(Courtesy of OU) The Orthodox Union joins the entire Jewish world in mourning the loss of Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, z”l.

Rabbi Levy served as president of OK Kosher Certification for the past 33 years.

A leading international authority on kosher food, Rabbi Levy guided the agency’s work in a new era of global economic growth, advances in technology and soaring demand for kosher food around the world.

OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Genack said, “The kashrus industry is unique because while there are many different agencies, we are all united in our desire to provide a critical service to the Jewish community. We worked closely with Rabbi Levy and would discuss kashrus issues together. We had a wonderful relationship and he will be sorely missed both on a personal level but also for our industry as a whole. He left an indelible mark and legacy that will reach Jews around the world for decades to come.”

OU Kosher COO Rabbi Moshe Elefant said, “Running his kashrus agency wasn’t a job but a mission to him; he viewed it as his shlichus to provide kosher food to the Jewish community. As the COVID-19 pandemic started to grow and impact facilities within our networks, he reached out to me to discuss how together we could grant supervision to these facilities to make sure that Jews around the world still had access to kosher food in a safe manner.”

“He was a unifier; even as he was ill, he brought us together,” added Rabbi Elefant. “Once before Pesach and once during Chol HaMoed, all kashrus agencies came together to daven and learn for his refuah.”

Yehi zichro baruch.