Wednesday, September 30, 2009
12 Tishrei 5770
Baruch Hashem, the demanding kosher consumer is beginning to have an impact, which is evident on the Jerusalem kashrus scene. A second branch of Burgers Bar has decided to join the legitimate mehadrin circle, the restaurant in Jerusalem’s Old City, which on Monday underwent the major kashering and changeover, now under the supervision of Badatz mehadrin, Rabbi Rubin.
The first B. Bar under R’ Rubin is located in the Geula section of the city, on Yechezkel Street, as reported last week.
According to Rabbi Menachem Gerelik, Rabbi Rubin’s agent in Jerusalem, the new certificate should be posted and the store up-and-running sometime today, Wednesday, or tomorrow, Thursday, at the very latest.
I stress again that this only applies to the two branches listed. Unfortunately, at present, the other Jerusalem branches of the B. Bar chain are Jerusalem Rabbinate, regular and not mehadrin, and some have unauthorized mehadrin certificates displayed, which adds nothing to the level of kashrus, other than confusion perhaps.
I urge you to begin informing store owners that if they would make the change to one of the legitimate mehadrin certifying agencies available, it would permit you and others to patronize the store. This is especially true for readers counted among the visiting yeshiva and seminary students from abroad, who carry considerable consumer weight.
2 Comments
Although I generally follow standard Rabbanut kashrut, sometimes if I see an unauthorized “mehadrin” kashrut certificate as well, I make a point of telling the store owner or staff member that the “mehadrin” certificate does not count for anything but I follow standard normal kashrut therefore I am eating here.
With that, ladun l’khaf z’chut [=to find merit], I had a thought that although the unauthorized certificate does not really count as a hashgacha maybe because of having this certificate and possibly signing on an agreement, the proprietor of the establishment does make it his business to procure mehadrin meat.
Any thoughts?
FROM A READER
I agree that it’s wonderful to have more mehadrin stores. However, it’s very problematic to have a chain of stores with different hechsherim. Back home
[US] our local vaad never allowed such a thing. I’m very skeptical. Maybe
you can ask Rav Rubin what safeguards he has instituted to ensure there is nothing transferred from one store in the chain to another store. And how are the people supposed to be careful. Remember that the masses are _____.
I know of someone who at the last minute was saved from eating at a treif McDonald’s here in Israel. He got confused between the kosher [?] ones and the others.
Yasher Koach on your great work.
CY