Alert RE: Shatnez testers

 

Shatnez Notice!

Important Notice Regarding Shatnez Laboratories ­ So that you know, some shatnez testers lack proper training and are performing substandard tests. There have been instances where linen was left in wool garments after testing. (In the attached picture, you can see the linen left behind in the woolen suit.)   It's vital to have your garments tested by trustworthy and qualified shatnez testers.   This is particularly important for testers hired by retail outlets. Cases have been confirmed where garments "tested" at known Jewish-owned retail outlets were found to be shatnez at the Flatbush Shatnez Laboratory and other laboratories.    To confirm a tester’s qualifications, reach out to the Vaad L'Mishmeres Shatnez by emailing vaadlmishmeresshatnez@gmail.com or calling 1-877-4-SHATNEZ.

Shatnez at Emporio Men's Clothing ­

 

Shatnez Warning!

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Further Concerns Regarding Shatnez at Emporio Men's Clothing ­   Emporio Men's Clothing has been closely monitored due to the repeated presence of shatnez in their garments.   Unfortunately, various incidents over the years have sparked notable halachic concerns in the community.   We recently issued an open letter to Emporio detailing clear steps to responsibly address these issues. Our goal is to promote transparency, accountability, and a genuine commitment to maintaining the standards valued by our community.   We are now facing another significant issue, possibly a worsening situation, as a Tino Cosma suit sold by Emporio contained wool and linen in the actual fabric. A customer wore this prohibited garment unknowingly for nearly a year. Photos of the worn Shatnez Tino Cosma suit are attached.   We strongly recommend that everyone who purchased Emporio garments have them checked for shatnez in a certified shatnez lab before wearing them. This precaution will prevent them from becoming a victim of Emporio, as evidenced by this latest incident.

Observation of interest- One that can't stop vaping, etc., generally also has issues with שמירת עניים

Bishaim Roshei Yeshiva, Reb Eli Ber Wachtfogel and Poskei Hador, Reb Shlomo Miller-

The Arbitration agreement to be signed at any Bais Din-Otherwise do not go to that B"D- copies? kashrusy@aol.com

**********************************

שטר בירורין

אנו, בעלי הדין החתומים מטה, מודים ומאשרים בחתימות ידינו להלן — שייחשבו כעדות של מאה עדים כשרים ונאמנים — כי אנו החתומים מטה, בררנו יחד שני דיינים:

הרב ________________________________

הרב ________________________________

וקיבלנום על עצמנו לדון בינינו כפי ראות עיניהם, בין ע"פ דין תורה, בין ע"י פשרה הקרובה לדין, כפי אשר ימצאו לנכון.

ואם שני הדיינים הנ"ל לא יוכלו להגיע להסכמה, יבררו הם דיין שלישי.

וכל מה שיפסקו או יפשרו בינינו — בין לפי שיקול דעתם ע"פ ההלכה ובין בדרך של פשרה — אנו מתחייבים לשמוע ולקבל.

כל אחד מאיתנו לא יסור ימין ושמאל מדבריהם, ולא ייפול דבר מכל אשר ימצאו בינינו, בין דין ע"פ ההלכה בין פשרה קרובה לדין.

ודבריהם יהיו בתוקף כוח בית דין יפה, כאילו עמדנו לדין לפני בי דינא דרבינא ורב אשי.

כל אחד מאיתנו שימרה את פי הדיינים הנ"ל — בין שפסקו ע"פ דין, בין שפסקו פשרה, בין שדברו מעצמם ובין לאחר שהתייעצו עם רב אחר — יתחייב בקנס בסך: _______________  / $_______________

כל צד רשאי לבקש פירוט הפסק, כולל:

- העובדות שעליהן התבסס הפסק

- הנימוקים והמקורות ההלכתיים שהביאו להכרעה

יתבצע תיעוד של מהלך הדיון — בין בהקלטה קולית ובין ברישום מלא בכתב — לשם בהירות, דיוק ושקיפות.

