chanukah
More Israelis Use Pure Olive Oil
to Light the Menorah,
Counterfeiters See Opportunity
CNAAN LIPHSHIZ | JTA.org
J ERUSALEM — In a supermarket
here, Ohad David made a beeline for
the most expensive olive oil in the store.

He took three bottles of the award-win-
ning Midnight Coratina brand, which
goes for about $3 per ounce. It has
“medium potency, green fruitiness and
a green-leaf, grassy bouquet,” according
to its description on the website of Ptora,
the boutique olive oil factory that makes
it. But David, a 40-year-old insurance
agent and father of five, did not buy the
oil for its taste.

Like thousands of Orthodox Jewish
consumers who buy premium olive
oil ahead of Chanukah, David bought
$160 of the stuff only to burn it — in a
menorah. Observant Israelis increasingly like to
use olive oil in their Chanukah cande-
labras instead of wax candles because
of its significance in the holiday’s story.

Chanukah, which this year begins on
Dec. 18, is a celebration of how the
Maccabees, after defeating the Greeks,
were able to light the menorah in the
temple in Jerusalem for eight days with a
one-day supply of oil — believed to be of
the olive variety.

“Using olive oil for Chanukah candles
is not required by halacha [Jewish law],
but in our communities everybody does
it,” David said.

Those who follow suit want only 100%
pure olive oil to use in their menorahs
— and that has become more expensive
in Israel over time because of tariffs on
imports and the rising demand.

In response, some producers dilute
their olive oil with cheaper vegetable
oils without disclosing all of the ingre-
dients and lure consumers in with lower
prices. The product can still be consid-
ered kosher, but it is unacceptable for the
observant Jews who want only pure olive
oil in their menorahs.

“[T]he temptation to deceive custom-
ers is tremendous,” Rabbi Moshe Biegel,
an expert on Israel’s kosher certification
industry, wrote in a 2020 essay on the
olive oil sector in Israel.

Israeli authorities perform inspections
on dozens of brands each year around
Chanukah and often find oil advertised
as pure to contain up to 50% canola or
soy oil. But despite fines and the naming
of offenders online, the phenomenon
persists. For David and others in his commu-
nity, the solution is to stick to boutique
brands, no matter the cost.

“You know there’s no monkey business
because to them it’s a matter of pride, so
there’s a high level of transparency and
trust,” David said. He discovered Ptora
while visiting their facilities during a
family trip to the northern Negev desert,
where the factory and groves are located,
about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

Like many boutique olive factories in
Israel, Ptora offers tours and tastings to
increase their brand recognition.

“The place is magical,” said Hani
Happy Hanukkah
May your candles burn bright
and your table be full this year.

22 DECEMBER 8, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM