OU Videos for Summer trips

https://oukosher.org/kosher-summer-travel-videos/#bbq
Can you cook on a BBQ that has previously been used for Non-Kosher meat?
Can meat and fish be cooked on the same BBQ?
Can you eat cut fruit from an uncertified vendor?
Can you buy coffee from a non-kosher establishment or a kiosk?
May you purchase salad from an uncertified entity when traveling on the road?
What products am I permitted to eat from an ice cream store?
What are the Halachos in regards to prayer on an airplane?
What are the Kashrut issues with airline meals?
Can in-room hotel microwaves be used without kashering?
Is it permissible to take antihistamines or other medication without certification?

Fish & Meat, glucosomine issues

KCL Mashgiach for Shabbos? [be safe, get your own mashgiach]

Relying on KCL policy - Policy="No Mashgiach needed for shabbos jobs- we call them drop offs". 
Don't be surprised-You may get dairy ice cream after fleishig meal!
You may have Bossur She'nisalem (also literally-it vanished out of the cholent, etc.)

KCL Shabbos Mashgiach!

Dairy in Meat oven, KCL permitts it-[that's why many don't eat at KCL establishments?] OH!

A KCL certified caterer at an affair tonight heated their dairy in the Meat oven, Senor Filipio was the only Mashgiach.

They called a KCL Poisek, and he found a "bi'di'eved" Heter.


At KCL caterers it's too common to serve dairy ice cream at a fleishig affair. Either there was no mashgiach, or he was drunk, or just a KCL mashgiach.

The Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva should make a "Takana", every affair or simcha must hire their own mashgiach as well. [The Roshei yeshiva hired mashgichim for their affairs. EB]

*Rabbi Weisner's "KCL" "kashers" Foremost Caterers

A Lakewood based Yeshiva was having a small affair. The Gvir wanted to use Foremost to cater the affair. The Yeshiva had Weisner's KCL handle the kashrus. Foremost then told his clients "Foremost is accepted by "Kosher Council of Lakewood". KCL says they only kashered 1 pot for noodles. [Only a little pregnant?] But in reality they Kashered Foremost Caterers.

As an asides: When Foremost caterers became certified by the Star-K, the Owner of Foremost decided for Business it pays to go through a conversion process (geirus) for his wife. Star-K's Rabbinic administrator when asked don't you have to now "toivel" the thousands of utensils of Foremost because there isn't any more a non-Jewish partner at Foremost? The Administrator responded "I don't recognize the conversion, so I don't require tevilas keilim.

When someone at Foremost was asked "why did you choose Star-K over OU, OK, Kof-K, etc?" The responded "even though Star-k was very tough e.g. seperate salt shakers, etc for dairy & meat, their leniencies on Shabbos & Yom-Tov was worth all the hardships".

Are AKO members hiding and covering serious kashrus issues?

Certain AKO members would not allow the kosher consumer's advocate to attend their conference for fear of "transparency".

What information are they hiding from the kosher consumer?

EMES not Sheker

Rav Aharon was the consummate kanai: He saw through the sham created by those who undermined Yiddishkeit in their pursuit to satisfy their desire to be like “everybody else." In their attempt to accommodate Orthodoxy to the liberal world of secular Judaism, they succeeded in watering down a number of the basic tenets of Judaism, creating on approach to religious observance that was neither.

The Rosh Yeshivah was relentless in exposing their charade and in warning the ignorant of the harm that could-and would- come as a result of an attempt to meld sheker, falsehood, with emes, truth.

Winston Churchill: "The truth is incontrovertable, Malice may attack it, Ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."

*

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Reb Noson Wachtfogel OB"M described what "Emes" looks like:

An old, slow moving, hunched back,

with a cane in each hand,

every one poking fun at him etc.

"UBB'ER - ER - VET - UN'KUM'EN, - Tzum - Soif.

