According to Gadi Lessin, the President of the giant Israeli food-producer, Strauss, the answer is yes. Lessin, speaking at a panel for finding ways to lower food prices during a Food-Tech conference, said that the way must be found to allow their factories to continue working on Shabbos without desecrating the Shabbos, such as by using non-Jewish workers on Shabbos. Doing so, Lessin says, would lower food costs by 8% and increase workers productivity. Add to that the need to drop VAT on food, by 10%, according to Lessin's suggestion, and food will get significantly cheaper.
According to Lessin, the food producers have met with Minister of Economic Affairs and Commerce Naftali Bennet and raised this issue with him. They pointed to factories all around the world that continue to produce on Shabbos while still finding ways to bear mehadrin kosher certification.
(source: The Marker and Ladaat)
According to lessin, Bennet was interested in the proposition. Lessin pointed to companies like Coca Cola that has factories around the world the produce on Shabbos and bear mehadrin kashrut ccertification, but he also said Strauss has 40 factories around the world producing on Shabbos with mehadrin certification, such as their Sabra line which is 51% owned by Strauss.
Can it be done? I don't know. Perhaps, but it won't be an easy fight.
Many of the factories Lessin points to are owned and controlled by non-Jews. Others, such as those owned by Strauss and other Israeli companies, are still largely owned by non-Jews (49% of Sabra is owned by PepsiCo) and the administration of the factories is probably non-Jewish as well, for the most part, and that very well might make a difference than local Israeli production which is completely owned and administered by Jews. There might be a way to do it, but it is not likely it will happen without a major fight..
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So it would mean that shomrei shabbat workers would have to choose between work and Shabbat.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just that Jewish workers would be discriminated against. There is also the aspect of Israel being the Jewish state and on Shabbos that means things shut down. Yes, technically a non-Jewish company employing non-Jewish workers could be open 24/7 but the atmosphere of Shabbos would be critically damaged.
ReplyDeleteAn easier idea: put a 10% food tax on all fast food and junk snacks and use that to subsidize producers of healthy products.
Dr. Ironheart already said it: it isn't about kashrut. It's about Shabbat itself. Within one generation we would have, God forbid!, a nation that has forgotten all about Shabbat.
ReplyDeleteSure, only non-Jews would work on Shabbat. Right. And the Supreme Court would never say anything like that being discrimination after the first group of seculars petitions the law preventing them from enjoying the weekend overtime pay.
ReplyDeletethat is already the situation at various places like the Intel factory in jerusalem, only non-jews work on shabbat and get higher pay. in fact one intel employee, some secular guy, went on the radio a couple of years ago and said that he wants to convert so that he can make the big money on shabbat.
Deletecompanies all over the world can work on shabbat and produce mehadrin products because they are owned by non-jews, a small detail that lessen forgot to mention.
ReplyDelete