[PHOTO LINK ADDED BELOW] It would appear that for some, new stores represent modernization, an unwanted trend in Yerushalayim’s Geula neighborhood. A protest involving several dozen Eida Chareidis faithful was held at Malchei Yisrael Street at the corner of Malachi St. against the new Zeisalek ice cream parlor, another unwanted addition to the area. Some fear it will be a hang out, leading to gender mixing, while others simply do not want to see this type of store.
Others are connecting the dots, realizing the Eida Chareidis has come out recently in a harsh tone, slamming the hechsher of Rabbi Avraham Rubin Shlita, telling followers in an address that lasted three hours that “things that should not be seen” were witnessed regarding the rav’s hechsher.
Perhaps it is more than coincidental that the store targeted in the protest is one of a number of Geula area stores under R’ Rubin’s hechsher, an unwanted reality as the hechsher moves in on Eida turf. Many see this as nothing more than a turf war as local stores in Geula and Meah Shearim automatically sought an Eida hechsher but there is now a new trend, favoring R’ Rubin, an unwanted reality for local officials. (In a somewhat related matter, it appears the Eida is moving to grant a hechsher to a hotel in Tiveria. More to follow if and when this develops).
Rav Gavriel Peppenheim, director of the kashrus of the Eida was quoted in Kikar Shabbos as also slamming the kashrus of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Landau Shlita, specifically regarding a lack of stringency in ice cream and chalav yisrael. He was quoted as saying the Rav’s father ZT”L was not stringent regarding chalav akum powder, and the Rav follows the same minhag today.
The report made the rounds and it appears R’ Peppenheim has issued a clarification, stating he did not attack R’ Landau in his remarks as he was quoted. He stated that he knows for a fact that Strauss ice cream is not chalav akum. The rav added that he was saddened for the pain caused him and R’ Landau, adding it is most unfortunate that such statements are not verified prior to publication.
Chabad Online reports that a certain rav has been working during recent weeks, behind the scenes, waging a fierce war against R’ Landau. The report adds that the certain rabbi, affiliated with a kashrus agency, is spreading ugly rumors, and in all likelihood, stands behind the chalav akum rumor as well. R’ Peppenheim on Sunday added he knows for a fact that R’ Landau does not permit chalav akum, not even in powdered form.
Whatever the case, it was not a sweet day for the owners of this ice cream store, who seem to feel their product is mehadrin, but the folks down the block in Meah Shearim feel otherwise.
In line with the protest, on Sunday night, an Eida Chareidis sponsored atzeres tefilla is being held in Meah Shearim against the new shopping realities being offered to Geula residents and visitors.
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click HERE for photos taken at the Hafganah by Bambi Images for YWN.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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29 Responses
Get a job and get a life. Sad reality we live in. Only solace is that in the times of Moshiach, the face of the leaders will have the face of dogs.
I wouldn’t give much credence to the above “story.”
Of course – ALL L’SHEM SHAMAYIM!
(It was really hot outside today. The owners of Zeisalek should’ve given the protesters a taste or two & would’ve made some friends that way).
It literally hurts to read this story. Why must we always fight about every stupid little thing? Why can’t we ever just get along?
SFIRAS HAOMER
if all this is true, i find it disturbing and repulsive. what a time they picked to engage in sinas chinam! but wait- is this considered sinas chinam? its not for chinam but lshem money and power. anyway thanks YWN for reporting because now i will send everybody i know to the place to support the owner because he is doing the ratzon hashem by being mefarnes his mishpacha and deserves the support. let the rabanim think long and hard about this because if they drive him out of business, maybe one day the family will come back to them for signatures on the collection fliers testifying how ‘the only mefarnes of the family is unable to work due to a deep depression r’l and the tzibur is requested to help the family’. i would rather not meet his brother in shoimrei shabbos collecting for him. #1 jakyweb said it all in one sentence.
They did not like Uri’s Pizza when it opened up, they did not permit (many years ago) sit down restaraunts in Meah Sharim, etc.
the fact is that the frum community is growing very big and not everyone is so frum like the Eida’s concept of everything new is assur from the Torah.
Plenty of people who live in the Geula area and nearby like modernity; that is why there are several computer stores in that area.
