[VIDEO PHOTO LINK BELOW] As YWN reported earlier, rumors are rapidly spreading throughout the Frum community about an alleged Kashrus scandal in a Boro Park restaurant. At the bottom of our earlier report, YWN wrote the following:
“YWN would like to once again make it clear, that the above information is not necessarily facts, but due to the fact that we have been receiving hundreds of requests to post the story, and after consulting with a Rov, we have done so. As soon as any P’sak is given by a Mashgiach, or any Rabbonim in Boro Park, YWN will bring you the information.”
As promised, YWN has spoken with the highly-credible Rav Hamachshir of the establishment in question, Rav Shmiel Teitelbaum Shlita, of Tartikov Bais Din.
It must be publicly noted that YWN also spoke with Rav Babad Shlita, who is the Tartikov Rov. Rav Babad is NOT the Rav Hamachshir on this restaurant (as reported erroneously elsewhere), and his Hashgocha is an entirely separate business – with no connection to this store whatsoever.
The following is what Rav Teitelbaum told YWN:
“Approximately 1.5 years ago, Chaskel’s Shwarma King was sold to a Frum Sephardic Jew. The owner is an Erlich Yid (pious Jew), who asks Shailos (questions) on almost a daily basis – even on the smallest question which arise in his store.
Two weeks ago, the Mashgiach mentioned to the owner that they were not satisfied with the current manager, so the owner immediately hired his brother-in-law to work as the store manager.
Additionally, new non-Jewish employees were hired as well.
Last evening, the store ran-out of hotdogs, and a new employee (non-Jew) was sent to the nearby “Kollel Store” to purchase a few packages until their next delivery arrived.
The employee returned into the store openly carrying the non-Kosher hotdogs, prompting customers who were inside to start questioning the manager on what was going on. It seems that the employee never walked to the Kollel Store, but rather to a nearby grocery which carries non-Kosher meats.
The Mashgiach was contacted at 2:00AM, and dispatched Mashgichim along with at least two independent Rabbonim to the store for a thorough investigation. The two Rabbonim are Rav Yitzchok Stein, and Rav Moshe Roth (son of Hagon Rav Chaskel Roth Shlita).
During their investigation, at least 50 empty packages of Meal Mart hotdogs were found in the garbage, leading them to believe that the store had in fact just run out of hotdogs a few hours earlier. They searched the entire store, and found absolutely no evidence of any Treif other then the few packages of closed hotdogs just brought into the store”
Rav Teitelbaum tells YWN that as of this moment, the Hashgocha remains on the establishment, and the non-Jewish employee (who was just hired last week) has since been fired.
Rav Teitelbaum also felt the need to publicize the following: The individuals who witnessed the employee carrying in the hotdogs did the right thing by asking questions, but the way in which it was done is unacceptable.
The Halacha requires them to question the Baal Din, but not to spread rumors across the community before allowing the Rav Hamachshir to conduct his investigation.
The Hashgocha will be releasing an official statement in the next few hours – following a meeting of their Bais Din and other prominent Poskim & Rabbonim.
“There are many lessons to be learned from this incident, a prominent Rov told YWN. Perhaps we should take this as a lesson to demand that a Mashgiach Timidi be installed in every establishment. But most important, is the need for each and every Jew to learn the Halachas of Shmiras Halashon, and find out how one is supposed to react in such a situation according to Halacha, and not instinct.”
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click HERE for photos & HERE for video (VULGAR LAUNGAGE EDITED) taken at the scene last night by Hershy Gee for YWN.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
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56 Responses
WOW!!! that’s why I didn’t buy any rumors until I hear an official report from YWN, (that’s why the other source has proven it wrong once again), thanks for the update & I think we should go in to this store and be mechazek the owner by buying food there!!!
Maybe remove the previous post?!?
