Leviathan Sues Chief Rabbinate Over Kosher Meat Certification Revocation Costing Millions

Leviathan Trade, an Israeli kosher meat distributor, has filed a 5.7 million shekel lawsuit against the Chief Rabbinate after the revocation of kosher certificates for 198 tons of beef imported from Argentina. The meat was purchased in 2022 from Nahum Import and Meat Marketing, relying on the Rabbinate's kosher certification for distribution during the Jewish High Holidays. However, in July 2022, the Rabbinate's Fraud Department issued a special kosher update canceling certificates for about 275 tons of the meat, prohibiting its use due to a change in the slaughter team.

Leviathan claims that the head of the slaughter team approved by the Rabbinate left in February 2022 and was replaced by an external inspector not accepted by the Rabbinate. While the company asserts there was no halachic defect in the slaughter itself, the Rabbinate considered the administrative breach sufficient to revoke kosher certification. Leviathan requested permission to sell the meat under a lower kosher standard, supported by rabbis who witnessed the slaughter, but the Rabbinate denied the request.

After a petition to the Supreme Court was dismissed due to the Rabbinate's halachic authority, Leviathan had to sell the meat at a loss to customers in the Palestinian Authority and others who did not require kosher certification. The company alleges it lost millions, failing to recoup even the principal purchase cost and missing out on expected profits from the high-quality kosher meat during the holiday season. Leviathan further accuses the Rabbinate of negligence, arguing that timely reports about the slaughter team change should have prevented the initial issuance of kosher certificates for the meat slaughtered without an approved team.