On 01.09.2022 the ruling was given by High Court of Justice (7091/19) submitted by Tebeka and Catering Lee-Bar against Chief Rabbinate, the local Rabbinate in Kiryat Gat and Ministry of Religious Services, among other things, regarding the requirement of the local rabbinate to conduct a Jewish investigation for employees of Ethiopian origin who are employed in cooking matters at Lee-Bar Catering, and this despite the fact that they have been employed there for years and now that the local rabbi has changed, they were required to conduct a Jewish investigation as a condition for their continued employment.
In this ruling, the Honorable Vice President Judge E. Fogelman wrote the following important notes: “Discussion and decision: as mentioned, the petition as stated, the petition in front of us was aimed at the beginning, among other things, at the claims that the investigation of Jewishness conducted for the company’s employees was done in a racist and discriminatory manner. Indeed, making a contact with a person to find out about his Judaism, because of his origin, has a dimension of humiliation which stems from the very labeling of the individual based on group affiliation. In this lies a violation of equality that even amounts to a violation of dignity. A person’s origin is not in itself a reason to conduct a Jewish inquiry. It was also indicated that when a rabbi conducts such an examination, he must be careful to conduct it in a respectful manner and with the required sensitivity. This clarification is of legal, practical and public importance”.
The Tebeka Association considers that this remark of the Honorable Vice President Judge E. Fulgman is extremely important statement and determinations for maintaining equality and human dignity. We all hope that the Chief Rabbinate and its institutions will incorporate and will study this important ruling and will work to prevent manifestations of discrimination and racism.
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