PRINTJKN Kashrus Briefs – Tevet 5769 – January 2009 [004]
5 Tevet 5769
January 1, 2009
I generally do not publish stories like the one you are about to read, but I feel that after two similar unpleasant dealings with officials in Jerusalem’s Diplomat Hotel, in less than a year, you, the kosher consumer, have a right to know.
In the interest of limiting what will be a long story I will only report on the most recent case, which took place last week, but the first story is more-or-less the same.
My wife and I were invited to a wedding in the Diplomat Hotel. As is my custom, we contacted one of the wedding couple [who we know] to ask regarding the hechsher of the event. We were told it was Jerusalem Rabbinate Mehadrin with poultry under the supervision of Rabbi Avraham Rubin Shlita.
Because of other experiences with the Diplomat, it did not seem right to me, the Rav Rubin chickens that is, and I decided to telephone the hotel directly. First my wife spoke with the banquet manager, Shaul, who told her “it is all mehadrin. Rav Rubin like you were told”.
Sorry, I trust my wife but I do not trust Shaul so I made some calls. I began with the office of Rav Rubin’s supervising agency and was redirected to R’ Menachem Gerelik, who supervises the rabbi’s Jerusalem operation. Rav Menachem told me in no uncertain terms that Rav Rubin’s agency is not supervising any wedding at the Diplomat Hotel on the date specified, or at all for that matter. I then called my contacts in the Chief Rabbinate to verify the certification of the caterer, which I learned was not mehadrin, but regular. The picture was now getting somewhat uncomfortable since my wife and I smelled a scam.
I now phoned my dear friend Shaul [in the Diplomat], being a bit more evasive than my wife, not offering information for him to verify, but asking him about the supervision for the particular wedding.
“Don’t worry. It’s all mehadrin, Eida Chareidit and a mashgiach. You can eat and enjoy.”
Okay, now we have Jerusalem Rabbinate Mehadrin and Eida Chareidit. I asked Shaul for the name of the caterer, which by the way he provided for my wife as well. He would not furnish me with the name or number of a mashgiach, nor contact information for the caterer. He did tell me “call Judy. She is arranging the wedding. She will tell you everything is ok.”
I recognized the name and number of “Judy” so I phoned her, a longtime friend who is well known for her outstanding abilities as an event planner and organizer, as well as her pristine credentials regarding her honesty. There was no doubt in my mind that Judy, herself an observant woman, was totally in the dark regarding the kashrut mix-up. After speaking with her my suspicions were confirmed and she asked me to make 100% certain before she contacts the bridegroom. She also explained that he was personally fine with regular Rabbinate but ordered mehadrin to accommodate many guests such as my wife and I, at a handsome cost I might add. He paid NIS 30 per person extra to obtain the stricter kashrut supervision.
After a number of phone calls to people in the Chief Rabbinate, who were all extremely helpful, Rav Rubin’s people, who were also more than happy to assist, I managed to figure out the event was catered by a service under the Jerusalem Rabbinate regular, not mehadrin, with all the ramifications. The chicken and beef was not Rav Rubin but another supervision which is in a different league. Oh, by the way, did I mention that I also got the phone number of the chef from the caterer preparing the wedding [from Judy who did me a solid]. I also spoke to two others in the caterer’s office. The chef told me the event is “under Rav Machpud” and the office refused to furnish information, providing me with the cell number of the mashgiach, Rav Meir.
The caterer, Peninat Ha’ir, located in Talpiot, also refused to provide me with a faxed copy of its kashrut supervision, which is commonly done by caterers for people inquiring about their service. After speaking with Rav Meir, I learned the catering service has Rabbinate regular [which I already knew] and their mehadrin service was from the [unauthorized] Hidur Kashrut agency, which does nothing for me personally.
Wow, I also forget to tell you that my 15-year-old daughter called the caterer with her flawless Hebrew accent, acting on my instructions, telling the office she is making a wedding in February and wishes to know what supervision that have. She never received a direct response and they refused to fax her a copy of the certificate as well.
By now I was quite perturbed to say the least, having invested too much time trying to ascertain if I can eat at a wedding, uncovering a chain of lies and misinformation.
Anyway, after comparing my notes from conversations with chef Uzi, Peninat Ha’ir office employees, Saul at the Diplomat, and the Chief Rabbinate, it was clear that a) I was not going to eat at this wedding, b) my friend the bridegroom was duped and paid NIS thousands for nothing, c) my wife and I had to decide what to do. We feared dumping this on the bridegroom less than a week before his wedding, but then again, we could not let it pass and permit people to eat when he thought he met their kashrut standard and in fact, they were all being duped.
Well, you may have guessed but I took the easy way out. I phoned my old friend Judy and we discussed the situation. She decided she would absolutely not permit this scam to be perpetrated. In the end, a short number of hours later, she had dumped the Peninat Ha’ir caterer and had the service replaced with another under the supervision of the Eida Chareidit, Eichler Catering. She asked me however to call Eichler and check it out and ask all the necessary questions to make sure there would not be another hoax. This is because the hotel was somewhat involved in making the change, not because she does not trust Eichler.
I did and the caterer was booked for the correct time and place, assuring me there would be an Eida Chareidit mashgiach, and the warming would not be done in the hotel’s kitchen.
At the end, the wedding was beautiful. Eichler did cater and the mashgiach was present. All the dishes, utensils, glasses and everything was brought in and the Diplomat’s kitchen was not used. Everyone ate and enjoyed.
