The High Court gave the Chief Rabbinate 45 days to decide on the kosher status of chicken imports

The High Court of Justice has issued an interlocutory ruling in Baladi’s lawsuit against the Chief Rabbinate regarding the import of kosher poultry from Brazil.

The court rejected the position that the issue of kosher poultry imports could only be considered after the beef import headquarters had completed its work, and gave the rabbinate 45 days to establish rules and regulations for kosher chicken imports.

The meat import company Baladi filed a lawsuit against the Chief Rabbinate and its leaders, including Chief Rabbi David Yosef, to the Supreme Court in the summer of 2025.

In the lawsuit, the company, which invested 21 million shekels in an agreement with a Brazilian supplier, demands that the rabbinate establish a clear and precise procedure for importing kosher poultry from abroad.

According to the statement of claim, after the conclusion of the agreement in Brazil, the company approached the Chief Rabbinate and presented practical and immediate solutions to resolve the kashrut issue, but was refused, arguing that there was no need for imports since local production met demand.

The company received three letters one after another. The letter from the legal department stated that the rabbinate could not provide a kashrut certificate for poultry imports from abroad due to the lack of an appropriate oversight system, and that the local market was meeting consumer needs anyway.

A letter was then received from the Director General of the Chief Rabbinate stating that the Chief Rabbinate was willing to provide a solution for the import of all types of poultry through existing professional units. The CEO also emphasized that “the Chief Rabbinate deals only with issues of kosher product and does not have the right and does not intend to take into account commercial, economic considerations or considerations relating to the protection of local production.”

A third letter from the head of the Chief Rabbi’s office states that “the position of the rabbinate’s director general does not reflect the position of the Chief Rabbinate’s council.”