What a lesson. It is essential that this business not be hurt because some people, albeit well-intentioned, were too quick to spread rumors. Those who live in the area should show solidarity, and give the restaurant extra support for the next few weeks. Those who may have spread the rumors should be aware that unjustly causing a business to close down is Avak Retzicha, and they need to quickly make amends. I suggest the following: Go the extra mile to dispel the rumors, make an extra effort to patronize the restaurant, and encourage others to patronize it as well. If you do all of the above, there may not be any need to ask Mechilah, but you can discuss that with a Rav.
I knew it.
Only Kosher hot dogs taste like chicken.
In the whole neighborhood you can not buy treif franks?!
Thank You For Writing The Clarification.
Did the man who bought the treif hot dogs know any better? I would have to assume so, especially since he was fired. Then again, I can also see the prudence of firing him even if he did not know better – in order to protect from other such mistakes he might make that could affect whether people are eating treif.
Good job clearing up the facts!
shouldn’t trust a nochri to do the shopping
You are not ever supposed to let a goy buy or obtain meat products on his own. Anyway,non-kosher items can be delivered anytime to any kosher establishment.That is why only the mashgiach,working independently of the place,must first approve of shipments that arrive,before using the merchandise. The mashgiach cannot be an employee of the store.Only the mashgiach may open the meat storage and NO outside food may ever be brought in!
Was the cell phone that the picture was taken with Kosher?
If it was a treif cellphone, then the picture isn’t kosher, which by default makes the hotdogs kosher.
Commenter #27 (to the previous article) wrote: “Can I safely assume that since YWN reported the name of the restaurant the facts have been verified? I can assure you that I will never go into that restaurant hereafter, now that it has been named.”
My Response: #27 – Unjustly causing someone to lose business is a far worse Aveira than the one you are afraid of. No one can force you to eat anywhere, but don’t make statements that may encourage others to withhold their business from the establishment. And, since there is no reason for concern, why not give your support as well?
Now that we know the true story, I would eat supper there tonight, if it wasn’t more than a 3 hour drive from where I live.
why is the manager allowed to send a non-jew to buy kosher provisions
why isnt there an institutionalized purchasing procedure
bottom line
hefkerus
shame on the owner / manager for being stupid
Shame on kashrus organizations involved for not making iron clad procedures
What time does the “kollel grocery” close on tuesday?
thank you. everybody read the end of the artical. the least everyone can do now is be ashamed and not continue talking bad against other jews. wake up already! there is a reason we are suffering so badly in this world!
This issue was handle carefully and delicately yet, nonetheless, I worry that maybe a little business may be lost not as a result of motzei shem ra chas vesholom but as a result of a psychological association people may subconsiously have as the result of hearing these rumors (despite knowing now that everything is false)
Please join me, “Simcha”, and my friends tonight as we try to crowd Shawarma King with as many people as possible and try to make up for any potential lost business by making it the most profitable night of the proprietor’s life.
I don’t know how to title this “benefit” but let’s see how many other erliche yidden we can convice to show up.
To #12: Hot Dogs come in a sealed package, so it is easy to determine if they have appropriate Kosher supervision. So, there are three possibilities: 1. The non-Jewish worker returns with hot dogs that clearly have Kosher supervision; the manager accepts the delivery. 2. The non-Jewish worker returns with hot dogs that are clearly non-Kosher; the manager rejects the delivery, and (possibly) fires the worker. 3. The non-Jewish worker returns with hot dogs that are not in a sealed package; the manager rejects the delivery, and warns the worker to always deliver food in the original sealed packages.
TO #12 SO FROM NOW YOU WONT EAT ANYMORE ANY HECHSHER…SLAUGHTER YOUR OWN MEATS,BAKE MATZOH, INGREDIANTS, MILK, CANDIES,CHIPS , TZITTES, TFILIN, HOW ABOUT THE SEFER TORAH, IS SHEMOS LISHMA..ETC ETC..I WILL GO AHEAD AND TRUST THOSE I KNOW PERSONALLY…LEARN THRU THE INYON OF ‘PAR HELEM DOVR LTZIBBUR’.. NOT GOING INTO DETAILS ,SEE FOR YOURSELF THERE, BES DIN CAN PASKEN TO WORSHIP …AND ITS NOT END OF THE WORLD BETH DIN STAYS BETH DIN..
