STOP- Don't use Barkan wines, Don't add to the intermarriage crisis.
The Eidah Jerusalem refused to grant their certification, due to the Ethiopians working there .
According to all Poiskim, the Ethiopians require a conversion aka "Geirus ki'halacha" .Therefore, everyone stopped drinking the Barkan Wines and are disposing of what they have already purchased. KCL allows Barkan and encourages "Intermarriage".
IS BARKAN WINE KOSHER?
See following article;
Is Barkan Wine Kosher?
by Rabbi Yaakov Hoffman
The allegations of racism at Barkan winery have been put to rest, but one question remains: Was there actually a problem with the kashrut of Barkan products?
The answer depends on the reasoning of Badatz Ha-Eidah Ha-Hareidit for requesting that Barkan bar its Ethiopian employees from contact with wine. If these employees had not undergone a conversion, the Badatz would have been addressing a serious kashrut concern at the winery. According to most halakhic authorities, an Ethiopian Jew must convert if wine he or she handles is to remain kosher, since the Ethiopian Beta Israel community is not by nature halakhically Jewish.
Alternatively, it is possible that the employees did convert, but their conversions did not adhere to the Eidah’s specifications. If that was the case, those who are not adherents of the Eidah Ha-Hareidit need not hesitate to drink Barkan wine.
Before I wrote my previous article about Barkan, I attempted to clarify this issue without success. One expert I consulted insisted that the Ethiopians had converted; another was adamant that they had not. I mentioned both possibilities in my article in order to make the point that it is misguided to label the Badatz as racist, regardless of which scenario is correct.
Since the article’s publication, I have continued investigating the matter due to its impact on the consumer of kosher wine. I emphasize from the outset that neither I nor any close relatives are associated with any kashrut organization.
Prior to my inquiries, my hunch was that the workers in question had converted. After all, even pre-Badatz, Barkan still carried no fewer than four kosher supervisions.[1] One would imagine that at least one, if not all, of these agencies would insist on a conversion before treating an Ethiopian as Jewish for all intents and purposes.
But assumptions, of course, cannot substitute for facts. Shortly after the Barkan story broke, I requested clarification by e-mail from the OK, Barkan’s main American certifier. They did not respond, so I tried contacting them by telephone. With some difficulty, I eventually reached a rabbinic coordinator at the OK’s Brooklyn office.
Instead of answering my questions, he repeatedly insisted that the OK stands by its certification and maintains there was never any kashrut issue at Barkan. I responded that I was not looking for a halakhic ruling, but rather requesting information. Nevertheless, he was not any more forthcoming.
Discouraged by this lack of transparency, I decided to pursue the matter with the OK office in Israel. The Israeli rabbinic coordinator with whom I spoke informed me that anyone who applies to work in an OK winery must bring a letter from the Rabbanut attesting that he is Jewish and observant. If so, I queried, why did the Badatz have a problem with the Ethiopian employees? He explained that the Badatz wanted them to undergo a conversion. I asked him: does that mean the workers had not converted previously? The rabbinic coordinator replied that the OK is still investigating that, and offered to forward me their report on the matter in a few days’ time (almost a month later, this has not been forthcoming despite my following up by e-mail).
Continuing our conversation, I requested that he clarify the OK’s policy regarding whether Ethiopians must convert before being considered Jewish. He responded that the OK has never formulated a policy on the matter, and has simply relied on the Rabbanut to vouch for the Jewish status of Ethiopian employees. I asked if the Rabbanut would issue a letter of approval to an Ethiopian who had not converted. He did not know.
Furthermore, the Israeli rabbinic coordinator seemed to be under the misconception that some groups of Beta Israel are halakhically Jewish according to all opinions. I informed him that, in fact, most Poskim require that all Ethiopians convert. He then asserted that if the OK discovers that the workers had actually not converted, the rabbinic authorities of the OK will decide whether or not to rely on the minority opinion of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (who rules that Beta Israel Ethiopians are to be accepted as Jewish even without a conversion).
That a well-known hekhsher could not provide a consumer with clear facts should be disconcerting to anyone serious about kashrut.[2] It was also surprising that an organization serving mainstream American Orthodoxy would consider certifying a product based on the lenient opinion of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, when all the other Poskim that our community respects rule stringently on this matter.