Well, I do not recall ever recommending anyone, and I assure you it is not because she is a friend of 20 plus years, but if you are a seeking a very experienced party planner/manager, call Judy Bernstein (050-751-5111). She is reliable and will work with you. I think it is poignant to add here that she was only responsible for the planning and logistics of this wedding, not at all involved in the menu or kashrut which was handled by the young couple; but after hearing the story, she refused to permit the hoax to be perpetrated. That’s my kind of person, one who stands up for what is right, despite realizing there is no profit involved at all in the extra assignment, just heartache.
This particular story has a nice ending but many do not. Sorry, but from my perspective, twice around in less than a year, the Diplomat Hotel gets the big Kashrut ‘Thumbs Down Award’ from Jerusalem Kosher News.
The point you may ask, one may not be seeking an Eida Chareidit caterer, or any other specific supervision, but one has the right to hear the truth and it is detestable that a banquet manager is so willing to lie regarding the food being served. Like I always say, eat where you decide but do so based on knowing what is being served.
That is not to say however that there is never a truly mehadrin wedding there. One must know the catering service and mashgiach. There are indeed Eida Chareidit weddings there for example.
Shulchan David
To end on a positive note, in a recent bulletin I mentioned the Shulchan David catering facility near the Diaspora Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Old City. The location and set up of the place is hard to beat.
Anyway, a prominent rabbi from North America contacted me and asked if there is any way that I could check the place out for him since he wishes to bring his family and hold a bar mitzvah there this month. As you know, this entire gig is volunteer for me and a quick calculation of the time involved led me to the realization that ‘quickly checking it out’ would take the better part of a morning or afternoon, taking the bus travel time into account too.
I cannot say why but something told me to go. I emailed the rav and told him I am willing and he asked that I meet with his kashrut representative in Jerusalem. Sorry, forgot to tell you the rabbi is a seasoned kashrut expert, involved in the field professionally for a number of years. Anyway, I met the mashgiach, a fine young yeshiva bachur and we spoke with the folks at Shulchan David.
What’s the point you ask – Shulchan is the antithesis of the Diplomat Hotel. The folks explained the supervision is Jerusalem Rabbinate regular, but a mehadrin menu is available. This party was to be relatively small, I think he said 120 or so, and Shulchan David explained that while the ingredients would be mehadrin dairy as requested, they are not about to change spices and many other items which might be used in the cooking. They offered to rent the place to the rabbi for the bar mitzvah to permit him to bring an outside caterer since they realized he was really set on the venue, in no small part due to its proximity to the Kotel, walking distance.
That was the perfect solution, albeit a bit more costly since if they rent it they realize they cannot cater another event so it’s a bit more.
Anyway, an Eida Chareidit caterer, Berman Caterers, was called upon to do the job. I am giving the name here too since this is another gentleman I have used many times, Fivie Berman, who is beyond reproach and for you English speakers, a former American. He is under the supervision of the Eida Chareidit and the OU (02- 651-9021).
For those who feel it may be inappropriate to make recommendations, sorry but this is my show. I think that after doing this for over a year, it is beneficial to readers to not only report information towards assisting readers in deciding where one may or may not eat, but to help readers along in their search, for trustworthy companies, and Fivie ranks high on this list.
For the skeptics, the readers who were concerned that perhaps hotels that emerged with positive reports in the past may have fed me duck or the like to win me over, no kickbacks here, no free food, and like I reported then, in the hotel reports, I did accept a cup of coffee, nothing more. I am not fancy but my soul is not for sale for coffee or duck.
So in this somewhat lengthy saga I give you one Thumbs Down Award but Baruch Hashem, close with a big Thumbs Up Award.
Please do not hesitate to share information with me and encourage friends to share documented experiences as well since the accumulation of reports can assist me in information-gathering, learning and ultimately, enhance my ability to inform the public.
I was hoping to meet with Rav Rafi Yochai this week, the fellow who runs the Chief Rabbinate Fraud Division. He quietly continues in earnest, publishing the reports that disclose the frauds and hoaxes. My job, a journalist for Yeshiva World News, has my schedule somewhat tied up this week due to the fighting in Gaza. The meeting may be on hold. I am also moving ahead on Part 2 of the Hess Restaurant report. It too has not been forgotten.
In closing, one of the people I spoke with regarding the Diplomat fiasco was Rabbi Yaakov Luwitzky of the Chief Rabbinate, a senior kashrut official, who really helped this matter along.
The point here is that he told me there is no such creature as a caterer having a regular Rabbinate certification who can have a mehadrin affair with official supervision from the Chief Rabbinate. He explained the supervision is one or the other and the standards are not interchangeable and anyone telling you otherwise, like the Diplomat Hotel, is simply perpetrating a hoax. Shulchan David explained he can buy mehadrin products, but his supervision is Rabbanut regular.
Once again, I DO NOT recommend or instruct readers where they may or may not eat. That is the job of a rav, which I am not. I am just working to bring reliable facts to permit you to make an educated decision regarding eating out in Israel.
I have noticed the topic of the complexities of eating out in Eretz Yisrael are making their way to magazines and kashrut periodicals in N. America and I hope readers are beginning to get the message, not everything in Jerusalem or elsewhere in Eretz Yisrael is what you may believe it to be.
Please urge your local Rav to inquire and try to learn to advise your congregation and so forth. I hope that when a new Jerusalem Chief Rabbi(s) is/are appointed, they will take on the battle of ousting unauthorized supervisions and provide a clear concise formula, thereby permitting consumers understand what the kashrut is all about.
For questions, or comments please send me an email at Jerusalemkn@gmail.com . I will do my best to respond.
Yechiel Spira