Search Results for “doheny meat”

Los Angeles: Kehilla Kosher Statement Regarding Doheny Meat Scandal

April 10, 2013 5:07 pm 9 Comments

The following is the only official statement released by the “Kehillah Kosher” Kashrus agency in Los ANgeles, regarding the Doheny meat scandal, reported extensively on YWN. It should be noted that Doheny Meats was not under Kehillah Kosher certification, but under the RCC. 28 Nissan 5773 / April 8, 2013 As to the recent development involving Doheny Meats, Kehilla has not made any official statement or has Kehilla authorized the publication of any position regarding whether or not there is a halachik need to kasher utensils in private homes, at business establishments or at catering establishments. Moshe Zyskind Chairman of the Board Ahrohom Teichman Rav Hamachshir CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Los Angeles: Doheny Meats Hit With Second Suit Over Allegations

April 8, 2013 8:30 pm 2 Comments

A second lawsuit has been filed against a popular kosher market in Los Angeles over allegations about improper meat certification. City News Service says the suit filed Friday against Doheny Glatt Kosher and its former owner, Michael Engelman, alleges fraud, breach of contract, battery and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. A similar lawsuit was filed Tuesday by a Beverly Hills man who said he hoped to add plaintiffs to make it a class action. Last month a council of rabbis pulled Doheny’s kosher certification after a video surfaced, purportedly showing workers at the store bringing in boxes of meat at night without required religious supervision. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating. Last week a prominent LA entrepreneur and philanthropist, Shlomo Rechnitz, purchased the market from Engelman. (AP)

Los Angeles Rabbonim Rule That No ‘Kashering’ Needed For Those Who Used Doheny Meats

April 8, 2013 1:21 pm 23 Comments

The following the is the latest ruling in the Doheny Meat scandal, reported extensively on YWN: At a meeting attended by Rabbonim of both major Kashrus Supervisory agencies, the RCC and Kehilas Kosher, regarding Doheny Glatt Kosher Meat Market, it was unanimously decided that there is no Halachic need to Kasher utensils whether in private homes, business establishments or Caterers. Rabbi Elchonon Tauber Rabbi Shlomo Klein Rabbi Yosef Shusterman Rabbi Nachum Sauer Rabbi Ezra Dweck Rabbi Gershon Bess As was previously reported, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, the well known philanthropist from Los Angeles, has purchased Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats from its owner, Mike Engelman. Rechnitz’s father-in-law is HaRav Yisroel Belskey, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas and Posek for the OU Kashrut Division, with whom the rabbinical authorities for the RCC consulted with. Rabbi Belsky had issued a ruling permitting the use of products purchased from the store prior to the suspension of the certification. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Los Angeles: Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz Buys ‘Doheny Meats’ Following Kashrus Scandal

April 3, 2013 12:40 pm 17 Comments

Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz, the well known philanthropist from Los Angeles, has reportedly purchased Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats from its owner, Mike Engelman. As was reported extensively on YWN, the Rabbinical Council of California (RCC) had revoked the store’s Kashrus certification after the RCC received video footage alleging kashrus violations at Doheny Kosher Meats, a store under its supervision It is interesting to note that Rechnitz’s father-in-law is HaRav Yisroel Belskey, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas and Posek for the OU Kashrut Division, with whom the rabbinical authorities for the RCC consulted with. Rabbi Belsky had issued a ruling permitting the use of products purchased from the store prior to the suspension of the certification. Sources tell YWN that the RCC will probably reinstate their Kashrus certification under the new ownership. Meanwhile, the LA Times is reporting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched an investigation into the Doheny Glatt Kosher meat market as controversy brews over the integrity of products sold there. The owner of Doheny faces accusations of selling meat that was not properly certified under kosher rules. Last week, local rabbonim pulled Doheny’s hashgacha and, in a statement Friday, raised the possibility of “legal action,” a recourse to secular courts that would be rare. Tuesday, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed that the Doheny market is under investigation. Officials declined to provide additional details because the investigation is ongoing. (Dov Gordon – YWN / YWN-106)