* * * * * * * * *

Hi Rabbi,
Because of your blog, I along with some of my friends are trying to be more careful in what we put in our mouths. We are in brooklyn. What meat & poultry brands do you recommend. Also I sometimes need to buy bet yosef because I have sephardic guests, can you recommend someplace? Much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

I must say I was bit skeptical about your accusations against agri as they do have the hashgocho of the OU & KAJ who are.... I met last week with a shochet who I know personally to be a yarei shomayim, he's been to AGRI & saw them in action & he told me it's a disaster. He said he even questioned some of the shochtim there & they admitted that they themselves won't eat the meat that they shechted by AGRI. I am no longer skeptical.

"MESORAH"- we must follow the Mesorah, we may not question Mesorah

The Chatam Sofer confronted the growing strength of the Reform movement. He was faced with those who demanded relatively minor modifications in religious observance, as well as those who were ready to abandon much more essential Jewish practices. His strategy in preserving the mesorah was a simple one: no compromise whatsoever. Borrowing a phrase from a specific halachic context, he asserted, “Chadash assur min haTorah; All that is new is prohibited.” He opposed modernization in all its forms.

The Chatam Sofer’s approach reflected his deep mistrust of the historical developments of his time that originated in non-Jewish sources. To him, all values had to stem from impeccably Jewish origins. Every deviation, no matter how slight, was to be vigorously opposed. Every proposed innovation, however innocuous it might seem, had idolatrous roots and would lead to serious transgressions.

For the Chatam Sofer, not one iota of mesorah could be sacrificed. He used to say, “Let one thousand of my opponents be lost, but let not one jot or tittle of Jewish custom be dislodged from its place,” and, “Anyone who questions our norms and customs is suspect [of heresy].”

Viewed this way, mesorah is so much more than a system of traditional practices that can be easily modified. Rather, mesorah is the exquisitely nuanced, intricately complex system through which the loftiest values of our religion can find expression.

Lately there have been others that learned in Yeshivish Yeshivas and were successful in the business world, yet they feel that anything and everything may be questioned from their prospective. Sorry to say, the Mesorah is handed down from generation to generation, and only those that are the carriers of the Mesorah may interpret "how does mesorah deal with this situation"?

Rambam-truth

                   

  

        Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, 

        nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.

To all maminim

There were 2 Jewish partners albeit, not religious that owned a popular kosher catering hall that was kosher certified by  a Religious Rabbi from the Metropolitan New York area. An individual called the certifying Rabbi on numerous occasions to voice his concerns about the caterer working on Shabbos for a Sunday affair, the owners have the keys of the kitchen and refrigerators / freezers etc.

After numerous call of kashrus concerns, the certifying Rabbi asked the caller “You see that I did not make any of the changes to alleviate your valid concerns, so why do you keep calling me”? The caller said sorry, I don’t have an answer to that question.

 A few weeks later, Si’yata di’shmaya has the caller be invited to a wedding where one of the names on the invitation was the same last name as that certifying Rabbi. So, he asked if anyone knows if this Rabbi is present at the wedding. Someone pointed to an elderly Rabbi in the back corner. So, he approached the Rabbi and introduced himself. The Rabbi asked, “do you have an answer to my question”? He said, yes, I do, can we sit down.

He told the Rabbi, you do appear to be considerably older than myself, Rabbi, excellent observation. Likely you’ll meet your maker after 120 before I will. Rabbi, correct again-what’s the point already? They will ask you, Rabbi how did you allow all these violations at the caterer that you certify? Normally you would shrug your shoulders and say, “I did not know”. That “excuse” you will not have, as I told you about them, that’s why I keep calling. You know what they will tell after 120? They’ll tell you very nicely where to go.

If you opt to ignore our kashrus alerts, issues, etc. you will not be able to feign "I didn't know".

I guess that why I keep bringing kashrus issues to everyone’s attention, now they will not be able to use the “excuse” after 120, I DID NOT KNOW.

