A special committee of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel met this week and decided to impose sanctions on the Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva kashrus organization due to “failures in the activities of the kashrus body.”
The Chief Rabbinate has decided to limit the activities of the organization, which grants kosher supervision to products imported from abroad.
Also, the Rabbinate will no longer grant kosher certification to dairy products imported from abroad under the supervision of Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva.
The committee’s decision reads: “In view of findings indicating apparent failures in the activities of the kashrus body, and after visits to the offices of the kashrus organization by representatives of the national kashrus division, and after sending a letter in which the main deficiencies in the activities of the kashrus organization were delineated and receiving a reply letter from the organization, the committee convened to conduct a hearing about alleged failures…”
It was decided to immediately deny Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva’s ability to provide kosher supervision for imported products worldwide except Europe.
The committee also made available to Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva a trial period under additional sanctions. “The next three months will be used as a trial period for the recognition of the kashrus body of Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva regarding kosher imported products,” it said. “During this period, recognition will be limited to products produced in Europe only.” During these three months, “The Chief Rabbinate will not recognize kosher certifications on behalf of the kosher body for products containing milk components.”
Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva responded: “The Badatz of Chug Chasam Sofer Petach Tikva serves as the long arm of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel abroad, and as such is bound by the procedures of the Import Department of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The Badatz welcomes every meeting with the representatives of the Chief Rabbinate and is always happy to improve and optimize its excellent kashrus system, and hopes to emerge especially strengthened and improved after a one-point malfunction that was immediately corrected due to difficulties discovered during supervision during the corona period.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
My rabbi told me that Amy’s soups and freezer meals have a bad kosher certification. The half of the freezer meals contain dairy.
There are two חוג חתם סופר Hechsherim. The one from פתח תקוה is the problematic one. The one from בני ברק is a reliable Hechsher.
Many people don’t know that there were two חתם סופר׳ס. One that was from Frankfurt, Germany that Davened נוסח אשכנז, that ate געבראקטס on פסח, and that has a תשובה in יורה דעה (I believe סי׳ י״ט) that shaving is not התדמות לעכו״ם. There seems that was another חתם סופר that one of the great Rebbes said about him that he’s considered one of the תלמידי הבש״ט. They printed a סידור חתם סופר in נוסח ספרד. That is based in the Chassidishe חתם סופר’s נוסח.
דעת החת’ס
Based on his Responsum on Nusach HaTefilah he does not seem to be much of a Chasid of Nusach Sefard.
ובפרט כפי אשר השיב ה’דברי חיים’
בתשובתו ודו”ק היטב בזה