Statement from the Rabbinical Council of California on Doheny Meats

March 30, 2013 9:21 pm 23 Comments

On Sunday March 24th, the RCC received video footage alleging kashrus violations at Doheny Kosher Meats, a store under its supervision. Within hours of receiving the information including time stamped surveillance videos, leading members of the Vaad Hakashrus met and, assessing the evidence of policy violations as compelling, ordered the immediate removal of our certification. Later that afternoon, a large group of community Rabbis and lay leaders met to review the known facts and to question the owner of Doheny. After initially denying any wrongdoing, he admitted to bringing unauthorized products to the store on two to three occasions. After discussion, the meeting’s participants unanimously confirmed the decision to remove the RCC certification from Doheny Kosher Meats. In implementing that decision and determining to immediately publicize the RCC’s decision before Pesach, the rabbinical authorities for the RCC consulted with Rav Yisroel Belsky, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah V’Daas and Posek for the OU Kashrut Division, and a nationally recognized kashrus authority. At 8pm, Rabbi Belsky issued his ruling, based on the application of normative Halachic principles, permitting the use of products purchased from the store prior to the suspension of the certification. This ruling was immediately disseminated to the public. In recent days, many allegations have surfaced which are factually incorrect. Over past years, the RCC received complaints from competitors of Doheny accusing Doheny of kashrus violations. The RCC investigated each and every one of these complaints at the time they were made but found no evidence of wrongdoing. To the contrary, each investigation showed Doheny to be in full compliance. In addition to asking these competitors to provide evidence of violations, the RCC took a number of steps to augment the security systems in place, in addition to the Mashgiach Temidi (full-time kosher supervisor) at Doheny. Among them: The RCC implemented a system whereby all boxes of meat and poultry from Doheny were numbered and logged by the on-site Mashgiach. The RCC also painstakingly reviewed invoices of product received and sold. Only the Mashgiach had keys to the establishment, which were Mul-T-Lock industrial keys that cannot be duplicated. There are allegations that Doheny possessed fraudulent Agri labels, which the RCC is currently investigating. The serious lapse we did discover in the RCC supervisory system was the human error of an otherwise dedicated Mashgiach who absented himself for prayers, contrary to explicit protocols. The Mashgiach has been suspended and the RCC is exploring ways to ensure this mistake does not repeat itself including better protocols to monitor Mashgiach compliance. The RCC deeply regrets this circumvention of its kashrus standards. Unfortunately, even the most sophisticated systems can be breached. The RCC’s dedicated Kashrus staff and full Rabbinic membership share the public’s outrage and sense of betrayal that a vendor schemed to subvert our policies and abused the community’s trust. Legal action is now being considered. The RCC, a non-profit community kashrus organization, will continue to work diligently to provide our community with quality kashrus. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Los Angeles Kosher Meat Scandal: Claims Surface That Doheny Glatt Was Repacking Meats Since 2010

March 28, 2013 9:17 pm 23 Comments

The Kashrus scandal in Los Angeles continues to brew, with the latest report via the Jewish Journal website. In their article, Daryl Schwartz, the owner of Kosher Club, a retailer and distributor of kosher meats, claims that he witnessed Doheny Kosher Meats repacking meat in boxes labeled “Glatt Kosher” as early as 2010. He also says that he reported what he saw to the Rabbinical Council of California, and was told that they “would look into it”. The following is from the Jewish Journal: The Rabbinical Council of California (RCC) abruptly revoked its certification from Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats on March 24, but the RCC, Los Angeles’s leading kosher oversight agency, had first heard about the distributor’s suspicious practices years earlier. Eric Agaki, an investigator who had been independently monitoring Doheny’s warehouse on Pico Boulevard and another location in the San Fernando Valley for the past six months, told KTLA on Sunday that he had discovered the company was selling meat as Glatt Kosher that had not been certified as such. READ MORE: JEWISH JOURNAL