פסק הדין יהא ניתן לאכיפה על פי חוקי המדינה שבתחום סמכות בית הדין, ויינתן גם בשפת המדינה

צדדים מסכימים לפתור את כל הסכסוכים באמצעות בוררות מחייבת ומוותרים על כל זכות להתדיין בבית משפט, כולל הזכות למשפט עם חבר מושבעים, לזאת קיבלנו על עצמנו בחרם חמור ובקניין על דעת בית דין, לאשר ולקיים כל האמור לעיל, לא כאסמכתא ולא כטופס רגיל של שטרים.

 

נחתם ונאמן

ביום ______ לחודש ______ שנת ______, בעיר ________________________________

 

חתימת בעל דין א׳: ___________________________

חתימת בעל דין ב׳: ___________________________

חתימת עדים / מזכירות ב"ד  -אופציונלי: ___________________________   ___________________________

Arbitration Agreement

We, the undersigned parties to this matter, hereby acknowledge and affirm with our signatures below — which shall serve as testimony as if given by one hundred valid and trustworthy witnesses — that we, the undersigned, have jointly appointed two arbitrators:

Rabbi ________________________________

Rabbi ________________________________

and we have accepted them upon ourselves to judge between us either according to what they see fit under halacha (Jewish law) or to render a compromise close to the law, as they see appropriate.

If the two aforementioned arbitrators are unable to reach agreement, they shall appoint a third arbitrator.

Whatever rulings or compromises they issue between us — whether according to their judgment under halacha or by compromise — we are obligated to accept.

Each of us, the undersigned, shall not veer right or left from their words, and nothing that they determine between us shall be void, whether a legal ruling or a compromise close to law.

Their ruling shall have the full authority of a proper Beis Din, as if we were standing before the Beis Din of Ravina and Rav Ashi.

Each of us, the undersigned, who disobeys the decision of the aforementioned arbitrators — whether it is a legal ruling under halacha, a compromise, whether issued by their own judgment or with consultation from another Rabbi — shall be fined the amount of: _______________ dollars / ₪ _______________.

Each party may request to be informed of the ruling, along with:

- the facts upon which it was based

- the halachic reasoning and sources that led to the judgment

There shall be either an audio recording or comprehensive written notes taken of the proceedings, to ensure clarity, accuracy, and transparency throughout the arbitration process.

The ruling may be enforced under the civil laws of the jurisdiction of the Beis Din, and the ruling shall also be written in the language of that jurisdiction. The parties agree to resolve all disputes through binding arbitration and waive any right to a trial in court, including the right to a jury trial.

All of this we have accepted upon ourselves under a stringent cherem (religious ban) and with a binding kinyan (formal legal act of acquisition) in accordance with the authority of the Beis Din, to affirm and uphold all of the above, not as a mere formality and not as a standard boilerplate document.

As testimony and confirmation, we have written and signed this on the ________ day of the month of ________, in the year ________, here in the city of ________________________________.

Signature of Party A: ___________________________

Signature of Party B: ___________________________

 

Witnesses / Beis Din Secretariat (optional): ___________________________   ___________________________ 

UPDATE: ADEIREI hatorah- All the "unsealed" food was at the display for hours with no Mashgiach- at 4:00 PM A fellow came with KCL stickers- all was שנתעלם

The OU would have had Mashgichim, sealed platters, etc.

 BRING YOUR OWN SANDWHICHES, GRILL CHICKEN, WRAPS, ETC

In UMAN, Scheiner finally got the Eidah of J-M.

 We may show the video if enough demand is made to kashrusy@aol.com

ALERT: The "Beleaves" brand pre checked vegetables belong to the Eidah of Yerushalayim.

 The Brand name BELEAVES was recently hijacked by Minchas Chinuch Tartikuv and Zichron Shmuel DON'T USE THEM

KOSHERICA style AND OTHERS Marketing "Yeshiva week" kosher cruises!

  Kosher at Sea: A Voyage into Illusion

The sky was a watercolor of pastels as the Emerald Majesty, a five-star cruise liner, pulled away from the port, her decks glittering under the sun like polished glass. Laughter echoed across the vast ship as thousands of passengers, in shorts and sundresses, scattered across pools, spas, and endless buffet stations. Amid the hum of festivities and the gentle churn of ocean waves, a more serious mission was quietly underway.

