The following was written by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times:
Brooklyn, NY – Rabbis from Kashrus agencies across the country gathered last night in Brooklyn to see and hear how to remove the Anisakis worm from fish.
The seminar was sponsored by the Vaad HaKashrus of Flatbush, under the direction of its Rav HaMachshir, Rabbi Meir Goldberg. The Vaad had flown in Rabbi Shneur Zalman Revach and his assistant Yehudah to demonstrate. The event was videoed and projected so the hundreds of participants could better see. Representatives from CRC in Chicago, Star K in Baltimore and Kashrus agencies across the country flew in to attend the seminar. The OU, the Vaad of Queens, the Five Towns Vaad HaKashrus was also in attendance.
Among the other attendees were Rabbi Meir Goldberg – Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush, Rabbi Tzvi S. Goldberg – Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush, Rabbi Mordechai Taitelbaum – Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush, Rabbi Ahron Mandel – Vaad Hakashrus of Flatbush, Rabbi Chaim Goldberg -OU, Rabbi Shmuel Heinneman – Star K, Rabbi Meir Kurcfeld – Star K, Rabbi Sholem Fishbane – cRc of Chicago, Rabbi Dovid Cohen – cRc of Chicago, Rabbi Yosef Eisen – Vaad of the Five Towns, Rabbi Zechariah Adler- Kehilah Kashrus, Rabbi Chaim Schwartz – Vaad of Queens, Rabbi Yechiel Babad – Tartikover Rov, Rabbi Moshe Y. Blumenberg – Tartikover Beis Din, Rabbi Dovid Babad – Tartikover Beis Din, Rabbi Luzer Weiss – NYS Dept of Agriculture Kosher Law Enforcement, Rabbi Binyomin Bess, Rabbi Yisroel P. Gornish, Rabbi Moshe Harari Raful, Rabbi Yosef H. Ilovits – Machon L’bidikas Tolayim, Rabbi Yaakov Wagschal – New Square Kashrus, Rabbi Jakobowitz – Rosh Hamashgichim Nirbater, Rabbi Moshe Busso -Shaarei Tzion, Rabbi Gershon Tannebaum – Igud Harrabonim, Rabbi Usher David – Rosh Yeshiva Emek Halacha , Rabbi Berish Schapiro – Naroler Rov, Rabbi Avraham Weisner – KCL, Rabbi J. Horowitz Merkaz Hatefilla, Rabbi G. Bald – Irguin Shiurey Torah, Rabbi Yosef Wikler – Editor Kashrus Magazine, Rabbi Moshe Yaged, Rabbi Yudel Shain – Rabbi David Weber – Mashgiach for R’ Asher Eckstein Belzer Dayan, Rabbi Mosher Weiner – Kashrus Information Center/ Kashrus Information Service, R’ Yehuda Green, Rabbi Yair Hoffman, Rabbi Doniel Epstein – OU, Rabbi Moshe Farkas, R’ Yitzchak Kaufman, R’ Dovid Fingerer, R’ Avrum Leib Weiss, and Rabbi Avraham Brykman.
The six minute video was made to review what was shown.
(Source: Five Towns Jewish Times)
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14 Responses
Yes, very dramatic and disgusting.
The presence of cod worms is well known.
However, wasn’t the primary concern salmon?
If so, why weren’t they showing salmon?
If DDT was in wide scale use we wouldn’t need to worry about lice, bugs in vegetables, and now bugs in fish. And, if everyone would read Mark Levin’s famous book, “Liberty and Tyranny”, then everyone would know that the case against DDT was nothing more than a propaganda piece based on Rachel Carson’s book, “Silent Spring”.
is there a list of fish that have this?
The Shulchan Aruch makes specific mention, in various situations, of worms that are actually mutar. The man behind this video, Rabbi Hoffman, has an agenda, and he knows that by showing people the worms, they will be repulsed and assume they are assur to eat. It is a pathetic method of achieving his gains, irrespective of whether or not these particular works are assur or mutar. He should be ashamed of himself.
sorry, “gains” should read “aims”.
The man behind this video, Rabbi Hoffman, has an agenda,
–Hoffman was not behind this gathering.. The Vaads were. Why must all discussion be filled with such vitriol?–
and he knows that by showing people the worms, they will be repulsed and assume they are assur to eat.
–If anyone is repulsed by it, it is assur deoraisa according to everyone.–
It is a pathetic method of achieving his gains,
–Would it be pathetic to have shown smokers what their lungs look like when they smoke in the sixties when the issues of smoking were not medically clear?–
irrespective of whether or not these particular works are assur or mutar. He should be ashamed of himself.
–The reader is saying that Hoffman should be ashamed of himself for actually showing the worms that everyone is eating and that the Gedolim including Rav Elyashiv have all assured.. Olam hafuch.
I have no idea whether they were trying to make their point in the most sensational way possible, but as I said before, I do wonder why the six minute video focused on the fish with the most (and the biggest) worms rather than the fish (salmon) whose kashrus status is the one that’s most relevant to the kosher consumer.
They are not repulsive inside the fish, and therefore not assur for that reason.
One should show a smoker his lungs, but showing him the cigarette itself is pointless.
And the gedolim assuring them has nothing to do with seeing them. Even those who are matir them agree they exist.
Most salmon we buy are farm raised and not a problem. Also, checking them requires ultraviolet light and is probably more difficult to show in a public forum (just a guess).
Narkisnut: Do you personally know Rabbi Hoffman? Do you know what his agenda is? Does anyone who disagrees with you have an agenda?
Based the list from Kehillas yaakov ,I realize that my previous guess (that it’s hard to show in public)was wrong. They didn’t show worm removal from wild salmon because “Salmon or pink fish require an ultraviolet light and if infested cannot be removed.”
horos: yes there is a list. It’s posted as comment # 10 under the article:”Rav Moshe Vaye Writes About On ‘Worms In Fish’ (World Famous Expert On Bugs)” and in the coffee room.
The Gemora knew all this before Yair Hoffman and Rav Revach did, and declared them kosher. The gteat Rabonim in Eretz Yisroel finally realized that they were fooled and so far Rav Karelitz and Rav Wosner have recinded and declared these worms KOSHER! Even Eida Hachreisis Rosh Bes Din said that he has always maintained that this is as it states in the Gemora and in Shulchan Oruch. Rav Revach has a business of supervising cleaned fish (although they still have plenty worms)
Estherh:
Whether or not the gemoro was referring to these fish is the question being debated.
You still haven’t proven that anyone rescinded their psak.
If we’re going to cast aspersions on someones ne’emonus based on negius, let’s just disqualify anyone working for a kashrus agency from being matir any shailoh. After all, a hechsher can only accept payment from a company producing a product certified kosher, not for declaring something non-kosher!