Los Angeles Kosher Meat Scandal: KTLA Says Device For Making Labels Found By Private Investigator

March 29, 2013 2:40 pm 13 Comments

The following is an article from KTLA: As Southern California Jews continue to celebrate Passover, there’s some shocking news about the meat that may be on their dinner tables. The Rabbinical Council of California has removed its supervision from one of the area’s most prominent glatt kosher meat distributors. You’ve probably heard of kosher — glatt kosher more strict. There are strict religious guidelines for preparation, and it is very expensive to buy. One distributor who provides meat to restaurants, caterers, and customers in Southern California has lost its religious backing, and an undercover video may explain why. For Rabbi Shimon Kashani and many of the Jewish faith, eating glatt kosher meat is an important part of their religious practice. It’s so important that religious supervisors oversee every aspect of the food’s preparation and distribution. And Jewish families pay up to triple the cost of non-kosher meat. At Doheny Kosher Meat on Pico Blvd in Los Angeles, undercover video and pictures show — at first glance — the rules are being followed. A supervisor called a Mashgiach unlocks the warehouse and inspects the deliveries. “He’s looking to make sure products are coming from glatt kosher slaughterhouse. They have the proper labels, they have the proper seal,” Rabbi Kashani explains. But the pictures taken by private investigator Eric Agaki have raised serious concerns among rabbis throughout California. On March 7th, 2013, Agaki videotapes a vehicle at an unsupervised warehouse in Reseda at 5:58 a.m. The private investigator follows the vehicle to a McDonald’s parking lot, where it’s met by another car, driven by Mike Engleman, the owner of Doheny Glatt Kosher. Pictures show both trunks open. “They transferred the glatt kosher boxes from his vehicle to the owner of Doheny Market,” Agaki says. A short time later, video shows Englaman’s car at his lot at Doheny Glatt Kosher. Engleman waits for the Mashgiach to arrive and unlock the door to oversee the delivery of sealed glatt kosher boxes. But when the Mashgiach appears to leave the site, Engleman’s trunk is opened. “As soon as the Mashgiach left and turned the corner, he signaled his workers to offload his trunk,” Agaki says. “Same boxes, but they’re used. You can see they’re open, you can see that they’re old, you can actually see some of them flapping,” he describes. The boxes offloaded from the SUV are labeled glatt kosher, but their appearance troubles Rabbi Kashani, as does the apparent lack of supervision. “It seems that they’re bringing in some boxes that are not supposed to be there, and they’re bringing them in when the Mashgiach isn’t there — that’s very troubling,” Kashani says. We visited Doheny Glatt Kosher Meat Sunday night after we were told the Rabbinical Council of California — or RCC — as shown the undercover video. No one would answer questions, except for one loyal customer. “I would be surprised. I know the people, it’s a rumor,” the customer said. But just before 10 p.m. Sunday night, many in the Jewish community received an email informing them: “The RCC announced… it removed its kosher supervision, for cause, from Doheny Kosher Meats located at 9213 West Pico Blvd.” It went on to say that meat bought there until before 3 p.m. Sunday “is permitted to be eaten and can be enjoyed

Los Angeles: Statement by Agristar Following Media Reports Of Kosher Meat Distributor Selling Treif

March 25, 2013 3:05 pm 7 Comments

There have been reports in various media (see below) that fraudulent Aaron’s Best labels were used by one of Agristar’s customers on non-kosher meat in the Los Angeles, California area; this is very disturbing and inexcusable. Agristar had no knowledge of this alleged misuse of its labels, and should these allegations prove to be true, Agristar will discontinue any further relationship with this customer. Agristar prides itself in its relentless pursuit of the highest standards of kashrus and will use all means at its disposal to prevent a reoccurrence of this unfortunate and illegal behavior. Sincerely, Hershey Friedman. The following is an article from KTLA: As Jews throughout Southern California prepare to celebrate Passover, a huge local distributor of Kosher meats has been stripped of its certification. Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats is a wholesale supplier of Kosher products to merchants, restaurants, and caterers. The company also has a retail market at their Pico Boulevard location where they sell directly to customers. Doheny Glatt is accused of repacking Kosher meat boxes with USDA products that were not Kosher. The Rabbinical Council of California sent out an email informing people that the meat bought before 3:00 p.m. on Sunday is still considered Kosher. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Fatally Flawed: How Our System of Kashrus is Designed For Failure

