Solidarity With Streit’s and Rabbi Soloveitchik
April 7, 2009 Economics, kosher
I really wanted to post something positive about Pesach. There is so much here that is often overlooked, in favor of narratives focusing on victimology and Jewish supremacism. I wrote last year about how the “going out of Egypt” seems to me, the story of man leaving the savagery of Africa in order to seek civilization. Just like in human history, this did not happen so easily. It took repeated attempts.
But life has its complications, and the frummies always know how to throw a wet blanket on everything.
In these dark times, in the aftermath of the worst Jewish corruption the community has witnessed, the Kosher Nostra, led by rabbinical organizations in Queens and the Five Towns, saw a shakedown opportunity with an icon of the Lower East Side and a rabbi from the most famously independent minded Modern Orthodox family in America. So they waited four weeks before Pesach, unzipped, urinated all over them, and declared something shmekt nit frish.
The Jewish Star reports,
less than a month before Pesach, the Vaad HaRabbonim of Queens decided to remove Streit’s Matzo and matzo products from its list of approved products. The Vaad HaKashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway immediately followed suit. The result was that days before Passover the makers of Streit’s Matzo felt ambushed, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik was embarrassed publicly and many kosher consumers are confused: is the stuff kosher for Pesach, or not?
Everyone seems to agree that it is.
But these same *everyones* also agrees that everyone else should buy other products this Passover.
Why?
No reason, really. Except they aren’t on a “national” kosher supervision label.
Strangely, Streit’s is suspicious of the timing.
“If this was a serious concern you don’t wait until four weeks before Passover to raise it,” retorted Alan Adler, the director of operations of Aron Streit, Inc. He’s a great-grandson of the company’s founder and one of three cousins who presently runs the business.
He invited the Queens and Five Towns vaads to inspect the plant, he said, but neither did so.
Huh…well, they were probably too busy with their whisper campaign to fit in a Lower East Side visit.
Some of the rabbis involved with this shakedown just happen to be connected to national organizations that they would like to see oversee Streit’s. Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, co-president of the Vaad HaRabonim of Queens, is himself part of the OU’s kashrus division.
Works out pretty nicely, huh?
Let’s be clear: Streit’s is going to lose most of the Orthodox market this year. If you haven’t finished shopping, please buy only Streit’s products. This is a great family owned company.
Hat tip: Failed Messiah
20 comments
shakedown. OU has no shame. they would certify bread for passover if they received a few shekels.
what another embarrassment for the whole jewish people.
its shocking and disgusting how Rabbis and the Mafia are looking way too similar this and every year.
i wonder why shelly silver isnt speaking up to defend the lower east side businesses.
[...] can read more about this retarded controversy at Failed Messiah (Happy Pesach Shmarya!) and The Kvetcher (I’m coming for your children Kelsey! You can run but you can’t [...]
OK, NOW I’ll say it for real – frakkin’ frummies.
Every time I read something like this, it reinforces my decision to chuck the whole goddamn thing. Nonsense from beginning to end.
I know you’ll tell me that Left Wing Modern Orthodoxy is different, but I can’t see it. LWMO, RWMO, Litvishe, Yeshivish, Hareidi… doesn’t matter. In the end it’s all the same – just different flavors of crazy.
we just had to really think about this hard and we just felt that we weren’t comfortable accepting this matzo … If it was on borscht it’s one thing, but we’re talking about matzos.
Oh, fuck me. Yes, really, let’s destroy someone’s livelihood – over a fucking cracker.
I just can’t take this shit seriously any longer, David. Years ago, when you were on Jewschool, I urged you to become more vocal, to do something about this mess. Now, I’m telling you to walk away; let them self-destruct. They’re unsalvageable, and, in any case – they don’t deserve to be saved. Do something else with your life, something that will bring you greater satisfaction and won’t subject you to attacks from religious fanatics and imbeciles. It just isn’t worth it.
1) It is worth it to say your dissent in a blog.
2) What kind of retardedness is this- ince when did halacha require national supervision as opposed to local supervision?
