There is an issue I have now twice encountered at Nyack Hospital that I believe is critical to share with your audience.
Three years ago, I gave birth at Nyack Hospital. During my time at the hospital, I noticed that one of the kosher meals given to me was a fleishig one, but contained a dairy cookie for dessert!
Following my stay, I gave the hospital a call to let them know that they were erroneously serving dairy with meat! They profusely apologized and assured me that the problem would be rectified.
Well, it’s now three years later, and b”h I gave birth to another child at the hospital. And guess what? A full three years after my first stay, I once again got the exact same fleishig dinner with the same dairy cookie!
If I had to guess, most frum patients at the hospital don’t check the labels because they assume that the hospital wouldn’t serve an obviously dairy item with meat. But unfortunately, they are.
If you are at Nyack Hospital, please beware of this serious kashrus issue.
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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20 Responses
This is a joke, right? Serious issue? A serious would be one where the consumer can’t identify a milchig cookie served with meat. This isn’t a serious issue on any level. No one who’s serious about kashrus eats anything outside of their house without reading a label. Poster needs to get a day job.
I’d be interested to know what exactly about this letter was controversial enough to require the disclaimer on the bottom.
Are you sure it’s dairy and not dairy equipment (OU doesn’t differentiate with the D) still somewhat of a problem but only if eaten together
Finally, a mailbag that actually makes sense, and can really make a difference!
been going on forever . everywhere.. in Monmouth hospital when my daughter gave birth, full of frum staff members ETc there was a dairy ice cream cup placed right on top of the hot meat meal…
probably because their fleishig cookies are horrendous
btw my rov paskened that in a home with children nothing can ever be considered parve
OU-D is often pareve and diary equipment
There’s a separate issue here CHALAV STAM! You cant eat it even if you are PAREVE!!!!
Is the whole hospital kosher?
Otherwise how could you not check everything???
Who Said they didn’t mix it up
This exact issue occurred with me multiple times when I was at LIJ .
I suspect it’s more endemic than you might think.
As always -Caveat Emptor
In general it’s a good idea to check labels and packages whenever you’re eating in situations like this.
I gave birth to five out of my ka”h six babies at Nyack hospital. The staff was very accommodating and considerate. One time I got a cookie for dessert with a meal, and even though I was ordering from the Kosher menu, it was not a heimishe product. An Oreo maybe? Whatever; I gave it to the nurses.
You should have a lot of nachas from all of your children.
What are you expecting from a bunch of goyim who don’t know anything?
“A full three years after my first stay, I once again got the exact same fleishig dinner with the same dairy cookie!…”
Mazel Tov on the baby. Its truly bizarre that they would try to serve you a 3-year old meal. Hopefully, they at least kep it refrigerated during that time, although that doesn’t address their mixing milchig with fleishig.
I see it a lot in many places, you always have to check if its parve or if its kosher lepessah. During pessah, many places were selling hamets in the kosher aisle.
I am sorry, but what does this have to do with the shidduch crisis?
“I am sorry, but what does this have to do with the shidduch crisis?”
Everything. The hashgacha probably has a young rav or kollel yungerleit assigned to periodically monitor kashruth for the prepacked meals served at the hospital. Once it become clear he has failed at his assignment and Nyack KashruthGate blows up as the scandal of the decade, that will be one less bochur in the pool seeking a wife.
Ask your local Rabbi If your life waa considered in danger. At times dispensation is given. You forget to mention how many calories the cookie was and if it tasted good. Which did you choose the cookie or the rest of the meal?
If you were to eat the dairy first. There are prominent Rabbis who would allow you to eat meat shortly thereafter.
Written by AI.
It’s an old standard problem, hospitals and airlines too.
The only thing theoretically “guaranteed” kosher is the completely sealed meal.
Now with the sealed tray you have to be careful because sometimes some unfamiliar staff will sweetly innocently transfer over the food to a nice plate. Not realizing that although they meant well, they just undid and ruined the kashrus of it!
Now anything else on the tray is added by the hospital/airline staff based on their innocent perception of kosher or fleishig/milichig.
Will always be a problem in any facility that’s not fully under full time hashgacha.
doom777: It will be the new question asked by Shadchanim: “Did you eat the kosher meals at the hospital?” Even if you checked it before eating, the extra machmir won’t accept it, because how can you trust someone who would put the two items together? So the entire meal must be thrown out!
“I was ordering from the Kosher menu, it was not a heimishe product.”
Nyack doesnt define Kosher as Heimishe. Perhaps suggest Nyack offer a “Heimish” menu.