YWN was contacted by the Kashrus office of Rabbi Yechiel Babad, of Tartikov Bais Din in Boro Park with an “urgent Kashrus alert”. He requested that we alert our readers that he has pulled his certification of Caraville – Essex On Coney Restaurant located at 1910 Avenue M, Brooklyn NY [starting Thursday night].
YWN questioned the spokesperson for the Kashrus agency why the certification was pulled, and why they wanted this posted “urgently at 1:00AM Friday morning”. We were not given any specific reasons.
Attached above is the flyer issued by the agency, with just three words printed (rough English translation): “The public should know and beware“.
On that note, “the public should also know and beware”, that the store says that they already have a new Kashrus certification, and that would be Rabbi Shlomo Mendholson, who certifies other establishments in the area.
Readers should in no way take this article as a Psak Halacha, and remember to always consult with your local Rov.
Additionally, this alert was added into the new “Kashrus Corner” section of YWN – which can be found towards the bottom of the YWN homepage.
(Dov Gordon – YWN)
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17 Responses
You asked a simple question and were rebuffed. Please then – why would you publicize it if you were not given the decent courtesy of a reason when asked? It is basic to know why. I have no choice as many others to assume that it is strictly money related as it is unfortunately usually the case recently.
Rabbi Shlomo Mendholson is an extremely ehrlich and trustworthy Rov. He gives a Hechsher on Tov U’Mativ and many other Take out stores.
Caraville is in good hands. I’m still going to buy their incredible deli and food to have on Shabbos.
Why are there random quotation marks placed throughout this article?
Thank you YWN for informing the public of the new kashrus certification. These hechsherim always say something along the lines of what Rabbi Babad said, making it sound as if the place sells chazer. It is absolute rechilus to say such a thing. When a hechsher is removed from a store, it is the duty of the rav hamachshir to inform the public. But if the store is merely switch hechsherim, the rav hamachshir needs to inform the public that he is no longer responsible for the store’s kashrus, BUT THAT IT IS SWITCHING TO SOMEONE ELSE!! It is irresponsible to put up signs that put the store’s immaculate kashrus record into question. Many people will see Rabbi Babad’s sign and think Essex is traif mamish when that is not the case. It’s not only Rabbi Babad that does this. I have seen many hechsherim do this, and they could be sued for such libel. Kashrus is a business, people switch all the time for various reasons.
MazelKGH (#1) Well said
#4: How would the “outgoing” Mashgiach know about the “incoming” hechsher?
The proper spelling of the Rav Hamachshir is Rav Shlomo Mendelson, shlit”a.
I have personally heard from Rav Babad’s son in Lakewood, that he holds Rabbi Mendelson in high esteem.
In fact Rabbi Mendelson is not new to the owners of Caraville – he has given the hashgacha on their other caterign business – “MYDAS Catering” for many years.
Moderators Note: Since Rabbi Babad did not tell YWN the reasons, we won’t allow you to post any.
You then wrote: “I would like to hear why R’ Mendelsohn, if he is in fact certifying, gives a hechsher without consulting the previous Rav?”
CALL HIM.
#8 – “I would like to hear why R’ Mendelsohn, if he is in fact certifying, gives a hechsher without consulting the previous Rav”
Who says he didn’t?
This is not the first time the Tartikov have pulled this kind of stunt. It is irresponsible to “pull your hechsher” at 1:00 AM Eruv Shabbos without offering any reason or leaving the implication, c’vl, there was some issue with treifus even you don’t say it directly. Given that some yidden will assume the worst, this type of behavior is disappointing from Rav Babad and will cause long-term financial damage to this fine restaurant whose kashruth record is top of the line.