A simple web search shows where all the money to the Queens Vaad goes:
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.or.....0&t9=A
An easy web search finds the following:
The 990 forms for the Queens Vaad:
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.or.....0&t9=A
The website owner data (whois.net) for the RCA website (rabbis.org):
Domain Name:RABBIS.ORG
Created On:11-Sep-1998 04:00:00 UTC
Last Updated On:20-Feb-2009 00:29:30 UTC
Expiration Date:10-Sep-2014 04:00:00 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Registrant ID:GODA-057027854
Registrant Name:OU Network
Registrant Organization:OU Network
Registrant Street1:11 Broadway
Registrant Street2:14th Floor
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:New York
Registrant State/Province:New York
Registrant Postal Code:10004
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.9999999999
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:+1.9999999999
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:webmaster {at} ou(.)org
Admin ID:GODA-257027854
Admin Name:Lisa Halberstam
Admin Organization:Orthodox Union
Admin Street1:11 BROADWAY 14th FLOOR
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:NEW YORK
Admin State/Province:New York
Admin Postal Code:10004-1303
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.212613815
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:+1.212613072
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:halberstaml {at} ou(.)org
The website owner data (whois.net) for the Orthodox Union (OU) website (rabbis.org):
Domain Name:OU.ORG
Created On:19-Sep-1995 04:00:00 UTC
Last Updated On:22-Jan-2008 00:58:03 UTC
Expiration Date:18-Sep-2012 04:00:00 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Network Solutions LLC (R63-LROR)
Registrant ID:35343013-NSI
Registrant Name:Orthodox Union
Registrant Organization:Orthodox Union
Registrant Street1:11 Broadway
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:New York
Registrant State/Province:NY
Registrant Postal Code:10004
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.2126138176
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:no.valid.email {at} worldnic(.)com
Admin ID:3199415-NSI
Admin Name:Lisa Halberstam
Admin Organization:Orthodox Union
Admin Street1:11 BROADWAY 14th FLOOR
Admin Street2:
Admin Street3:
Admin City:NEW YORK
Admin State/Province:NY
Admin Postal Code:10004-1303
Admin Country:US
Admin Phone:+1.212613815
Admin Phone Ext.:
Admin FAX:+1.212613072
Admin FAX Ext.:
Admin Email:halberstaml {at} ou(.)org
The 990 forms for the RCA (connected to OU?):
http://dynamodata.fdncenter.or.....0&t9=A
The RCA is connected to the OU, fine. But what does that have to do with the Vaad exactly? The RCA is an umbrella group.
Vaad Harabonim of Queens, RCA, Young Israel, OU:
They all seem to be connected (is there also a financial connection?), and the one who is quoted in the article about Streits is Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld of The Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, who also seems to be a member of all these organizations.
What are the politics between the Vaad/RCA/YI/OU alliance and Rabbi Soloveichik?
Why does it seem that Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld and his organizations have gone out to destroy Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik’s reputation and hechsher?
After reading your blog, I bought Streit’s for my seders, etc. I read through the financial statements Funny that the Queens group doesnt choose an accountant in Queens. They use one in NJ. I guess he has a better CPA hekscher than those in Queens.
Oddly enough, I bought a box of Passover-safe cereal, a Manischewitz one, specifically Magic Max’s Honey Magic Loops. My wife opened the box and what did she find? It was packed with a foil pouch from Magic Max’s Fruity Magic Cereal INSTEAD.
So, the OU should be perhaps monitoring what it already does a little closer. I mean, what would have happened to my soul if there had been something with chametz in there?
How can all this happen without any response?
The Vaad Harabonim Of Queens (http://www.queensvaad.org/about_vaad/members.cfm)
Mr. Daniel Maurer, President Of Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld’s Shul
demaurer {at} nyc.rr(.)com
Heshy Engelsberg, Webmaster and Member Of Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld’s Shul
heshy {at} earthlink(.)net
Howard Kohn, President Of Torah Center Of Hillcrest
pres {at} torahcenterofhillcrest(.)org
Additional Leading Members of The Vaad Harabonim Of Queens:
Rabbi Peretz Steinberg
yiqvoffice {at} gmail(.)com
Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov
info {at} kehilatsephardim(.)org
Rabbi Yehuda Oppenheimer
youngisraelfh {at} aol(.)com
Rabbi Shlomo Hochberg
rabbi {at} yije(.)org
Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff
rabbi {at} kewgardenssynagogue(.)org
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky
rabbi {at} bnaiyeshurun(.)org
…But like Mr. Gates, Mr. Brach’s business tactics have sown resentment. His detractors have accused him of muscling out small competitors by gradually gobbling up every nook and cranny of kosher, from meat to groceries to baked goods to fish…Such, too, was his power that his shoppers included devout men and women whose rabbis forbade them to buy from Sam Brach’s. For by his own admission, and for many reasons, Mr. Brach has defied the rabbis for nearly 25 years, above all by not submitting Brach’s Glatt Kosher Supermarket to the supervision of the Vaad Harabonim (Rabbinical Association) of Queens, a group of rabbis that oversees most of the kosher stores and restaurants in the borough.”They feel I grow too much for myself,” Mr. Brach said…
(New York Times: January 3, 1997)
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01.....d%20Belief
Isn’t that ironic?