The answer is to invest more in better chinuch so that young people don’t fall out rather than denying them a place to hang out and maybe Hashem will help us.
Follow the money…
On opening day Zeisalek passed out free cups of ice cream and all of Geulah, literally, lined up for the free hand out.
If you like seeing nominally yirat shamayim people debasing themselves waiting in long lines for a crummy free handout, I feel sorry for you.
The anti-semites in England used to throw pennies at us when we walked down the street to tease us, as if we were going to crawl for the money.
Not for me.
A few years ago this happened with a pizza store. After that there was another place that sold videos. The videos were regular movies but nothing bad. But the poor fellow did not paid the protection money so the machers in geulah stagged several riots outside his store and spread the word that he was selling pornography. The confrontations got violent and physical. An old pushed him,so he pushed back. And the old man fell and knocked his head and died of a concussion a few days later. The fellow was arrested and put into prison for first degree murder. The way to deal with the machers is geulah and mea shearim I suggest is to stay as far away from those places as possible.
To Comments 1-5 and to Yechial Spira (who does a great job in bringing Kashrus awareness in EY)
KOL HADAR B’CHUTS L’ARETS DOMEH L…….
I think it’s a chutzpah for Bnei Chuts L’arets to meddle in to any issue concerning Kedushas Yerushalayim. NO! Yerushalayim is not Borough Park! Any yid with a feeling for Kedushas Yerushalayim that has seen the store knows that it does not bring pride to our yishuv. Would you consider it OK if a kosher L’mehadren resturant would open adjacent to some club in Manhattan? Obviously the ingredients of a product is not the only factor to consider when giving a kosher approval on a store. I understand that not every Hafgono in the city is always in sync with Daas Torah, but in this case I give them credit. Do you really want to turn Geula / Meah Shearim in to Tel Aviv?
And to the punch line: If a certain Hechsher does not have the above considerations and the only thing they have in their mind is to expand their Hechsher and business on the back of the “Erliche” Yishuv in Yerushalayim, THEY TRULY HAVE NO PLACE IN YERUSHALAYIM.
This is one of the most disgusting events I have ever heard of. Who is the Eida to question the kasherus of such outstanding authorities as R’ Rubin Shlita, or R’ Landau, Shlita?
The Eida is fast gaining a reputation of a terrorsit organization, or, perhaps a Charedi Mafia. In any event no good can come of this.
To #10 – Talk to people in the food business regarding the Hashgachos mentioned – you may be very surprised by the responses. Competition is a good thing, even in the Kashrus world in order to prevent even the most holy agencies from becoming smug and complacent. (Of course I’m not referring to the Rabbanim but to the Mashgichim in the field, who often become more concerned about their parnasa instead of the Kashrus.)
Bekitzur, another ice-cream store in Geula is not the problem, (unless it’s taking business from your store,) and won’t turn Geula into Tel Aviv.
The bottom line is all about “MONEY”, the goons at the eidah are loosing money, they think that their kashrut certification comes from Shamayim, and that there are no true Jews but the ones fom the eidah, Baruch HaShem! people are waking up to see the real eidah charedit.
To number 9, I live in Yerushalaim and this man who owned the store was N O T a big Tsaddik at all (not and understatement). You got the story wrong!!!!
I also agree with 10 that people in Chutsa LaArets who usually anyway don’t know what is going on here, should stop bashing everything that goes on here. What is considered “mekubal” in America is not necessarily acceptable here and vice versa. (I happened to know for a fact that in America the kids see far more movies than they do here!)
It is interesting that these people who talk about the “treife medina” all the time talk as though they are from the Neturai Karta, but when they really want to learn, they go to regular Litvicshe Yeshivas, and there they don’t talk that way all day and all night!!!
#9 As someone who watches movies, I can tell you that even many that seem not to be bad, might still be.
There are probably about at least 101 things that can be wrong with a movie with much of that being things the average viewer might never notice that is against some inyun in Torah.
For example that new one “Avatar” is praised by most people and even some who support Torah (as I saw on another frum website).
But the fact is it is anti business and things in it could easily be used to apply to Israel and claim “See that is how the “evil Israelis” are treating the “oppressed” Arabs””.
I am far from saying that riots and violence are ok or that the man you mentioned, should have been pushing the store owner.