Since the OK could not provide the answers I sought, I contacted a kosher supervisor on the ground at Barkan—one not affiliated with any particular agency. He stated that Barkan investigated the workers when they were first hired fifteen years ago, and concluded that they are Jewish “beyond a doubt.” When I pressed him to confirm that “beyond a doubt” means they converted, he failed to give me a straightforward reply. In fact, he seemed to be under the same misimpression as the representative of the OK—i.e., that some Ethiopians are unquestionably Jewish and no one would require them to convert.[3]
At this point, it is still not entirely clear whether or not the Ethiopian workers at Barkan underwent a conversion. If it comes to light that they did not convert, qualified Poskim will have to rule on whether there is room to permit Barkan wine post facto. But the concerns we raise here go beyond the technical kashrut of the wine in question. We consumers deserve greater transparency and diligence from those responsible for ensuring the kosher status of our food and beverages.
Yaakov Hoffman is the rabbi of Washington Heights Congregation and a member of the Kollel Le-Hora’ah of RIETS. He is interested in contemporary kosher certification and is a wine aficionado.
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The OK, Rabbi Shmuel Berger, Rabbanut Gezer and Hug Hatam Sofer Petah Tikvah. ↑
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Contrast this with the professionalism of the OU, which provided a prompt and clear response about its winery policies after just one e-mail. ↑
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The mashgiah did provide some useful information about the background of the incident. He related that when the Eidah began to implement its supervision at Barkan, its representatives re-investigated all the employees at the winery to confirm their acceptability to handle wine. However, the Ethiopian workers categorically refused to cooperate with the Badatz’s investigation. It was this that prompted the Badatz to request their transfer.This version of events indicates even more strongly that the Badatz’s request had nothing to do with racism; it was the media that recast the story as being about discrimination against Ethiopians. This distortion should make us think twice about judging others based on what we see in the news. While most Jews disagree with the Eidah Ha-Haredit on many issues, we must be cautious about assuming they are to blame when they are involved in a dispute. ↑
25 comments:
the barkan importer in a country that is not the united states is a back stabber kapo type which not everyone realizes when they see him give tzedokah (but only where he gets kuved for it)
I davka will bought Barkan last week after the story broke. I will continue to buy Barkan.
Rav Ovadia Yosef ZT"L paskened that the Ethiopians do not need geirut k'halacha. Rav Ovadia is a bigger posek than anyone on the Eidah chareidi-maifia will ever be.
Did the sword give Vorpal a lobotomy?
Rav Ovadya is a daas yochid against R' Moishe & everyone else.
Everyone is entitled to make at least one mistake.
How does Rav Ovadya know what those darkies were doing for centuries & who they were marrying?
The big machala afflicting the modern orthodox right now as admitted by a rabbi from Ramaz Manhattan is at least 90% of their youth are putting Liberal social concepts of what's "correct" before the Torah, no matter if it's kefira mamash. This even applies to toyavah so avadda they don't care about any halachos if someone not Jewish with dark skin pigment might get offended.
Someone who learned in Lakewood recently figured out a very interesting point. There was a gigantic sonei Torah known as Shmarya, a one time half baked baal teshuva who blogged poison for 12 years on a very busy website. Rechnitz paid a large sum to retire him. Shmarya claimed the reason he went out from klal Amisecha is because he was angry at the Lubavitcher Rebbe for not accepting Falashas as is. What Shmarya did not disclose, as recently discovered, is that Shmarya's sister has shvartz children either from marrying one or through adoption.
The gist of the OK/Yudel conversation is that Reb Yudel Shlit'a did not want to hear what they have to say, all he wanted is to tell them what he determined is the Halacha. And then have some more fodder his Holy Holy web site.
Yudel, you are off the wall completely.
KCL allows non-mevushal wines with goyishe waiters and goiyshe guests.
and you asking about barkan wines, milchig in fleishig oven, just some bossur biholv issues.
Did the caterer pay his hashgocha fee?, that what you should be asking.
the above 2:41 pm in a nutshell
The gist of the corrupt 'establishment' hashgocho personalities who are terrified of Yudel exposing them is to muddle the blog with personal attacks & mockery to drown out what Yudel has to say.
Update on Barkan from Eretz Yisroel.
1-The Eidah has been certifying Barkan for a year without realizing the issue.
2- The main manager at the actual wine production is an Ethiopian.
3- The manager and the three Ethiopians refuse to do a geirus, they are there for five years.
4- I don't know what the Eidah will do with everything done for the past year.
5- The Eidah does produce on one line now, none of the Ethiopians are involved in that line.
6- The Rabanut is laying low, as it's a legal issue as well at this time.
Why doesnt the eida simply go to kedem or anya other company if they arent happy with barkan?
Aldo , the eida is not the only hechsher around for barkan.
Can Mr. Update clarify how the Edah is back after the following happened?