Regardless of the qualifications of either Rav HaMachshir, their certifying agency, or their standards, the questions to ask are: (1) Is there a mashgiach temidi?, (2) If so, is he/she paid by the restaurant or by the certifying agency? And (3) Does he/she have any connection with the ownership or management of the establishment?, (4) Who has keys to the restaurant?, (5) Is there always a shomer Shabbos on the premises?, (6) Who is responsible for accepting and approving any and all products and ingredients that are delivered?, and (7) Who decides which hashgachos are accepted and which are not?, (8) Who checks the fresh vegetables for infestation?, and (9) Whose standards are used for this inspection?, and (10) Is the mashgiach familiar with issues of bishul Yisroel and how today’s equipment impact on it? These are the basics and even so don’t cover even the surface of all the areas a mashgaich and his/her certifying agency must be concerned with.
To No. 11.
You outline a very idealistic set of questions regarding hashgacha but if every ehrlcih yid were to ask all these questions, I think the only remaining kosher restaurant left in all of NYC would be a certain felaffel stand in willy and a scharma stand in BP. The meshugaas about bishul yisroel would proably close about 2/3 of the sit down restaurants almost immediately.
# 12: “The meshugaas about bishul yisroel”? Please explain. As far as I know, bishul Yisroel is a takonas Chazal that requires every yid to have any food item that is worthy/fitting for “a king’s table” (practically speaking that means a Yiddishe chasunah or perhaps a proper Shabbos se’udah), and which is not eaten raw by the average person (at least in that locale) to be cooked by a Yid. How that is accomplished is a machlokes Maran Beit Yosef and Rav Moshe ben Yisroel (Isserle’s) – the Rama. The former REQUIRES the Yid be involved in the cooking itself either by placing the food on the fire or in the stove or stirring the food. Anyone who has ever been in Kosher Delight (Avenue J – Flatbush not “willy”) can hear very “simple” Yidden (not meshugeneh “greasy” kollel people) asking for a # ?? “Shomer Shabbos” meaning he wants the mashgiach to put the food on the fire. Often I have seen the petitioner proceed to put on his kipah and prepare to eat. The later only requires that the fire be initially lit by a Yid. Either way you look at it, all eateries I am aware of address the issue – apparently it is not a “meshugaas” and not found in one felafel store. I routinely ask these questions and have usually received very satisfactory answers.
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shuali says:
“Regardless of the qualifications of either Rav HaMachshir, their certifying agency, or their standards, the questions to ask are: (1) Is there a mashgiach temidi?, (2) If so, is he/she paid by the restaurant or by the certifying agency? And (3) Does he/she have any connection with the ownership or management of the establishment?, (4) Who has keys to the restaurant?, (5) Is there always a shomer Shabbos on the premises?, (6) Who is responsible for accepting and approving any and all products and ingredients that are delivered?, and (7) Who decides which hashgachos are accepted and which are not?, (8) Who checks the fresh vegetables for infestation?, and (9) Whose standards are used for this inspection?, and (10) Is the mashgiach familiar with issues of bishul Yisroel and how today’s equipment impact on it? These are the basics and even so don’t cover even the surface of all the areas a mashgiach and his/her certifying agency must be concerned with.”
One get presumably get the answers to many of these questions by calling Caraville at (718) 339-2540.
BTW, I think that it is good idea to call any place one is considered eating at or buying food from and asking these questions before eating from it. Far too many rely on Rav Ale “Ale essen du.
Yitzchok Levine
A friend of mine told me this morning that yesterday he saw a sign on Caraville saying that it is closed due to (to paraphrase) “kashrus and financial problems.”
Yitzchok Levine
Clarification of Caraville Restaurant sign
I should have been more precise in what I posted regarding the sign that my friend saw on the Caraville Restaurant on Ave M.
The sign says that “the hashgocho was changed due to difficulties with the prior hashgocho (whom the sign identified and thanked for the past two years of service), but that the closing was anticipated and is now being advanced due to financial issues.” It then gives a cell phone number for the owner.
This is probably not a direct quote but reflects, I believe, fairly accurately what the owner wrote.
Yitzchok Levine