurants are Kosher but also on a low level. What you notice more than anything in talking about Kosher observance is the strange gap between belief (or values) in contrast with daily practices. Israeli secular Jews still hold strong to Jewish beliefs, but daily religious observance is almost none existent (i.e. very few Israelis pray regularly.) How do you explain this? Take a look at Italians and French and their Roman Catholic state religion. This is what you see here. French for the most part identify themselves as Roman Catholics, but a very low percentage goes to Sunday mass. The same goes in other Christian states. Explaining beliefs and practices take a bit of writing, so this will be a topic to come back to again and again. Ask and comment if you are interested in this topic.
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