Papa John's Opens New Jerusalem Branch with Strict Kosher Certification

International pizza chain Papa John's has opened a new branch in Jerusalem, featuring "mehadrin" kosher certification. Located at 28 Yeshayahu Leibowitz Street in the Gav-Yam Campus of the Hebrew University, this is the chain's second location in the city and its eleventh in Israel to operate under strict kosher supervision. The new branch joins the chain's existing Jerusalem location at 38 Keren HaYesod Street, which also recently transitioned to mehadrin kosher certification.

The company stated that this move aims to better serve students, campus employees, local residents, and observant kosher consumers. Papa John's plans to open an additional 15 branches across Israel by the end of 2026, with most of these also expected to be mehadrin kosher certified, often under the supervision of the Badatz (a high-level kosher certification agency).

Moti and Chen Richter, owners of Papa John's Israel, commented that the expansion reflects public trust and demand for their unique, flavorful pizza made with fresh dough. They emphasized that obtaining mehadrin certification is part of a broader strategy to meet the demand from kosher-observant communities and attract new customers with high-quality, accessible, and strictly kosher pizza.