IDF to change base food system for mehadrin kosher standards
The Israel Defense Forces plans to introduce changes to the food system at military bases to provide service members with food meeting the stricter mehadrin kosher standards. In an August statement, the military said the rollout of the changes would begin next week, The Jerusalem Post reports.
The initiative is intended to improve service conditions for Haredim — ultra-Orthodox Jews. It is also part of the IDF's efforts to recruit Haredim and increase the number of those who will serve in combat units.
New department within the Military Rabbinate
The changes were prepared by Brigadier General Avinoam Emunah, the adviser to the IDF Chief of the General Staff on Haredi affairs, the Technology and Logistics Directorate, and the Military Rabbinate. A department for mehadrin and special population groups was established within the Military Rabbinate's kashrut unit.
The department will be responsible for policy and halachic requirements for procurement, infrastructure and field operations. It will also set professional standards and special procedures for kitchens at bases so that food meets kashrut requirements.
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According to Emunah, it is not enough simply to give an ultra-Orthodox soldier the opportunity to serve while maintaining his way of life. “Our duty is to provide him with conditions that will enable him to serve effectively, with dignity and in the long term,” he said.
Fresh meals instead of sealed packages
Before introducing the system, the military assessed the current food arrangements, identified problems reported by soldiers and commanders, and developed a logistical solution to integrate mehadrin food into the overall supply system.
Three supply channels are envisaged through which a service member will be able to request mehadrin food. The requirements concern, among other things, mehadrin meat, hand-baked shmura matzah, and products made without using permission to sell land to non-Jews during the shmita year.
At the initial stage, the IDF will gradually move away from sealed food packages, which until now have been the main solution for Haredi service members requiring mehadrin certification. Instead, the bases plan to expand the supply of fresh and varied meals with such certification.
