Druze Family's Kosher Restaurant Bridges Communities in Israel

In the heart of the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel, just outside Haifa, a small restaurant is serving more than food. Nura’s Kitchen, an authentic Arab eatery with a rare kosher certification, has become a meeting point where cultures intertwine, stories are exchanged, and identities proudly displayed. In interview with the Israeli actress, producer, author, and activist Noa Tishby, this special corner of Druze culture opened its door to the world.

“We, the Druze, are the lucky ones. We are fortunate to live together with the Jewish people who value human life,” says Nura Husseisi, the restaurant’s owner.

A Community Between Worlds

The Druze are a small ethnic and religious minority spread across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. In Israel, the community enjoys full citizenship and independence in religious life. “We live our Druze life here,” Nura explains, contrasting the freedoms of her community in Israel with the struggles faced by Druze populations across the border.

“They see us and they know that we live a very good life in Israel,” Adds Amer Husseisi, Nora’s brother and political personality of Daliyat al-Karmel. “We have freedom of religion, freedom to work. Also, Israel is safer than Syria or Lebanon.”

Amer underscores the pride in that identity. “Here there could be a meeting between the Druze and the Jews, bringing the nations closer to each other,” he says.

Nura Husseisi: a Story Behind Special Dishes

Nura began working at Elisha Hospital as the head chef of the hospital kitchen, a position she held for 10 years, driven by the desire to help and contribute to easing patients’ pain through the fine food she prepared.

Afterwards, she went on to work as a Druze cuisine chef at the Carmel Forest Hotel for another 10 years, from 1991 until 2001. There she met Chef Haim Cohen, who encouraged and inspired her to open her own restaurant dedicated to authentic Druze food, recognizing the expertise she had demonstrated during her years at the Carmel Forest Hotel.

Husseisi took up the challenge and, since 2001, has been running her own restaurant. From the very beginning, it was important to her that the restaurant be kosher, allowing the wider public to enjoy the unique dishes she creates.

Service and Sacrifice

Nura herself is the mother of two sons who have both dedicated their lives to Israel’s security: one as a senior officer in the Israel Defense Forces, the other as a high-ranking officer in the Israeli Police. “We stand by the Jewish people, to build Israel,” she says.

A Kosher Mission

Beyond family and faith, Nura’s Kitchen carries a unique mission. Unlike most Arab-owned restaurants in Israel, the establishment is fully kosher, in fact, Glatt kosher.

“She wanted the restaurant to be kosher, and it’s very hard for her and for the people,” explains Daniel, the restaurant’s kashrut supervisor. “This place is kosher, of course, but it’s more than regular kosher. It’s Glatt kosher. And this uniqueness is really something that pulls people here.”

Every corner of the restaurant is adorned with Israeli flags, a reflection of the family’s pride.

“They are the best friends for the Jewish people and the Zionist movement,” Daniel adds. “Nura took on the very good mission to connect people in Israel, Druze and Jew, by food. It’s very important.”

Nura's Kitchen food (Photo: Nura's Kitchen website)

Stories That Travel

For Nura and Amer, food is not only about taste but about narrative.

“They take what she’s saying to them, stories that she’s telling them about the Druze, and they are going back from here to their lands, to their countries, with another thought about the Druze,” Amer notes.

In a country defined by diversity and division, Nura’s Kitchen is offering something rare: a table where kosher food and Druze hospitality meet, bridging cultures one plate at a time.