IDF Chief of Staff's Wife Serves as Director at Food Company Facing Irregularities

Orna Zamir, wife of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, is serving as an independent director at the food company Tomer Food, which is currently under scrutiny for alleged inventory management irregularities. The trading of Tomer Food's stock was halted earlier this month following these issues.

According to security officials, there are no private dealings between Tomer Food and the IDF or the Ministry of Defense from Halevi's time as Chief of Staff or as Director-General of the Ministry of Defense. All contracts were awarded through legitimate tender processes, with the lowest bid winning. Orna Zamir's appointment to the board occurred approximately three months ago and was declared in an updated conflict of interest agreement.

Zamir, 57, was appointed on May 19th. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in business administration. Her prior experience includes roles in communications consulting, development, and public service.

Tomer Food, valued at NIS 138 million before trading was suspended, stated that Zamir's appointment is unrelated to the company's business dealings with third parties, including the Ministry of Defense, which began before her tenure. The company asserts that all its dealings with institutional and governmental clients adhere to established procedures.

The IDF spokesperson dismissed the allegations as baseless manipulation, emphasizing that the Chief of Staff has no involvement with the company and made no decisions concerning it, neither as Chief of Staff nor as former Director-General of the Ministry of Defense. The spokesperson added that Zamir's appointment was declared according to procedures to prevent any appearance of conflict of interest.

This is the second recent controversy for Tomer Food. Trading was previously halted on August 24th after the newly appointed CFO resigned before starting her role. The company cited issues with inventory management in previous years as the reason for the resignation and subsequent investigation.