The CEO of Barkan initially said "business is business" so whatever difference of opinion he might have with the Edah, he will continue to cater to their clientele as it adds significantly to the company's $ bottom line.
The Left Wing Liberals starting screaming for blood when they heard that & started trying to get the CEO removed.
The CEO backtracked like a scared little ketzela, intimating that since the Edah are 'racist' he is throwing them out.
Some hard core Liberals are still trying to remove the CEO for his 'unforgivable sin' of initially being pareve about the Edah.
Are you saying the CEO is lying and has quietly snuck the Edah back in?
As per R' Shlomo Zalman ztl in Minchas Shlomo - Star K is a huge contributor to intermarriage by exercising fake loopholes in bishul Akum.
היום חייל צה"ל נפצע (בדרום - בערש"ק חזון תשע"ח) וככל הנראה באורח קשה מירי במהלך הפרות הסדר האלימות בדרום רצועת עזה - וזה מהשמים רק בגלל שיש גזירת גיוס השמד והזימה. כבר מספיק להתעמר ולרדוף את עם ד' די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! די!! כל מי שלא תמים ולא בעל אינטרס יודע כבר היטב את המצב החשוך בענין גיוס השמד ובחינוך, יש בעיות כאן בארץ שמי שאומר את האמת עלול לקבל רדיפות וישר אומרים לו גם אתה מהפלג? ואז מתחילים להציק ולרדוף אותו ומשפחתו, די!! די!! די!! המצב חמור יותר אצל מנהיגי ורבני ארץ ישראל שחוששים להגיד את האמת על השמד שקורה בא"י, בנוסף משתמשים בסיסמא אתה נגד גדו''י וכו' בכדי לחפות ולהצדיק כאחד את מעשיהם הנ''ל. זו האמת ומאוד עצוב שצריך להוציא אותה לרה''ר. וידוע המצב הנורא השורר פה בארה"ק, אשר היהדות החרדית נמצאת בסכנה רוחנית גדולה לאין שיעור ד"י.
והן ידוע המצב כאן בארץ ישראל, שמלחמת הסיטרא אחרא - וגונדא דיליה [ע"י חכי"ם חרדים בכנסת המינים - מיהדות התורה] הלוחמים בכל כוחם נגד התורה הקדושה, החמירה בזמן האחרון מאוד מאוד, שלוחמים בעוז ובגבורה, ובכל מיני התחכמות, וברוב ממון, לבטל את התורה הקדושה, והאמונה בהשם יתברך שמו, ולהוציא כל לומדי התורה מבית המדרש, ולהכניסם לתוך הצבא הטמא שלהם, לטמאם, לזהמם, ולערבם עם החפשים והחפשיות שלהם, בכח, בהסתה, ובפיתויים עד אין שיעור, וכל זה בגלוי ובהכרזה מפורשת שזה כל כוונתם שפועלים בכל כוחם לקלקל ולערב את בנינו ובנותינו ביחד עם החפשים והחפשיות לפרוץ כל המחיצות המבדילות.
והמוחים נגדם והמסבירים את עוצם הסכנה והקלקול שיש בהצבא הטמא, נרדפים על ידי הפאליציי, המכים באכזריות נוראה וחוטפים אותם לבית אסורים, ועל כן עיני כל ישראל בארץ הקודש נשואות גם אל אחינו שבגולה להשמיע קול זעקה ומחאה קבל עם ועולם על חורבן הדת והתורה שנעשה כאן בארץ ישראל.
האם ניתן להכחיש את הדברים ולכתוב במחי יד, 'אין כלום, 'הכל בסדר בדיוק כמו בשבעים שנה האחרונות? ע''כ יאמר לראשי הישיבות והאדמורים בארצינו הק' ולרבני חו''ל זו השעה שלכם כנראה, וכי כמה עסקנים וכמה בריונים [כמו יענקושי קניבסקי] וכו' ינהלונו השמד פה בא"י? כולם יודעים כאן היטב שכל רב/אדמו"ר/מנהיג וכו' בא''י ששומע את המצב ומקבל נתונים מהשטח, שותק מיד, ואם פיקח הוא שולך כמה עסקנים ובדרך כלל לא מועיל כלום, זו האמת, ממש כואב, מקווה שמישהו יקבל תועלת מהדברים ושיפעל ללא חת ומורא מהנהו .. וכל עצרת שהיא נגד הגיוס -השמד- היא קידוש שם שמים...
Its good for business.
By encouraging intermarriage they create some more 'siddur-kedushin' jobs and more opportunities to use more barkan wines for Chupahs and Shevah Brachots etc.
