Brooklyn Kashrus: A Fantastic New Developement

A fantastic new development has been made in Brooklyn in regards to Kashrus. The KIC ( Kashrus information center) is an independent party that checks into the standards of kosher supervision at kosher stores throughout the Brooklyn area. It then reports it's findings to the Rabbis of the community. They do not give supervision and therefore have no agenda, you can read more about this organization here. There was an advertisement in the Hamodia that if a store had it's supervision pulled ( like the Junior cheesecake situation (except it's not a store)) another hashgocha would have to contact the KIC before issuing it's supervision. For example if the OK Labs withdrew it's hashgocha from a pizza shop, another company such as Star-K could not give supervision there without meeting with the KIC to discuss things first. This way there would be higher kashrus standards across the board. The lisiting of Hasgchos that agreed to this program included: star-k, kehila kashus, ARK, Tartikor Rav, OK, OU, Rabbi Gornish. I might be missing some but the chof k was absent perhaps because they don't really give all that many hashgochas in the area. It will be interesting to see how it effects kashrus standards.

Bagel Island: Yet Another Store W/ Kashrut Issues!

It seems that the Kashrus world in NY is making a lot of headlines. From Le Marais to Gourmet Glatt and now for the most recent addition: Bagel Island of Lawrence, NY. This Five Towns establishment was caught red handed according to a report by the Jewish Star with non-cholov yisroel cream cheese. The trouble started when they ran out of cream cheese and one of the partners who was non-observant (David Perez) decided to purchase non-cholov yisroel since they could not get the regular shipment in. No actual traife was involved here, however the honesty ( and reliability) of the owner is now brought into question. As a slap on the wrist the Vaad of the 5 Towns had shut the store down for a day. David Perez is no longer allowed on the premises of the store and frum partner Joe Elbaz is considered trustworthy as per the vaad's analysis. Hopefully Joe's business will not be hurt because his partner did something stupid.

Le Marais Restaraunt: Kashrus Issues Debated..

If you thought that Gourmet Glatt was a Kashrus debacle, there is a new Kashrus problem that is sure to make an even bigger stir!I refer to the famous Steak House in NYC: Le Marais. The former Mashgiach, Yizchak Bitton is alleging that the chef is a Jew-Hater and that he had smuggled in non-kosher food etc. He even started his own blog and website to further his cause. The OU which gives the Kosher supervision for this establishment, states that they had looked into every accusation proposed by Mr. Bitton and found that NONE of the allegations were credible.

Mr. Bitton developed amazing conspiratorial theories involving crime organizations to explain why people denied his allegations, and attributed dark and evil motives to sincere and honest individuals within the OU. Mr. Bitton was dogmatic in his interpretations of situations and did not acknowledge the legitimacy of other opinions. We explained to Mr. Bitton that he was entitled to his opinion, but we do not have to agree. He insisted that his viewpoint is fact and not an opinion.

In protest of our decision to not have the chef fired, Mr. Bitton voluntarily resigned from his position at the restaurant. Since then, Mr. Bitton and others have circulated e-mail allegations about this matter. Many of the statements are patently false, such as the accusation that the chef physically assaulted Mr. Bitton and intentionally placed insects in the food. In a private conversation with an OU staff member, Mr. Bitton admitted that this was not true. Another allegation is that the OU chose to defend the chef for financial considerations. This accusation is absurd. Had the OU insisted that the chef be dismissed, it would have had no financial impact on the OU, as Le Marais would readily have complied. Indeed, the easiest course for the OU would have been to ask the restaurant to dismiss this chef, and the whole matter would have been put to rest. The OU did not take this course of action because we felt that the kashrus of the restaurant was properly served and to dismiss a chef without just cause was unethical and immoral.

Kosher Food: Emprie doing away with Plumbas..

The JP gives us an inside look at the latest developments in the kosher meat industry. Due to the recent tragic events involving mislabeling and other terrible kashrus debacles, Empire is introducing the latest in Kashrus innovation. These include: product lines where products will be bagged in branded bags and sealed onsite at Empire, offering consumers the security of brand authenticity and ensuring its kashrus status. These Factory-Sealed packages also have a tamper proof, holographic emblem providing a second layer of kashrus security.