I am just saying that I can understand why Cheridim would not want video stores selling movies, in an all frum neighborhood.
In my opinion Ice Cream is fine, but Ice Cream and movies are not the same, not even in terms of following Torah and raising your kids in the proper hashkafa.
Why don’t the Rabbonim of the Eida sit down with HaRav Rubin Shlita and have a discussion with him? Did Bais Shammai and Bais Hillel go out into the streets when they disagreed?
How can we blame the children that are growing up seeing this?
When I visit Eretz Yisroel, I usually spend alot of my time in Geula, and I do frequent the pizza and falafel shops. I cnsider myself “chareidi”, and I would probably also go to an ice cream shop if I knew it had a good hashgocho. As a visitor, I think these shops are very welcome for tourists and residents alike for a quick pick me up during shopping on a hot day. There is no reason for them to become a hangout, and it is better to eat your ice cream in a shop than to walk down the street licking it.
Would you consider it OK if a kosher L’mehadren resturant would open adjacent to some club in Manhattan?
VERY POOR COMPARISON
did you know that pizza uri, as well as plenty other stores, sell ice cream in cones??? BIG DEAL so Zisalek sells ONLY ice cream… if someonee wants to walk down “heiliger geulah” licking ice cream, he doesn’t need Zisalek for that, he has plenty other places to get ice cream from. so what’s the fuss.
Ps. that video store in yechezkel WAS renting out porno films and his ‘censored’ movies, were worse than TV.
#15 – agree about problems with a movie. BUT … Avatar is a poor example. Its main character is designed to look like a half-naked lady. The designers of the movie even said they wanted to be megare the yetzer hara. A major plot in it is a romance between her and a male. How can anyone frum recommend this?
I’m surprised that YWN would post an article that is so anti-Eidah. There’s enough anti-frum sentiment out there, without the frum themselves helping out.
Having said that, I don’t really undertsand what the concern over the ice cream store becoming a hangout is. Wasn’t there always a rule in geulah about restaurants and the like not staying open past 8pm? Are they worried it will become a hangout in the afternoon?
To #18
I am sorry if you misunderstood. I was not making a comparison, I was making a point that Hechsherim cannot be given at all cost even if the product is 100% kosher!
To all other commenter’s that enjoy touring and visiting Eretz Yisroel while licking Ice Cream in the streets
We do not need to be disgrace Kedushas Yerushalayim in order to provide you with pleasures. Please eat all your ice cream at home and come to “Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh” to fulfill your spiritual needs in sanctity.
# 21
The problem as I see it, is not with the selling of ice-cream but with the breach of tznius.
I live very close to Geula and I’m there practically every day. The problem with this new store is that it’s a very small place with not a lot of places to sit. So, what happens?
People buy their ice-cream and sit in the store very, VERY close to each other (especially on hot days when it’s packed) and mixed. No gender separation, nothing. Even just to reach the seats (or to go back from it) is often a problem because of the people standing there (i.e hanging out and people who are standing in line to buy their ice-cream).
Because it’s such a small place… people do hang around in and outside the store with their ice cream.
Oh and about the opening times in geula… it might be a rule, but not everyone sticks to it. Jerusalem’s pizza for example is always open ’till after 11PM.
biased again by yechiel spira! keep up your dirty work!
to quote a comment here on YWS re annonymous commenters
“””2.Well it seems that to a certain extent YWN is leading the pack with their system of having a user id.
You should see the vile anti Torah and hateful comments that are allowed on other “Jewish” neias sites.
Comment by WellInformedYid — April 12, 2010 @ 9:46 am””” end of quote
It seems to me that YWN is truly “leadng the pack” in “vile anti Torah and hateful comments”
Why bother explaining what the yerushalmis do.
“Please eat all your ice cream at home and come to “Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh” to fulfill your spiritual needs in sanctity.”
Wow, a new level of “Kedusha” for Yerushalayim: No eating there!!!
I do not believe the Eida Chareidis is driving toward this stringency.
well look at this….geula is turning into brooklyn…not suprised.
its the same shtus time and time again. and these guys claim to be frum while slandering one another. may moshiach come speedily in our days
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ……… HOCK!
stop worrying about stupidity and worry about more important things 🙂