It is amazing to see all the comments about the previous post where most people had something negative to say. And now that we know the final story all of a sudden comments change. Shame on you people. We should only hope that Hashem does not judge us the way we judge others. This goes to Hikind as well.
dontbeagolem [12]
Did you ever run a restaurant?
it’s “Hefkeirus” to just shout out of your self written Shulchan Aruch, especially against other Yidden.
“strictly goysha meichel”What are you talking about? What makes a machaal goyshe? Because the goyim eat it too? Then everything besides for Matzvo is goyish….talk sense man!
MDshweks — March 17, 2009 @ 11:55 am states:
Did you ever run a restaurant?
it’s “Hefkeirus” to just shout out of your self written Shulchan Aruch, especially against other Yidden.
are you NUTS .. what self written shulchan aruch .. basar haneelam min haayin is not universally accepted ?? lack of neemanus of a goy is now open to discussion – amaratzus !!!
Now a person needs to run a restaurant to know that a goy can not buy / open / place flaisch on a grill (see published timelines of incident)
common sense dictates that the owners / managers were negligent
common sense dictates that the rav hamachshir (i know .. big talmid chacham etc) dropped the ball
common sense dictates that they were machshil the rabbim (at least two costumers – published reports !!)
we are no longer victims.. by justifying / allowing this hefkerus to exist we become partners in the avla
I’m sorry that I cannot seem to buy the story that tartikov is selling, if it was as they claim, why was the guy sent out at 1 am to go to KRM?, why was the manager so upset when they took pictures?
And If at 11am the “Bais Din and other prominent Poskim & Rabbonim” are meeting, how was it that at 9 am their spokesman already had a statement that the story is false?
TO #22 IF THE MEAT CAME IN WRAPPED SEALED(KOSHER) PACKAGE ITS NOT ‘BOSOR SHENISALEM MIN HUEIN'(IM SAYING IN GENERAL,DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE, BUT FROM YOUR STATEMENT SEEMS OTHERWISE IF, NOT EXCUSE..)QUEATIIN IS WHAT HAPPENED AFTER
…“There are many lessons to be learned from this incident, a prominent Rov told YWN. Perhaps we should take this as a lesson to demand that a Mashgiach Timidi be installed in every establishment. But most important, is the need for each and every Jew to learn the Halachas of Shmiras Halashon, and find out how one is supposed to react in such a situation according to Halacha, and not instinct.”
I am sorry, but when Kashrus is at stake, no, we don’t have to sit down and learn Hilchos Shmiras haloshon! When there’s a fire you scream!!!
WHAT’S MISSING FROM THIS PICTURE?
1. Manager sends Goy to Kollel Supermarket to buy some packages of “Haiyse Hint” (Hot Dogs).
2. Goy returns to the store with a shopping bag full of franks.
3. Manager does not check what’s in the bag to make sure the Goy brought Kosher frans.
4. Who is at fault here?–the Goy, The Supermarket, the manager?
5. Which one of the above should have been fired for criminal negligence?
If I lived in brklyn I would go buy supper there tonight
to #27 thats your picture in meantime the picture is pretty blurry no matter what news sites print
RE: deepthinker — March 17, 2009 @ 1:17 pm
you left out the rav hamachshir –
slammer47
I wouldn’t, story still smells funny.
the bais din of Rabbi Yecheskal Roth was @ the seen last night and they also found other kashrus problems, they also confirmed that the last time schwarma king purchased kosher franks was FOUR 4 WEEKS AGO.
