Haifa Religious Council Chair Rebukes MK Miki Levi for False Attacks on Kashrut System

Following MK Miki Levi's harsh criticism of Haifa's kosher supervision system and its rabbis, Rabbi Dror David Amos, chairman of the Haifa Religious Council, sent an official protest letter to the parliamentarian. In his letter, Rabbi Amos refutes the allegations as baseless and exposes a significant public trust shift toward the state-supervised kosher certification, with many local businesses returning to its supervision.

Rabbi Amos expresses deep pain over the public defamation of the Torah's honor and the reputation of Rabbi Yitzhak Levi, the city of Nesher's chief rabbi and Haifa's kosher supervisor. Contrary to MK Levi's claims of enjoying "the perks of power," Rabbi Yitzhak Levi volunteers without any salary or financial compensation from the Religious Council. Rabbi Amos condemns the unfounded WhatsApp accusations from dishonest sources as crossing a red line.

Having assumed his role about a year ago to implement thorough reforms, Rabbi Amos directs MK Levi to a 2020 Knesset Interior Committee report that revealed serious past failures. He clarifies that those responsible for those failures are the same individuals now attempting to distract attention through false messages, but who have since been removed from the system. The letter also clarifies that Rabbi Shalom Mitzrafi, the department manager, holds an official kosher supervisor certificate from the Chief Rabbinate, and the tender process complies fully with official guidelines. Additionally, official records show Rabbi Mitzrafi has had no connection or financial ties to the "Chazon Ovadia in Nesher" association for about eight years.

Official data from the Haifa Religious Council reveals a major turnaround in public confidence: over fifty new businesses joined the state-supervised kosher system in the past year, while the number of businesses under private or alternative supervision dropped from about eighty to thirty. Rabbi Amos concludes by affirming his commitment to strengthening kosher supervision and the Chief Rabbinate's role, noting that the upcoming Kashrut Law will solidify protections for observant consumers. He demands MK Levi immediately correct his misleading statements and present the true facts.