I recently read the widely circulated article concerning the Streits matzo controversy(thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/different-from-all-other-years-streit%e2%80%99s-matzo-off-preferred-list-in-five-towns/).
Although I am completely an unbiased reader (I have never met any of the individuals the article gravitates around), I am nevertheless bothered by the glaring fact that there are many deafening, yet completely unanswered questions. After skimming through the comment pages on the numerous websites that discuss the article, I noticed that the masses are bothered by the same simple yet troubling questions.
How can a Rabbinic organization take such severe action (the article extensively describes the harm it caused to R’ Soloveichik) against a respected individual, without even being able to verbalize a complaint against him? The article quotes Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld as saying “He [R' Moshe Soloveichik] just doesn’t swim in the kashrus world … we’re not saying he’s bad; not at all. We just don’t know.” What does that mean? Shoot and ask questions later? To put it simply: the whole story just does not add up- there must be politics at play that does not meet the innocent eye.
I decided to search around the web, to see if I would be able to find any articles that R’ Moshe Soloveitchik may have written that would cause him to find disfavor in the eyes of those who attacked his hechsher. It didn’t take too long to find a document that began to crystallize a seemingly sinister and petty plot.
I came across this letter (http://daattorah.blogspot.com/.....d-for.html) that was published on a blog called “Daat Torah.” One of the Rabbinic signatories on this letter, written in opposition to Rabbi Bomzer’s Geirus protocol, is the Rav Hamachshir of Streits Matzo, Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik. When I “Googled” Rabbi Bomzer’s name I discovered that he has been a long term leading member of the Rabbinical Council of America, the Young Israel Council, and is the President of the Vaad Harabonim of Flatbush (http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=32337) I also discovered that his son R’ Moshe Bomzer, is a prominent member of the Orthodox Union, and serves on the “Rabbinical Council of America’s Executive Committee” (http://www.rabbis.org/about_us.cfm).
To my laymen eyes, it looks like a simple story of underhanded revenge. Quite saddening if true, but all would agree that the real tragedy would be the utter miscarriage of justice if this story were not properly investigated and reported.
This picture online of Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld seems to confirm what you are writing:
http://oukosher.org/images/uploads/P5140017.JPG
The “Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld and The Queens Vaad Controversy” continues:
As of today the following blogs are reporting on the story:
http://haemtza.blogspot.com/20.....unned.html
http://failedmessiah.typepad.c.....or-ou.html
http://jewkey.com/new-york-the.....-2/random/
http://kvetcher.net/2009/04/30.....oveitchik/
http://rechovot.blogspot.com/2.....tions.html
http://www.thelodownny.com/les.....inued.html
http://dovbear.blogspot.com/20.....-your.html
http://www.vosizneias.com/3003.....99s-matzo/
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=32874
A simple question: When will the Rabbis and Organizations involved respond to all these questions?
[...] issues out of the way: Yes, Streit’s has been a longtime advertiser in Heeb. And yes, Heeb‘s own associate director of business David Kelsey was involved in the expose. And yes, every year, Jewdar takes the little Jewdars to our [...]
Pertaining to the above letter concerning Rabbi Bomzer.
Rabbi Eisen is married to a BOMZER. The worm continues to turn.
In your list of blogs that have written about the disgraceful behavior of the Queens Vaad and the Five Towns Vaad, you left out the largest blog of all. Koshernexus.org has over 600,000 hits per year. We have written several articles about the situation.
Did Rabbis eisen and shonfeld issue a formal public apology yet?
I am waiting to see if they choose to burn in hell for their violations of Jewish law.
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