I’m surprised the goy deserved to be fired. Apparently he was new and I would bet he doesn’t speak much English. It very well could be that he didn’t understand kosher from non-kosher. If they thought that he went to buy cheaper hot dogs so he could pocket the difference, then that is an appropriate offense for dismissal.
Oh yes, down here in the Greater Washington, DC, area, our vaad would never dream of allowing a non-Jewish worker go to a store to buy meat — packaged or otherwise. Condiments, maybe, but not meat.
People think that Boro Park kashrut is so great, but in visits to establishments there I’ve been surprised by a lot of what goes on that would never fly out-of-town.
To #25 torahis1
If he was told to go to KRM and then he went to the local bodega, then he should be fired.
Maybe they stocked up for 4 weeks? That is not so strange. The only scary part is that IF no one had noticed what the guy had in his bag, and there was an order for hotdogs to be made, would he have just opened the packets and thrown them in the pot and served them? Maybe yes maybe not. But the procedures are not ok.
in any case it was still a mistake which was found BEFORE anyone came to be nichshal.. so the owner deserves an apology and our support.
According to the Sachichev Dayan all hot dogs and similarly “prusta” Americanized foods are considered “chazer traif” and should be avoided – with or without a hechsher.
#36 SO SAME WITH PIZZA WHICH IS ITALIAN
The Rav Hamachshir excuse and answer is not accepted because a store with an owner and workers not familiar with Kashrus verification must have a system approved by the Rav Hamachshir of who may purchase and who has to review every purchase.
Lets be aware no one stopped or reported this wrong doing other than customers, who also say that at least one customer was served with it.
The answer should be appoint an outside non biased independant Beis Din to investigate and fill in Klal Yisroel with the truth.
Not the owner and not the Rav Hamachshir should have the word on any Kashrus scandel.
the store needs a mashgiach temidi Period. any food, hotdogs or soda, must be purchased by a shomer shabbos yid, end of story.
I agree – this is what comes of eating non-heimeshe food. What was wrong with the food of our ancestors from Europe? A dinner of borscht with cream is so bad? A piece of kichel with herring is such a terrible snack that it drives young people to induldge not simpy in a frankfurter (which by itself should be fine) but to pursue gastronomic gashmius that mimics the ways of foreigners? Do we really need French and Mexican and Thai and Chinese restaurants? Are our communities so wealthy that we should be investing in food fads, rather than throwing open our doors to feed the hungry? In this old man’s opinion, everyone who eats out at a restaurant should then eat at one meal at Mesibah, but should then pay for that meal the same amount that was paid at the heilegeh ‘fancy’ restaurant. Imagine the achdus of yidden from all types of households eating together, those who can pay with those who cannot – instead of this incessant drive to feed our silly need to gobble more food at the expense of our physical as well as spiritual health.
This is not to say that restaurants should not exist – they should, and they provide a wonderful opportunity for people to enjoy a change of pace. But like the fancy schnapps at kiddush – do we need to pursue it with such a passion?
I wonder if this would happen in a store under the OU or Chaf K.
TO 41…YOU REALLY SOUND SILLY..WHAT ABOUT ALL THE SHEILOUS THRU AGES YOUR GOING TO SAY ‘THIS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EAT’?
I was following this story and I thought I would just add my two cents here. I am afraid that Lashon Hara might hurt the guys business. Rumors do that. I do not think that this Jew should hurt financially from “our” mistake. I don’t know about you guys but I am going to make an effort to go down to the business and show G-d that I am not mekabel this lashon hara and that it did not affect me in the slightest. It could be that this will have no affect on his business, but I dont want to wait to find out.
Also I read some of the remarks posted about the kashrus industry and before we make remarks about how they should be fixed or run I think we need to think about the consequences too. A lot of places cannnot afford hashgacha tamidi and why should we stores not be profitable bec they are hiring an extra full time staff. This was a simple error on the part of the goy who may or may not have been familiar with kashrus. Why should this food establishment and now maybe even other food establishments have to suffer to the hands of lashon hara.
to #45 you are right see #17
On the Video, I see the owner lifting a knife twice, to try to chase a Frum Yid away!
