Rabbi Sues Coffee Chain

When Rabbi Eliyashiv Kaploun, Mashpia in the Chabad yeshiva in Kiryat Gat, discovered that the Landver coffee company was using his pictures for advertising, he decided to take legal action.

In a lawsuit for a million shekels, Kaploun claimed that Landver had used his picture on its website to promote their mehadrin line of products, without his knowledge.

Rabbi Kaploun’s picture appeared on the site next to the captions, “kosher l’mehadrin” and “Badatz Kashrut,” and stated: The company places the utmost importance on matters of religion and kashrut.” In Rabbi Kaploun’s claim, he writes, “The company used this to create the false impression that the plaintiff is the one who gave kashrus authorization to Landver. The plaintiff was used in an advertising image against his will.”

In the claim, it is also written that, “the plaintiff is an active and senior figure in the Chabad movement, and this could damage his livelihood and the good name and reputation that he has acquired over the years. This is a company failure, caused by using the plaintiff’s picture unlawfully.” Rabbi Kaploun is described as a “chareidi man, a well-known figure in the chareidi community with a senior Torah position, who would not give his agreement to the commercial usage of his name.”

In fact, as he claims, the company is using him as a model for kashrus purposes against his will, without his knowledge and for no pay.

Rabbi Kaploun is suing the company for “unlawful commercial usage, in clear bad faith, by making use of his identity and image against his will, in a manner that has harmed his privacy and his good name, and have enriched themselves unlawfully at his expense.”

In response to this article, originally reported on ynet’s Hebrew website, the Landver cmopany issued this statement: “Rabbi Eliyashiv Kaploun’s petition first reached our offices today, and it is now under investigation.”