September 9, 2022 12:01 am 21 Comments

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com This is the first of a series of two articles on Kashrus. Most people are aware of the recent discovery that Restaurant Depot seems to be the main supplier of meat for a “Kosher” Chinese restaurant in Route 9 in Manalapan, New Jersey called Kosher Chinese Express. Many people are aware that the owners had a “history” of non-compliance with rules as well. And some people are aware that the owner of that restaurant, allegedly, had his own keys to the place. In light of all of this, we need to ask ourselves the following question: If a hashgacha is being paid by the food establishment itself, does this not create an incentive for the Kashrus agency to look the other way, and or obscure critical information? FATALLY FLAWED Our system of Kashrus seems to be fatally flawed the way it is currently structured. Especially during Elul, we need to figure out how to fix it. Things just keep happening again, and again, and again. In 2009, researchers Bernard Lo and Marilyn Field published a book called, “Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice.” In the book, authors Lo and Field defined a conflict of interest as follows: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.” It is a little strange that the Kashrus system we have in place in this country is rather counter-intuitive in terms of its structure. The incentives or negiyos – are in the wrong places. If a hashgacha is being paid by the food establishment itself, does this not create an incentive for the Kashrus agency to look the other way? SIMILAR PROBLEM IN ACCOUNTING In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the entire field of accounting had a similar problem. The way the system worked was such that false information in terms of the financial health of a company was put out there and investors were being ripped off. Incomes, for example, were being misstated. Financial audit statements made companies look rosier than they actually were. Supposedly “independent CPAs” merely took the information from the self-generated company reports and spit it out as fact. They did this even though there were blaring red flags. In response to this comical situation, the government passed the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. It is a United States federal law that set new and expanded requirements for all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting firms. It included criminal penalties for those who violated it. The reason for the problems was the counter-intuitive structure. The problems in accounting still exist. Indeed, the SEC regularly comes out with new regulations on this account. The solution for the accounting problem is that there should be more watchdogs for the auditors: Hechsherim for the Hechsherim, so to speak. When the inspector is paid by the people that he supervises there is a risk that his judgement and actions will be unduly influenced. The same is true, to an extent, for the supervisory agency. The health safety of the restaurant consumers has been placed at risk. Indeed, the general public has also been placed in danger. An auditor friend of this author told me,

Should We Have Hechsherim on Hechsherim?

