[Avodah] The Anisakis Worm Rears its Ugly Head Once More (5TJN)

[Prof. Levine]

 From http://tinyurl.com/448dcxd

Like the Anisakis worm in fresh salmon, it is the 
kashrus issue that never died.  Eighteen months 
ago, the debate raged in the Jewish community – 
may one consume fish that are infested with the 
Anisakis worm or must one  first removing them from the flesh of the fish?

The Brooklyn Vaad HaRabbonim, the Baltimore 
Kashrus agency, and a handful of other Kashrus 
agencies were stringent.  The Orthodox Union, in 
agreement with Rabbi Vay from Jerusalem, however, 
ruled that these worms while still in the flesh 
of the fish are kosher.  [The interview of Rabbi 
Vay may be seen at this 
link 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMtQLb1YmLo>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMtQLb1YmLo]. 
Even the lenient position is of the opinion that 
once the worm has left the fish it is no longer kosher.
So what happened now?  Apparently, some top 
Rabbinic decisors have  signed a letter clearly 
indicating their position that the Anisakis worm, 
while still in the flesh of the fish, is 
decidedly NOT KOSHER.  The letter, which has yet 
to be published in the Jewish press, has the 
signatures of Rabbi Feivel Cohen Shlita, Rav 
Dovid Feinstein Shlita  and Rav Aharon Schechter Shlita.

Rav Feivel Cohen is a Rav in Brooklyn and a 
prolific author of halachic works, Rav Feinstein 
is one of the leading Poskim in the United 
States, and Rav Aharon Schechter is the Rosh 
HaYeshiva of the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva.

The Kashrus issue centers on the whether it has 
been demonstrated that the Anisakis worm clearly 
comes from outside of the fish or whether it may 
still be assumed that the worm develops 
internally.  The Orthodox Union maintains that 
according to Jewish law, one may still make the 
assumption that the worm has developed within the 
fish itself.  Other authorities maintain that the 
permissive ruling of the Shulchan Aruch does not 
apply when it can be observed that the worm 
actually migrated into the flesh from elsewhere.

The new initiative to ban the parasitic worm 
comes directly from the court of Rav Elyashiv in 
Jerusalem.  Rabbi Efrati in particular has pushed 
the new effort toward the ban on fish that have not had the Anisakis removed.

Anisakis are rare in waters with low salinity and in the southern North Sea.



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