According to the general manager and chef of Morrell Caterers on Long Island, people paid a premium for Kosher foods at over 200 weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and other events, but everything was tainted.
“Those same tables, those same pots and pans, those same platters and utensils that were used for Kosher foods were also used to prepare the non-Kosher events as well,” said general manager Tom Cataldo.
Cataldo, who has been general manager since 1997, and chef Micheal Savitsky are suing the owner of the catering company, Scott Morrell.
They say it has been going on for a year and a half.
They say they want to force him to stop tainting the food. Cataldo says he was getting sick inside.
Cataldo told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall the owner was trying to cut corners by not having a separate kitchen for Kosher and non-Kosher foods.
“We would have our Kosher foods stored and next to it a bucket of shrimp,” said Cataldo.
Cataldo also says premium alcohol served was not premium at all. He says cheaper alcohol was poured into older empty bottles of the good stuff to make it look premium.
The attorney for Scott Morrell called the claims fiction.
Morrell Caterers operates at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, Temple Israel in Lawrence, and the Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury.
(Source: 1010WINS)
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32 Responses
OY GEVALD!!
HASHEM YERACHEIM.
I AM SURE THIS CAN’T BE TRUE.
JUST ASK THE HECHSHER CO. THEY USED.
If it’s true that “Morrell Caterers operates at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, Temple Israel in Lawrence, and the Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury”, then those communities’ members probably aren’t strict about kashrus to begin with. It’s definitely a case of financial fraud and misrepresentation, though.
what do you expect, when the caterers operate out of a reform bowling-alley (woops, i mean temple)
I wonder if they had a Rav Hamachshir
And where is the mashgiach in this story?
Was this a kosher style caterer? The article didn’t say whose hecksher was involved. The company’s website does not mention any hecksher, and the pictures involved suggest that they are not serving a kosher clientele (e.g. brides in shockingly immodest gowns).
Not likely that they had a mashgiach. No half decent mashgiach would allow one kitchen for kosher and non kosher!
Their website just mentions kosher, but not much else.
A Google search found the following (which is through their site, but doesn’t link from the front page):
What is your Rabbinical Supervision?
• Morrell of Woodbury is Glatt Kosher, exclusively under the Vaad of Flatbush.
• Morrell Caterers of Lawrence and Morrell Caterers of Melville are under the strict Kosher supervision of Rabbi Steven Moss.
• Morrell of Woodbury can provide Glatt Kosher supervision at both Temple Israel of Lawrence and Temple Beth Torah of Melville.
Another Google search for this Rabbi Moss shows that he’s the Rabbi at a reform temple in Long Island.
Their website says “Glatt Kosher Available”.
Apparently NON Kosher is also available.
From the website it doesn’t appear that their clientele are very concerned about kashrus.
“Cataldo also says premium alcohol served was not premium at all. He says cheaper alcohol was poured into older empty bottles of the good stuff to make it look premium.” Unfortunatly, this is common practice among many caterers subsituting Gordons vodka for the overpriced premium vodkas because few can tell the difference.
This is a tremendous AIVERAH to all those who were ordering, eating and paying for Kosher Products.
Money, money and money…makes the world go round and off orbit.
A Reform “Rabbi” has about the same credibility as a gentile, when it comes to kashrus.
Since Reform “Rabbis” don’t really believe that Torah standards are important, why should they be particular about enforcing kashrus standards!
A Reform “Rabbi” has about the same credibility as a gentile, when it comes to kashrus.
Of course not. A goy can be mesiach l’fi tumo, but a reform galach probably cannot have that din.
BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS FOLKS…
This is from the ‘Tikun Olam’ page of “rabbi”(“mashgiach”) Steven Moss’ reform temple website…
“Give-A-Ride Mitzvah
There are Temple members who would like to attend Friday night services… but cannot drive or do not have access to an automobile. If anyone in the Temple community is able to fulfill this mitzvah and give a ride, please call the Rabbi (631) 563-1660. Coordination will be organized by geography and distance from the person in need of a ride.”
GEVALT!!!
A cousin made a Bat Mitzvah in the Melville temple a few years ago. Of course, she told me it’s kosher. But I did my own inquiry, and basically they said that the Woodbury catering is better then the Melville one (since this is quite awhile ago, I truly don’t remember EXACTLY what they said). They told me my cousin could order a sealed kosher meal for me from the other locatin, which is what she did. Gevalt, I ate that. Plus a lot of us attended simchas at Atrium around the same time the Monsey chicken fraud was going on.
#14, In the summer it’s OK because they have their services before shkia…
What do you expect from Temple Beth Gornisht’s ersatz “rabbi”?
Kidding aside, I feel very sorry for all the people who cared enough to want and pay for a kosher, to their standards anyway, affair instead of holding it in a blatantly treif place, but were cheated by this charlatan of a clergyman. Give them credit; at least they tried.
#8 Please don’t defame the Vaad Harabbonim of Flatbush.
I searched all the numerous listings for Morrell Caterers and didn’t find a word about the Vaad or even the word “Glatt.” It is clear to anyone with any Jewish sensibilities that this is not a caterer to be used for a kosher event. Look at the attire of the “Kallah” in the picture; try finding a yamulke on the caterer, the guests or the “rabbi” of the reform temple who is so upset about this abuse of trust. A good example of the pot calling the kettle black!!