July 16, 2020 8:36 pm 14 Comments

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman or 5tjt.com It is a little strange that the Kashrus system we have in place in this country is somewhat counter-intuitive in terms of its structure. The incentives or negiyos – are in the wrong places. If a hashgacha is being paid by the establishment, does this not create an incentive for the Kashrus agency to look the other way? In the 1980’s and 1990’s the entire field of accounting had a similar problem. The way the system worked was such that false information in terms of the financial health of a company was put out there and investors were being ripped off. Incomes, for example, were being misstated. Financial audit statements made companies look rosier than they actually were. Supposedly independent CPAs just took the information from the company reports and spit it out as fact. They did this even though there were blaring red flags. The government passed the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. It is a United States federal law that set new and expanded requirements for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. It included criminal penalties for those who violated it. The reason for the problems was the counter-intuitive structure. The problems in accounting still exist. Indeed, this week alone SEC just came out with new regulations. A recent two billion dollar massive fraud just happened with Wirecard and the European supervisory institutions want to break up the accounting firms. The solution for the accounting problem is that there should be more watchdogs for the auditors: Hechsherim for the Hechsherim, so to speak. In 2009, researchers Bernard Lo and Marilyn Field published a book called, “Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice.” In the book, Lo and Field defined a conflict of interest as follows: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.” When the inspector is paid by the people that he supervises there is a risk that his judgement and actions will be unduly influenced. The health safety of the restaurant consumers has been placed at risk. Indeed, the general public has also been placed in danger. An auditor friend of this author told me, “I once heard a mashgiach refer to his “boss” as the store owner and not the kashrus agency he was working for. As an auditor, I was horrified.” SAME FOR KASHRUS The same should be true in the field of Kashrus. The mashgiach is there to protect the public from eating non-kosher or questionable items just as the health inspector is there to protect the public from anything that can compromise their health and safety. RAV MOSHE FEINSTEIN ZT”L Indeed, the Gadol haDor of the previous generation, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l in his Igros Moshe (YD Vol. IV #1:8) writes this very idea. Rav Feinstein states that the Mashgiach should not be paid by the facility that is receiving the hashgacha, but rather should only be paid by the Vaad HaKashrus itself. Indeed, he should have no direct monetary business dealings with the company. Let’s imagine the following scenario involving a Health Department: It was an innovative way of saving money. The municipality worked it out that they

The Wild Wild Dept. of Health and Kashrus

May 18, 2018 12:15 pm No Comments

(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times) It was an innovative way of saving money. The municipality worked it out that they would outsource the financial cost of the Department of Health inspectors. From now on, it would be the restaurants themselves that would hire the health inspectors. The restaurants would pay them, they would take out the FICA taxes, the worker’s comp – the restaurant would handle it all. The move “worked wonders” for the state of health in the restaurants. Eateries that were previously designated with a C minus rating – were now rated A plus. There were far fewer health-violation-write ups too. The astute reader will detect an obvious problem here. This is what is called a classic conflict of interest. The upgraded rating and lowered violations are probably due to the unique financial arrangement. THE DEFINITION In 2009, researchers Bernard Lo and Marilyn Field published a book called, “Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice.” In the book, Lo and Field defined a conflict of interest as follows: “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgement or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.” When the inspector is paid by the people that he supervises there is a risk that his judgement and actions will be unduly influenced. The health safety of the restaurant consumers has been placed at risk. Indeed, the general public has also been placed in danger. SAME FOR KASHRUS The same should be true in the field of Kashrus. The mashgiach is there to protect the public from eating non-kosher or questionable items just as the health inspector is there to protect the public from anything that can compromise their health and safety. RAV MOSHE FEINSTEIN ZT”L Indeed, the Gadol haDor of the previous generation, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l in his Igros Moshe (YD Vol. IV #1:8) writes this very idea. Rav Feinstein states that the Mashgiach should not be paid by the facility that is receiving the hashgacha, but rather should only be paid by the Vaad HaKashrus itself. Indeed, he should have no direct monetary business dealings with the company. The above story of the health inspectors that were paid by the restaurants was fictitious, of course. Unfortunately, the analogy to Kashrus is anything but fictitious. Kashrus agency after Kashrus agencies coordinate the supervision in a manner that is in direct violation of this Igros Moshe and of common sense. A HISTORY OF FOUL UPS In recent years, there have been numerous instances of kashrus foul-ups. Indeed, the situation is somewhat akin to the wild west. Most people remember the treif chickens in Shevach Meats in Monsey, New York. There was Jin Glatt Chinese Kosher in Passaic New Jersey selling non-kosher meat. This went on for years and no one caught it. There was also Stan and Pete’s – the main caterer in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was found to be serving treif as well. There was Doheny Glatt in Los Angeles, California. These incidences are happening again and again and again with no respite in sight. WILL IT HAPPEN AGAIN? The question arises as to whether or not it will happen again or did these incidences teach us all a

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