I'm really shocked at Rav Ovadya who as someone very bakant in old seforim, how could he not know or keep in mind vos shteit in Rishonim / Early Achronim, that although Yidden are ok to marry gerim, it's exceedingly unlikely that it extends to bnei Chom. Yosef was on the madraigah of the Avos but was excluded from the other 3 in Shmoyneh Esrei because he was a gilgul of Eliezer. Altz yener klalah that even gilgul on top of gerus doesn't kasher, it would've been a kol shechain if Yosef wouldn't have been a Veisseh in physical metzius.
What kind of Yidden, when over 700 years ago they knew episs in learning, would ever be maskim, on a large scale noch dem, to be meshadech with choshech?
Politically Incorrect, you are truly a despicable person .
The Torah does not differentiate betweem bnei chom and other goyim, besides עמון מואב מצרים and עמלק. Skin color is a non issue in Torah. Only the public school gedolim, who think right wing politics are Torah and supported Nixon and other crooks because they were right wingers, believe that racist trash of yours.
The Torah does not differentiate?
Ever heard of Arur Canaan eved lamo?
And what's with the angry conflating of Republicans, racism & Watergate?
Now go back to following Open Orthodox's secular 'messiah' Barack on Twitter.
But first, who wants to see the Liberal get really bent out of shape?
According to one of the Achronim there is a shtikl in Moreh Nevuchim that we don't currently have. Just like the venus fly trap is an in between darga from tzomayach to chai, those chevra who Ross Perot once offended by addressing them as 'you people' are in between chai & adam.
'you people'
R' Bob Grant hot amol gezogt that about once every 10 years they decide they want to be called something else and asser you from using the previous title as henceforth 'racist'.
So it's just a matter of time until Episs-American is replaced with a new one.
I spoke on Tuesday with the OK office in Israel. The conversation went more or less as follows:
What was going on with the Ethiopian employees at Barkan?
"Everyone who works at an OK winery in Israel has to bring a letter from the Rabbanut that he is Jewish and frum."
Then what was the Badatz's problem?
"They wanted the Ethiopians to have a geirus lechumra."
You mean these workers had no geirus?
"I don't know."
What is the OK's policy? Do they require Ethiopians to undergo a geirus before working on wine?
"We don't have a policy. We accepted the Rabbanut's letter."
And what is the Rabbanut's policy? Do they require geirus?
"I don't know. We are still investigating that. We should have the results in a few days."
And what will the OK do if you find out that these workers had no geirus?
"We will convene the OK rabbanim and decide if we will rely on Rav Ovadia or not."
You mean you would rely on him although almost every other Posek disagrees?
"Well, I think some Ethiopians don't need a geirus and some do."
No, every Ethiopian needs a geirus according to most Poskim.
"Oh, ok."
I was incredulous
Which intermarriage wedding did the KCL afficiate at?
Who in Lakewood intermarried?
What is the ‘cause & effect’ result of Rechilus, Lishon Horah, Motzey Shem Rah if for eating something kosher to most poskim but not all causes intermarriage?
Just trying to learn and get frummer.
Vos far a chutzpah!
The Rebbe held like everyone else, not like Rav Ovadya.
The Levys have to see about it????
It was bad enough when OK introduced restaurants to the neighborhood with improperly dressed waitresses. Also not the Rebbe's shita. It's nobody's shita but it adds a few kopeks to the OK's bottom line.
Reb Shlomo Zalman, Z"L, told to Reb Yudel "chazal say that wine touched by goyim is the cause of INTERMARRIAGE. That's where the KCL fits in.
KCL also has on affairs allowed non-mevushal wines.
The kcl mashgiach could have been dead drunk, nothing new.
I can see it coming. Being candid on the phone call az zei veissen nisht was a rare aberration. The OK going forward will either get a "heter" from Belzer Eckstein / Nitra Weissmandl or they will pull a Shufra & deny, deny, deny, that they were not on top of the situation. Then the 'fun' starts as they are known to bully people who know the truth and go on record about it.
The OK has the Lubavitch "koach-ha'dimyon", they aren't lying per se.
But to non-Lubavitch, this koach-hadim'yon, is looked upon as an outright lie.
So non-Lubavitch, should not rely on the OK for any kashrus matters.
Where does mishachist v non-mishachist fall in this area?
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ugandan-rabbi-we-need-to-be-treated-like-any-other-jewish-community/
If they 'decide' to side with R' Ovadya, could this be the Progressive new face of the OK mashgiach in 2018?
Mixed dancing Taaruvos at bais faiga wedding Thursday night under the KCL
https://www.instagram.com/djizik/
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