16 Tammuz 5770
June 28, 2010
There is a new deli in town, near the Mamila Hotel, hence named Mamila Deli (15 Shlomtzion HaMalka Street). It has a hechsher from both the Jerusalem Rabbinate (regular) and Rabbi Ze’ev Dov Slonim (mehadrin). The store is operational for about two weeks.
(I must add that Rabbi Rafi Yochai of the Chief Rabbinate’s Kashrut Enforcement Division confirms that this is the Rabbi Slonim who is the rav of the “City Center” but he is unauthorized to grant a hechsher”. I feel compelled to point out the absurdity of the situation, that such a rabbi undermines the very system he is part of, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and its local religious councils, which maintain the responsibility for kashrut around the nation. This only serves to further complicate the public.
Anyway, I visited the deli today and met with owner Yair Rivlin, yes, related to Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin. Anyway, Yair is a shomer shabbos Jew, and he explains the store is mehadrin by all standards, and there are no non-Jews in the kitchen.
The beef and poultry are either Rabbi Machpud (Badatz Yoreh Deah) or Ohf Anash (Chabad Schita/Rav Ashkenazim of Kfar Chabad) with the latter costing a bit more in your food.
The greens were by-and-large HaBasor (Eida Chareidit) but some are also Jerusalem Rabbinate Mehadrin approved, as are other items too. The fresh lemonade sold is under Badatz Beit Yosef and Benjamin Regional Council mehadrin, and the bread if from Gidron (Rabbi Landau, Bnei Brak), arriving frozen. He thaws it and bakes it off on premises.
There are mashgichim from both certifying agencies, not simultaneously however; providing a mashgiach presence for 9 of the 12 hours the store is operating. At present, hours are 12-12. For more information, one may telephone the store at 02-624-0364.
Another ‘must’ note: I was highly unimpressed with the mashgiach of the Jerusalem Religious Council, who was present when I arrived at about 3:00pm. When I asked him what schita is used for meat and poultry he was unable to respond without checking. Bad sign indeed!
Mr. Rivlin on the other hand, who has a kashrus background, knew immediately, and offered to open the kitchen doors. He explained “I have nothing to hide and my place is genuinely kosher as a mehadrin eatery should be”.
I must add that while I did check many items, this was in no way a comprehensive inspection of all items used in the kitchen.
Owner, Mr. Yair Rivlin
Kashrut Certificate- Rabbi Slonim
Kashrut certificate - J. Rabbinate (regular)
5 Comments
Do they deliver?
regards
I did not ask. i guess you can give a call and inquire
If the deli is ‘mehadrin’ then why is the rabbinates hasgocho only regular?
Is is an issue of cost? Or is there something that the rabbinate didn’t approve as mehadrin?
Am a little confused by this
Generally, in a case such as this, one assumes the Rabbinate hechsher is to comply with the law and taking regular over mehadrin is a cost issue.
As I said, I did not check every item, but from what I saw, the store meets the J. Rabbinate mehadrin standard so I do not beleive it is an issue of “approval”.
Why is a rabbanut Rabbi granting independent mehadrin supervision? It is like a coca cola worker selling home-brew cola, or a lawyer for a law firm also doing freelance work 9 I am an accountant and my terms of work forbid me from competing with my firm). Surely the restaurant should get either independent authorised mehadrin supervision, or upgrade their rabbanut supervision to rabbanut mehadrin, and not this shady conflict of interest arrangement. Or Rabbi Slonim should quit his day job and set up an official mehadrin supervision agency if that is what he wants to do.