KCL criterea for Mashgichim for Shabbos / Yom Tov

The KCL arranged with an individual to find Shabbos / Yom Tov mashgichim.

The pay is a set amount, to the KCL shadchan. He could pay the Mashgichim as little as he wants "and keeps the rest". Brilliant!

So the KCL's shadchan is looking for mashgichim that are incapable, likes to drink, shomer Shabbos not a criteria, the more personal issues, misfit, the better- they are cheaper.

How DNA Testing Can Tell You What Type of Fish You’re Really Eating?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-dna-testing-can-tell-you-what-type-of-fish-youre-really-eating-378207/

By analyzing a the DNA of fish sold across the country, researchers have found that roughly a third of U.S. seafood is mislabeled

Guidestar activities for KCL

http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2008/223/128/2008-223128323-051738e1-Z.pdf

In 2008 KCL only took in $28,000.00????????????????

A Lakewood Shabbos Bar Mitzvah

One family of the guests does not eat meat, so they made for them a small parve cholent.

At the day Seudah, that family was served the small Parve cholent, or so they thought. They saw meat in the cholent.

The host was beside himself.

They discovered that the waiters helped themselves to a breakfast of cholent. They realized that the small cholent was almost finished, so they scooped out from the large meat cholent to refill the parve cholent.

All under the watchful eyes of the Lakewood kashrus's Mashgiach, who went to daven with a minyan  and came back at 10:30 AM and had "bossur she'nisalem.

Mashgiach is bombed, either drunk or druggie?

Our Simcha in Lakewood we thought was a disaster.

Friday night seudah, the mashgiach was already bombed.

Our friends said, take it easy, this is Lakewood's holy hashgocha mashgiach, Who else can they get for a Shabbos job? That's what they say.

Q: Why Aren't There Any Ice Cubes In Poland? A: The Inventor Died And Took The Recipe With Him.

Why aren't there any kashrus standards by KCL?

The individual that had all of their kashrus standards, was niftar.

He left over a thick binder the "KCL's guide to kashrus".


We found the thick binder "guide".

Every page had just one symbol on it, $$$$$

                                            
but otherwise it was empty.

Seven principals for making a marriage work

With more than a million copies sold worldwide, 
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work has 

revolutionized the way we understand, repair, and strengthen marriages. 

John Gottman's unprecedented study of couples over a period of years has allowed him to observe the habits that can make—and break—a marriage.

Ask- what you can do for others?, not what others can do for you !

Ask- what you can do for others?

not what others can do for you !

Reb Shlomo Zalman- re: priorities in life

KCL bulletin: They must have a secret method to check blackberries/raspberries for infestation

KCL posted signs re: a method where you may be able to check Raspberries and Blackberries for infestation.
Check with them for the method. No one else knows a method.

 kclkosher@gmail.com,
732-901-1888

 

The KCL Mashgiach says "I don't see any insects".

I think I figured out the KCL method!

Why U.S. Courts Can’t Rule On Halacha

https://forward.com/scribe/403992/why-us-courts-cant-rule-on-halacha/

All Orange Juice must be filtered

 Only use the 100 + mesh bag filters.

The Eidah recommends an "80" mesh.
Do not use any filters with a higher number, i.e. 230 mesh-They don't work properly.

This is the only one at this time that is available, and only available at.

If any one else is interested in selling these filters?, please contact me for the info & source.

The correct size bag filters are available at
Shain 1140 Forest Av (cor Carey St.) 732-364-8046.
$10.00 @

KCL Standards in bedikas toloyim-in the dark you can't find insects, even if you are trained.

Observing a KCL Mashgiach washing "Leek" which is a "muchzuk bi'toloyim".

1- The fluorescent lights in that area are not working.

2- The isn't any light box for the mashgiach to use.

