Segev claims that about a year and a half ago he started becoming frum, a baal tshuva - including performing mitzvos and learning with the rav of the prison.
However, Segev claims, petitioning the courts, despite having been granted permission to receive Badatz food, after a long process of requests, shortly after the permission was granted it was retracted. Segev complains that he does not understand why he has been denied the request, as the food he is requesting is not better quality than the standard food.
The State and Prison Services response is that there is no need for the special Badatz foods, as the food supplied by the prison kitchen is all mehadrin already. They decided mehadrin is enough for Segev and he does not need Badatz, as they see he leads a religious life but not a Haredi lifestyle. They say that Segev himself has said he is not Haredi and he also said he does not really know the differences between the different hechsherim - because he takes out certain books form the prison library that are clearly not appropriate for Haredim, they have determined that he does not meet the qualifications and is not considered Haredi to be able to qualify for the Badatz food. Also, his behavior is not exemplary as he has disciplinary issues conflicting with his claims of leading a religious lifestyle. They say he should not have been granted the permission for the Badatz food and it was mistaken.
Segev responds that all those issues were old news, and no longer relevant, and now after the permission was granted he does not know why it was retracted as nothing has happened since then to make him not deserve it.
The judge ruled in Segev's favor that he should be granted the Badatz food as requested. The judge decided that the prison service has to supply the food to prisoners that meet certain criteria. Even though Segev doesn't meet the criteria 100%, due to some unclarity the application is unfair and the disciplinary issues were all old.
Basically, the judge decided Ronen Segev is Haredi enough to get Badatz food in prisonsource: Haredim10
Sounds like a weird process. And the judge gets to determine who is Haredi and who is not. Nowadays I thought we each get to define ourselves in whatever way we self-identify. This is very not politically correct. Maybe prisoner benefits should be determined the same way social benefits are determined. How is one determined to be Haredi or Dati or Chiloni in general society for benefits and affirmative action and stipends and scholarships and whatnot? usually it is determined based on what schools the person went to. Sometimes it is not fair as a person might have gone to a school that no longer defines him by association, but that is how it usually works.
I am impressed though that a Haredi lifestyle in prison is determined, at least in part, by no disciplinary infractions. Good behavior is expected, or is part and parcel, of someone claiming to be Haredi.
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