This I consider a violent move that no religious Jew would ever do.
Let me state it CLEAR. This store must be closed ASAP. The nature of the business changed.
He got caught this time, how about last week, or the week before or last month. What kind of franks did they serve then??????????????
By reading the article it seems that all the blame was put on the new employee/
This is Borough Park, someone should step in immediately and shut down the store. NOW!
I think the lesson to be learned from this (especially during the current Recession) only hire Yiddin who need to work to support themselves or their families, and generally no more about Kashrus (if they are somewhat frum) then Goyam.
to 48 ..your invited
#46
I would indeed.
In fact, in my community there was one guy that there were rumors going around on him, I made alot of noise till the guy was ousted of his position.
So if you wondered if I would scream in such a situation, the answer is, YES!! And that’s exactly what i did!!
#26, that’s ridiculous. A frum jew does what the shulchan orach says, period.
#48, let’s see how you react when your life’s parnassah is being threatened. And do you have any evidence to support your claim that “He got caught this time, how about last week, or the week before or last month.”, or did you just make it up? Either way it’s pure motzei shaim ra, and I’m frankly disappointed with YWN for posting it.
And speaking of YWN, what heter does YWN have to post the name of the restaurant before looking up the facts? Do you not realize that people like rappaportmax will always spread completely and ludicrously false rumors, forever damaging the parnassah of a totally innocent jew? YWN has gotten a reputation for reporting only true and kosher news, please don’t change that.
#51 YYSV –
Your screen name doesn’t leave much to the imagination…Good job, and thank you.
–Someone who “went thru the system” (again, vhameivin yavin)
#51, if there is no solid evidence to support such rumors, you are destroying an innocent person’s life, and very probably the lives of his family. Do you want that on your cheshbon?
#54 – with all due respect, don’t talk about what you don’t understand. (Probably shouldn’t have been posted here, but too late for that.)
to all i must say its mamesh min hashmaim that in the magazine section of todays weekly hamodia a moiredige story about results of hurting a yid which can aptly c’v applied here. so anyone involved in insulting or causing hefsed for this yid please, please read this story ‘playing with fire’…rumors are thie yid is mamash considerin closing the store. you might even have to go down and be him mechazek,encourage to keep open. my opinion, which i hope is torah opinion..the whole episode is a comlete shogeg too much to elaborate but see the inon of ‘par helem dovor shel tzibbur’
Without going in to the details of the storey, as a customer I can tell you about the owner, whenever he had an extra few minute you would always see him learning. even though it doesn’t tell you about the storey itself. it does tell you a little bit about this type person.
#26 I’ve never posted here before but when I read what you posted “I am sorry, but when Kashrus is at stake, no, we don’t have to sit down and learn Hilchos Shmiras haloshon!” I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure you’re aware that eating tarfus is a lav but loshon hara carries with it so may issurim that you don’t want to start. While it’s true that when Kashrus is at stake we should scream, don’t scream at the expense of shmiras haloshon.
I am a mashgiach in the kosher food service business. it is common practice to send out employees for food.the — just requires that the mashgiach be notified before the employee is sent out & the food be shown to the mashgiach when he gets back.
in this case the employee should not have been fired. he was just trying to do his job.it is putting the blame in the wrong place. what about causing the worker to become an ante Semite?
the major national hashgachos require a mashgiach temiti in a meat restaurant. it is just the heimishe hashagchos that rely on the owner.
This was a one time mistake, was it stupid to send someone who did not understand kosher to buy the hotdogs? Yes, no doubt. But a reliable Bies Din has investigated the store for two days and kashured everything that need it.
This is a reliable restaurant and I would continue to eat there.
Even in your own kitchen at home there has probly been one or two mistakes over the years that made you throw something out or kashar it.