In recent years, there is a steady influx of Jews visiting Morocco. Following the peace agreement between the Moroccan Kingdom and the State of Israel, more and more Jewish tourists’ groups stream into Morocco, including Jews from all walks of life and from all parts of the world. They wish to visit the ancient Jewish communities and pray at the gravesites of famous Jewish Rabbis and personalities buried there.
Lately, Kosher experts who inspected the various restaurants etc. have warned people to beware of “Kosher” bodies which claim to sanction “Kosher– food”, deceiving the public and causing them to consume absolutely “Treif” (non-Kosher) meat etc.
It should be noted that Morocco features a prestigious and reliable Kosher establishment founded and headed by the Chief Rabbi of Morocco, Rabbi Yoshiahu Pinto. The greatest Torah authorities around the world testify that this Kashrus organization has caused a veritable revolution in the field of Kashrus in Morocco. Despite this, there are still tourists’ agents who wish to take short-cuts, thereby seriously deceiving their clients.
A number of years ago, the issue of Kashrus arose in Morocco, and people became more aware of the pitfalls, when the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Amar, wrote a specific public declaration, banning the consumption of meat in Morocco, warning people not to rely of questionable “Hechsherim”, while in the latest years a genuine changeover in the field of Kashrus has taken place under the aegis of Rabbi Yoshiahu Pinto, who recruited panels of international Kashrus specialists, who supply professional and quality Kashrus products, including “Glatt” products- acceptable even for the most stringent consumers. This is a real rescue for the Moroccan residents as well as for the tourists. Morocco originating Rabbis, who for years lamented the sad situation, now rejoice at the wonderful initiative of Rabbi Pinto.
As mentioned above, to this day there are agents who supply products and falsely label them “Kosher” or even “Kosher Lemehadrin”, while the food is not acceptable even by the lowest standards of Kashrus!
“Nowadays there is no problem obtaining Kosher food in Morocco, thanks to Rabbi Pinto’s Kosher organization”, states Rabbi A. Zilber, a world- renowned Kosher expert, quoting from he heard from the Head of “Chanichei Hayeshivos”, the well-known Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Gross, who is considered a halachic authority in Israel, in France, in the U.S. A. and in Eastern Europe. Rabbi Gross admires the wonderful work done by the Kashrus body of Rabbi Pinto, and rules categorically that it is forbidden to rely on any other Kashrus offered to tourists in Morocco. Other Rabbis, Dayanim and Kashrus Supervisors second Rabbi Gross’s opinion and work constantly on arousing the awareness of Kosher food.
