Shalom Lewis, rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim, filed suit Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court. He is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Georgia and Atlanta law firm King & Spalding.
The Kosher Food Labeling Act, enacted in 1980, mandates that any food sold as kosher must meet “orthodox Hebrew religious rules and requirements.”
Conservative Rabbi Challenges Kosher Law
ATLANTA, GA — A Cobb rabbi is seeking to declare Georgia’s Kosher Food Labeling Act unconstitutional, saying it de-legitimizes interpretations of “kosher” by different Jewish communities.
Shalom Lewis, rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim, filed suit Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court. He is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Georgia and Atlanta law firm King & Spalding.
The Kosher Food Labeling Act, enacted in 1980, mandates that any food sold as kosher must meet “orthodox Hebrew religious rules and requirements.”
Lewis, a conservative Jew, said he cannot fulfill his rabinical duties because his theological interpretation of the state’s kosher laws differs from that of Orthodox Judaism. He said he violates state law when he approves some foods as kosher that are not kosher under Orthodox definitions.
According to the lawsuit, for example, there are disagreements between the Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities as to whether swordfish and sturgeon may be eaten under dietary laws. The same is true for many dairy products and wines, the suit said.
Lewis also said the state should not endorse one religious group’s beliefs over another. “It’s an intrusion into the separation of church and state clause.”
A state Attorney General’s Office spokesman declined comment.
Orthodox are among the more traditional Jews. Conservative Jews are more open to change than Orthodoxy. About one in three American Jews belong to a Conservative synagogue, according to the 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey. About one in five are Orthodox.
youwish
This man is sick! It is known he doesn’t even keep kosher himself! What does he care!? He eats in treif establishments all the time!
dont eat kosher
No one is saying you cant eat whatever you want, but if you want to advertise it as Kosher, it’s got to be Kosher.
Anonymous
I doubt the law will survive the lawsuit. If I remember correctly it had been tried in a few states. New Jersey’s law that requires kosher restaurants to fill out and post a long form detailing their standards was a response to the annulling of the previous law, which only allowed Orthodox kashrus standards.
This may not be such a bad thing. Do you want the courts to determine what exactly is Orthodox kashrus? Suppose someone complains that Chabad schitah is not Orthodox?
Boruch ben Tzvi (A H)HaKohaine Hoffinger
BS”D
Now (Perhaps) more and more people will hear and learn all about Kashrut. Goyim will probably start critcizing this ‘rabbi’ for not keeping Kosher.
The same thing happened with certain ‘misguided’ (Being polite) individuals and the Lubavitcher belief, after Gimmel Tammuz, that the Rebbe can still be Moshiach.
Many ignorant Jews (There are plenty!) learned about Moshiach and Geula.
Rabbi Emmanuel Shochet mentioned this fact on Zev Brenner’s ‘Talkline’ show. The detractors were undone.