After doing much research & speaking to various Rabbonim we will try to inform all Yeshivaworld readers of the FACTS until this point.

There is a grocery store in Monsey NY called Hatzlocha Grocery. They “sub-let” space to Shevach Butcher Store. Shevach buys wholesale chickens from Vineland and KJ (AKA Satmar) meats. Shevach then repackages the chickens and meats and writes [for example] “Shevach – Vineland” on the package. Hatzlocha Grocery carries the meats packaged by Shevach.

Last week the owner of Hatzlocha Grocery made a family Simcha and in attendance was his brother-in-law who happens to be a manager at “K.J. Meats” (AKA SATMAR MEATS). His brother-in-law happened to ask him “where did you get these chickens from”? He answered “from my shelves”. The brother-in-law then asked him “how could Shevach? be selling chickens if we (KJ Meats) stopped selling them product ?” The brother-in-law then said “he must have had old stock”.

The owner of Hatzlocha also found out that Vineland had stopped selling him chickens as well.

The owner of Hatzlocha went into the store the following morning and noticed that the shelves were freshly stocked. He approached the owner of Shevach & asked him “since Vineland & KJ Meats stopped selling you product, where are these chickens coming from?” The owner of Shevach answered that “I buy from some other distributors”. It was then verified that the owner was LYING and that he never purchased from those “other” distributors.

The local Rabbonim were contacted, among them the Skverer Dayan who paskned that an immediate search of his refrigerators would be done.

A search that was done that night turned up some shocking evidence: CASES OF NON-KOSHER CHICKENS!!

Many of you might be wondering how that determination was made. There are a few reasons. #1-Kosher chickens are very yellow & these chickens were extremely pale. #2-Kosher chickens have feathers still on the skin at the time of purchase & these had none.? #3-When a chicken is kashered all of the insides of the chicken are removed. These chickens were in possession of their kidneys still. #4-There was no trace of salt on the chickens. #5-No stamp or seal from any kosher butcher were on the boxes.

After confronting the owner of Shevach Meats for an explanation, he admitted to the Rabonim this story: He claimed that those chickens that were found were sold to him by a truck driver of Nassau Distributors on the black market – but was reassured by the NON-JEWISH truck driver that the chickens were kosher; from a fire that Empire Chicken Company had recently had.

This is where the story ENDS. All other stories that are going around are FALSE.

There was a meeting which ended today at approximately 5:00 pm at which 20 Rabbonim from Monsey were in attendance. This included both Chassidih and Litvish Rabbonim. The purpose of the meeting was to issue a UNITED P’sak for the entire Monsey community.

The P’sak will not be signed by the Rabbonim until Rabbi Breslauer reviews it. Unfortunately he is out of town and will be unable to see it until tomorrow morning.

This is basically what the P’sak says: All chickens AND meats which were purchased on or after Tuesday and Wednesday (August 29th & 30th) cannot be used. Any Kailem (cooking utensils) in which chicken or meat which was purchased on those two days [and after] was cooked in must be Kashered! Anyone who cooked Chicken or meat which was purchased before those two days should consult their own Rov for a P’sak Halacha on what they should do.

(The reason for consulting your own Rov as what one should do if chicken or meat which was purchased PRIOR to last Tuesday & Wednesday is based on a Machlokes between the Shach & the Taz as to when a person loses his “Chezkas Kashruth” in such a case.)

In addition, Hatzlocha Grocery is issuing a complete refund for all meat & chicken that is returned to the store no matter what the date.

(In a related issue, a few people had been complaining that their chicken soups had been tasting bland for the past few weeks to which they were told “we are using low sodium”.)

[This article should not be used as a Halachic reference whatsoever.]