"This is absolute nonsense that only makes people loathe religion. This
isn't Judaism as I see it. The reason for all these orders is corruption
and a desire to add more paid kashrut supervisors while milking more
money out of restaurants and hotels in need of a kashrut certificate."
Tel Aviv Rabbinate Bans Figs, Asparagus
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Tel Aviv’s chief rabbinate has banned figs and asparagus ahead of the High Holidays even though the fig is one of the seven fruits of the Land of Israel mentioned in the Torah, and under rabbinic law a special blessing must be recited after eating it.
A letter sent to the hotels signed by Rabbi Shimon Baloka of the Tel Aviv Chief Rabbinate's Kashrut Department forbade the hotels from serving the produce for fear it contains minute bugs.
The president of the Israel Hotel Association Ami Federman was reportedly enraged by the letter, telling Ynet that the letter "is a wonderful example of the delusional world these people are creating, without being supervised by anyone, without being subject to any authority.
"The Rabbinate has decided to remove one of the Seven Species from hotels' menus, using ridiculous claims about worms and vermin. I don't know of anyone who has seen a worm in their fig or asparagus at home. I also don't know anyone who doesn't check if their apple has sand in it or is rotten.
"This is absolute nonsense that only makes people loathe religion. This isn't Judaism as I see it. The reason for all these orders is corruption and a desire to add more paid kashrut supervisors while milking more money out of restaurants and hotels in need of a kashrut certificate."
[Hat Tip: Yosef Ben Matityah.]