Furthermore, I doubt the Vaad would give hashgocho to an affair in a reform temple.
Whats the “gevald” their clientle are not concered about Kashrus or Shabbos at all, they eat Treifa in their homes and are mechalel shabos
Whatever happened to judging people favorably. Also the venom and hate directed at fellow yidden who we feel are not up to our standards is a shonda.
And we wonder why the geula has not yet arrived.
#16:- Carrying on Shabbos the entire year, is only an Issur miDerabonon on Long Island, because due to lower population density than Mnahattan, at most Karmelis;
Hence even if they carry their Hadassim or Shofar to Shul on Shabbos, only “Daled Amos” in a Karmelis & no Torah violation of Shabbos.
Then again there is no Shevus deRabbonon in the real Temple, so they can be Meikel on Shevus deRabbonon at their so called temples.
#21…
There’s no need to get so “lumdish” on this issue.
The people who go to a ‘reform temple’ wouldn’t know an “Issur miDerabonon” from a “Karmelis” if their lives depended on it.
HOWEVER, a ‘rabbi’ who acts the role of a mashgiach certainly should! He is guilty of misrepresenting himself with his ‘rabbi’ title. If he chooses to not care about the laws of kashrus, that is his choice, BUT by claiming to be a mashgiach, he is misrepresenting that he DOES care. HE is the one to go after!
Rea dPRNewswire for response. The caterer says he’s 100% glatt kosher and the Vaad of Flatbush says,
“Rabbi Abraham Alper-Mashgiach-Vaad of Flatbush stated, “I won’t speak to any of the legal issues that have been raised. It would be inappropriate to offer an opinion one way or another and the courts will ultimately provide a verdict. I can, and will, however, speak to the personal integrity of the Morrells. I have known them and respected them for decades and have personally witnessed them apply the highest standards of Jewish law to food preparation. My confidence in their personal integrity and honesty is unwavering.”
#18: You didn’t search hard enough. Googling Morrell Caterers supervision gets you to a webpage that makes the claim quoted in #8. The fact that they claim that one of their sites is under the Vaad of Flatbush doesn’t mean it really is.
i dont know about all of u by i looked into a hall a while ago that offeres kosher with a hechser or not kosher they said they have two diffrent kitchens but i would not hear of it too many mistakes can happen and we have plenty of stickly kosher halls y do we have to go to such a place
Immensly insulted by #2’s comments about people who live around the Temple. We are normal frum Jews who eat kosher and keep the Torah like every other frum yid. In fact, I don’t know anyone who has been to a wedding there. Everyone in the neighborhood knows it’s not a kosher/frum place for a wedding. Its just a known fact in the neighborhood. If s/o had 2b there for a wedding, they def do not eat there.
Please do not start l”h about the frum 5towns/Far Rock communities!
Thank you:)
As the child of two balie tshuva, I have been to a number of “kosher” smachot where there was no mashgiach. Our relatively ordered us double wrapped sealed meals, which came with a great hashgacha on the seal. It turns out that the “kosher” caterer ordered a reliably kosher dessert cake that was dairy. These mistakes are common among those less knowledgable which is why a valid mashgiach is needed.
Please note that MOST catering halls in the NY Area offer kosher and non-kosher options. It is up to the rav hamachshir to kasher the kitchen. This has been common practice for decades. It all comes down to the mashgiach, and in some cases the mashgiach was holding by non-torah standards that may have been acceptable to the conservative movement (which does not require full torah kashering).
#26 If you’re not part of that community, then why do you feel insulted?
Milhouse- I am part of the 5towns/Far Rock communities. I am insulted that s/o would say that this shows that the ppl in the neighborhood don’t care about these things because this happened.
He didn’t say the people in the neighbourhood don’t care, he said the people of that community don’t care. If you are frum and don’t set foot in the temple then how are you part of their community? Just because you live near it?!
The point being made by ‘happiest’ is that he lives near the temple but has nothing to do with it. He probably davens at a different nearby shul with the rest of the Frum members of that community. Therefore comments about the ‘community’ should be specifically aimed at the ‘not-so-frum-community-members’ near the temple, and not at the entire community.
There are reform, reconstructionist, and who knows what other temples in Boro Park. Does that make the ‘community’ C”V not frum?
The Vaad of Flatbush posted a response that I saw on Kashrut.com (http://www.kashrut.com/Alerts/Morrell.pdf).
If you look at the list in #8, it doesn’t take a genius to see that there could easily be a difference between ‘Glatt’ in Woodbury, vs. ‘Kosher’ in Lawrence and Melville. They could use different kitchens, Mashgichim, and standards.
That having been said, which covers the Vaad of Flatbush from getting in trouble… there are still potential issues that are not new, but have been there all along. Anytime there is a caterer that provides Kosher in one place and non Kosher in another (and even more so in the same place,) the Mashgiach in the Glatt Kosher place has to be extra vigilant that they do not bring any pre-made ingredients or leftovers from one place to the other. The caterer has a strong financial incentive to re-use the food or ingredients.
I am not saying that the Vaad of Flatbush is not extra careful in this case. (though for me personally they are not high on my trustworthy list.)