Elia and Tehila Harari, a brother and sister from Petah Tikva who maintain a religious lifestyle, are suing the Osher Ad supermarket chain for 75,000 shekels ($21,150).
In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday at the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court, it was claimed that although Osher Ad markets itself to the ultra-Orthodox community and professes its kashrut to be Mehadrin, it sold a chametz product at its Petah Tikva location during Passover, leading the siblings to eat chametz on the holiday.
The statement of claim asserts "The defendant is a supermarket chain that directs its advertising and services to the ultra-Orthodox sector. The chain prides itself on the Mehadrin kashrut of its products and frequently promotes itself as being tailored to the ultra-Orthodox public."
According to the suit, on April 15, 2025, during the Passover holiday, the brother went to the Petah Tikva branch. "Plaintiff 1 relied on the defendant, as it states that it operates with rabbinic approval and under the supervision of Mehadrin kashrut authorities, and purchased, among other items, a 'gnocchi' product, based on the reasonable and required assumption that it was a kosher for Passover product. No sign on the product shelf or in any other location indicated that the product was chametz."
The siblings prepared and consumed the gnocchi at home. Subsequently, the brother examined the packaging and noticed that wheat flour was listed among the ingredients. "Upon learning of this, the plaintiffs were overcome with astonishment and profound shock. The mere realization that they had consumed chametz during the Passover holiday – an event representing a severe violation of their religious conscience and way of life – caused them intense feelings of distress, insult, and deep sorrow."
The lawsuit claims consumer deception and further, according to the Chametz Law (Prohibition of Chametz), any business owner is prohibited from publicly displaying chametz products during Passover. It was also claimed there was negligence, a violation of autonomy, a breach of disclosure duty, and mental anguish involved. Osher Ad did not provide a response.
