[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The reports of this major illegal meat operation do not come from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel or even the Kashrus Fraud Detection Unit headed by Rabbi Rafi Yochai. In fact, according to Israel Police, the Ministry of Agriculture, and Israel Police spokesman for the chareidi community Shabtai Gerverchik; the Rabbanut failed big time and it appears to him at least that efforts are being made to misinform the public that the failure impact kosher restaurants as well as non-kosher. Gerverchik adds that this is not a small operation, and clearly, it has been operating for some time yet the Chief Rabbinate was clueless. His statements are backed up by the Israel Police Chief Superintendent heading this investigation, which is still ongoing.

According to the Channel 10 News report, a chain of events signaled possible wrongdoing pertaining to the delivery of meat from a health and veterinary perspective. These suspicions led to an undercover Israel Police investigation which culminated with the arrest of 12 suspects, Jews and Arabs.

Roy Klinger, who runs the Agriculture Ministry Veterinary Supervision Unit confirms 12 main suspects are in custody and the operation that was based in the Atarot industrial park in northern Jerusalem has been shut down.

In short, the operation worked as follows. Meats that were outdated were imported from S. America to the Port of Haifa, from where they were trucked legally to PA (Palestinian Authority) controlled Ramallah. The problem begins from here, where the meats were stored in A-Ram under unacceptable conditions and then made their way to the Black Angus Company in Atarot, where they were repacked and given a fresh /production expiration dates. Rewrapping included affixing news expiration dates and often kashrus certifications.

Gerverchik confirms that packing tape, stickers and holograms were found on the location, in large quantities. These were from both the Jerusalem Rabbinate and Badatz Beit Yosef. Beit Yosef has been informed and addressing the worrisome case as well as dealing with relevant agencies involved in the case.

From Atarot, Black Angus delivered the treif/tainted meats nationwide, to 27 of the highest end treif restaurants as well as kosher ones.

Gerverchik confirms the police list that was released contains the names of 27 treif restaurants but clearly there were kosher ones too, albeit regular kosher, non-mehadrin. Those involved bought the meat at a bargain price and sold it at a bargain price.

Shai District Police Chief of Investigations Chief Superintendent Shmuel Jarabi explains the investigation continues but for now, the Black Angus Company in Atarot has been closed down.

27 Restaurants listed by police include

· Adom Bar, Jerusalem

· Ahd HaEtzem (עד העצם) “To the Bone”, Kfar Saba & Herzliya

· Anak HaBasar, Holon

· Bailis LTD, Rishon L’Tzion

· Black Angus, Netanya

· Dixie, Tel Aviv

· Edna in Ramat HaSharon

· Etzel Dudi, Rishon L’Tzion

· Friboi

· Gedalya Café LTD, Haifa

· Gilboa ski lodge

· Gottis Flash, Um el-Fahm

· Katzaviya of the Sharon, Shuk Hatikvah – Tel Aviv

· Kimel in Gilboa

· Maso Manos, Tel Aviv

· Moses in Ramat HaChayal, Tel Aviv

· Octogon in Nahalal

· Red Chinese Restaurant, Tel Aviv

· Tach Rakach, Tel Aviv

· Topoloponpon, Tel Aviv

· Yeda HaBesarim, Tel Aviv

· Zepra Restaurant, Tel Aviv

· Zozobra

· Zuzbara, Herzliya

Roy Klinger of the Ministry of Agriculture told Channel 10 he does not believe the restaurants are all innocent as they would like to have us believe and he is confident of the dozens of people still being questioned by authorities, many additional arrests will be made in the case. He explains they bought meat and paid far less than they should have and that was enough to signal something was wrong. Chief Superintendent Jarabi is quite certain there was a measure of collaboration between buyers and the seller, Black Angus, and he too does not feel the stores were innocent, at leat not in all the cases.

Gerverchik adds that the production and distribution dates were the same on many boxes (See photos) and this should have alerted buyers too. In addition, Klinger explains that while there was paperwork to give the appearance of legitimacy, it was lacking and the papers to verify the integrity of the meat and veterinary inspection were lacking and should have alerted them to contact authorities or simply to say “no thanks” and buy elsewhere. Klinger feels that in some of the case at least, there were cooperation between Black Angus and restaurants/butcher shops.

While Klinger only deals with the health aspects of the meat involved, and in this case it failed to meet basic standards, there is the kashrus issue and while stickers were affixed packages and cartons (see photos) the paperwork was not in order.

One of the many questions here is what happened to Chief Rabbinate officials and mashgichim in the field. A month ago an alert mashgiach in an Ashdod restaurant detected a box of meat that was forged and relevant authorities were alerted. This may have come from the same origin. This however was an isolated case and clearly, the meat got around to many cities and restaurants, apparently undetected.

The network of Jewish and Arab smugglers transported the meat in trucks with fake double walls as one example of how the smuggling from Ramallah to N. Jerusalem was accomplished. The meat was not maintained in refrigerate areas and trucks.

When inspectors raided the N. Jerusalem Black Angus facility, 30 tons of meat was confiscated along with NIS tens of thousands in cash and rolls of kashrus tape to seal boxes (See photos) and holograms [according to police spokesman Gerverchik. Rafi Yochai says there were no holograms].

Rafi Yochai speaks with Kol Chai Radio

The 27 restaurants listed are non-kosher, without exception. Not a single kosher restaurant received the meat in question. This shows once again the kosher certified eating establishments provide additional protection against this type if incident. Reports that some of the meat had tags and stamps of Badatz Beit Yosef are not true.

We did find on the second floor of the factory with rolls of tape to seal cartons from two hashgachos, Jerusalem Rabbinate and Badatz Beit Yosef. This was the Deli Katef Company in the past, which operated in the factory three years earlier so these items might have been left from then.

Police released the list of 27 restaurants.

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is yet to respond to the report. The investigation continues and additional arrests are expected.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)