Dave, a seasoned events facilitator known across the industry for organizing grand-scale affairs, was aboard. Though not frum, Dave had worked closely with many Jewish clients over the years. He’d heard the buzz—kosher cruises were the new frontier of luxury. Frum families, Yeshivish businessmen, and even noted Rabbanim were now choosing ocean voyages billed as “fully kosher,” complete with Shiurim, Minyanim, and lavish kosher meals. But something gnawed at Dave’s instinct. He’d seen too much behind the curtain of event logistics not to wonder: How kosher is kosher at sea?

The Emerald Majesty carried over 4,500 souls—passengers and crew. Only around 250 were kosher-observant. Dave took quiet note of the math. The kosher kitchen, modestly tucked into a lower deck, was dwarfed by the sprawling ship-wide culinary operations spread across five different floors. Food storage. Pastry prep. Dairy refrigeration. Meat thawing. Fish filleting. All in different corners of the vessel.

He observed the Mashgichim, a small crew, each trying their best. But Dave was trained to spot systemic failures—not personal ones. In one kitchen, he watched as a treif griddle, recently used to cook cheeseburgers, was sprayed down with boiling water as a form of kashering. He knew enough to understand that such equipment required libun chamur—a direct flame, glowing coals, or a torch. Hot water alone would never do. Yet this shortcut was repeated. Day after day. Griddle after griddle.

Even more jarring: grills labeled “DAIRY” yesterday were now marked “MEAT.” The only cleansing? Another hasty splash of hot water. No fire. No burn-off. No halachic reset.

One morning, Dave joined a group at a shiur delivered by a Rabbi flown in for the cruise. Polished. Charismatic. Speaking passionately about emunah and bitachon. Yet just hours earlier, Dave had asked a Mashgiach whether the tray of fresh croissants in the dining hall was Parve, dairy, or had any proper labeling at all. The answer: “We think it’s parve. It came from one of the ship's bakeries.”

One of them?

At lunch, he noted dozens of unwrapped meat trays being wheeled from a general freezer. No visible Hashgacha. No labels. When asked, a Mashgiach simply shrugged. “They were stored in the kosher freezer. That’s usually a good sign.”

Usually?

But most chilling was the silence. Signs clearly stated: No Guests Allowed in Kitchen. But even more concerning—Mashgichim had been warned not to interact with guests. “Maintain separation,” they were told. “It’s a security policy.”

What it felt like, Dave observed, was a policy of concealment.

To the outside world, the cruise was spectacular. The frum crowd danced at kumzitzes on the upper deck under stars. Elegant buffets of chulent, schnitzel, and fresh-baked challah were served with flair. Children wore yarmulkes and girls sang zmiros as photographers snapped away.

But Dave had seen too much.

He’d seen the pastries with no source. The mishandled meat. The reused equipment. The unasked questions. The guessed answers. He’d seen Mashgichim overworked and under-trained, trying to keep pace in a behemoth system not designed for halachic integrity.

When he disembarked, Dave was resolute. “They can bring all the Rabbanim they want onboard. They can give all the shiurim and hand out kashrus certificates. But without real oversight, without understanding of halacha, without transparency—there is no Si’yata Di’Shmaya on these ships. It’s not kosher. Period.”

He hadn’t even touched the other concerns—of mingling, tznius breaches, the spiritual atmosphere. That, he said, was a separate storm.

But this storm—of misrepresenting kashrus—was real, and roaring just beneath the glimmering waves.

Takeaway:
Even the most luxurious kosher cruise cannot substitute for genuine kashrus vigilance. Without true halachic standards, experienced oversight, and transparency, kosher at sea becomes an illusion—one that risks both body and soul.

   

 You can't say "I didn't know".

"TREIF "kosherica" tours R"L- Lakewood joins them R"L

WATCH: Kosherica launches ‘Yeshiva week’ "treif" cruise?

Kosherica cruises has been machshil thousands in not providing kosher according to any standards.

Why Do the  Rabbis sanction these non-kosher cruises? 
Isn't it embarrassing that all of the Miami, Lakewood,  OU affiliated Rabbis are allowing this scandal 

Can someone like Rabbis Weil (OU), Schneier, Riskin, Heir, Herring, Lipskar arrange an "OU" Hashgocha at least?

Why doesn't the "OU" send their own staff on the cruises to witness the kashrus disaster.