Israeli Rabbis: Beware Phony Matzot

ISRAEL [INN] — The Chief Rabbinate warned consumers Tuesday to be careful when purchasing hand-made shmura matzot, as it had discovered a large quantity of “phony” matzot in a warehouse in Be’er Tuvia, near Kiryat Malachi.

The matzot claim to bear supervision of Rabbi Dov Lior, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, and Rabbi Yitzchak Amrabi of Be’er Tuvia. The two rabbis did not supervise production of the matzot, and the Rabbinate said in a statement that there was a strong possibility that the matzot were not even kosher for Passover.

According to the Rabbinate, many boxes of the matzot have already been distributed around the country, sold for a relatively low price. Local rabbis in communities around the country have been sent flyers with images of the packages, in order to ensure that word gets out among those who may have already purchased the matzot. The boxes feature a picture of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on a Haggadah.