3- Note: A mashgiach is supposed to "check" the vegetables after the food service employee washed it according to the direction of the mashgiach. The Mashgiach was doing the actual washing, getting himself all wet. Oblivious to anything going on in the kitchen at the time-many kashrus issues may arise, fire went out, etc.

They give to mashgiach a case of celery to wash, a case of leek to wash, some boxes of strawberries to wash, etc and you have all year purim in the kitchen.
Welcome to the world of KCL kashrus. It's not only the
 vegetables that one should not consume, R"L.

GEVALD- The Lakewood Cheder hall is using Agri / Aarons/Rubashkin. [you don't eat it at home, why at the cheder?]

The Cheder Hall is using "again" the Agri-Aaron/Rubashkin beef& Poultry products.

The Lakewood Oilum was outraged that new Cheder hall on vassar Ave. is the only catering hall in Lakewood that was using Agri-Rubashkin beef & poultry.  They refused to eat there. 

Time to bring your sandwiches "Again"

 KCL is of the erroneous opinion that the Lakewood oilum is not makpid on yoshon or kashrus. 

Lakewood's KCL catering kashrus standards questioned (again)

KCL-A Shabbos Drop-Off job,  does require a mashgiach (a $400.00+ savings to the Baal Simcha.

The KCL Caterer makes you use his waiters, (he makes a few hundred on that). The caterers waiters will make sure to take care for his boss-if the fire goes out or too high or too low, or the urn needs adjusting or water added. He'll also protect his bosses equipment that it doesn't get lost, etc.
As they say "yom-tov in der vochen".

What's about "bossur-she'nisalem"? among many other issues.

Who controls the caterer's hot-box? (who has the key to the locked hot box? you guessed it, the Goy)
and his other equipment?

and the "party planners" putting their items  in the warmer, oven etc.
All without a mashgiach, thanks KCL

Defining a "drop-off"-Any other reliable Hashgocha will only allow a "drop-off job" in a person's house, but not in a shul, hall, etc.

Alert: (Lakewood) Politically-correct kashrus is not for Bnei-Torah!

Background; Rav Dr. Isaac Breuer, Z” L , when announcing his opening of the highly respected KAJ Kashrus, he stated, “I am opening a kashrus Organization that will adhere to “basic kashrus standards with no chumras and no hidurim.” 

The reason is, he said, “Eventually, you might be left with chumras & hidurim but no basic kashrus”. 

Bnai-Torah / Yeshiva Leit is looking for quality products with a reliable kashrus standard with no chumras & hidurim.

****************************************************************
An individual with potential and some knowledge in kashrus put out a Hashgacha info sheet at Lakewood weddings / simchas, which punctuates his "politically-correct" type of kashrus, but a lack of "basic knowledge".

We will try to highlight some of the issues.

1-NPGS Meyuchad is not an acceptable "Bais-Yosef".
Solomon's Bais Yosef & fishel's are true Bais Yosef.
He opted not to use the real Bais-Yosef-

2-Positive & Kosher Garden bi'hashgocha of Rav Vaye & R' Goldstein who are expert mumchim in infestation. Rav Katz is familiar with infestation, but not an expert per se.
Evidently the "mashgiach" is unaware of what constitutes an expert/Mumcha in infestation. Can one rely on all of the other items requiring "expertise in infestation".

3-Coca Cola with OU on the Cap or label is 100% for Bnei Torah. Did the mashgiach want to stick it to R' Gavriel Finkel,? (Rebetzin Kotler's uncle)

4- Beer Mayim, even with the Hashgocha is not a first choice for Bnei Torah.

5- USA Sprite is fully acceptable for Bnei Torah.

6- Did he really understand what is require for Bishul Yisroel?

7- Poultry- He did not use the NPGS Meyuchad brand. He should have used the most mehudar poultry brand -Birdsboro.

8- Baked items- He should have used the Mehudar bakery "Hershey's".

9-Fish- He is unaware that the "fish list" is inaccurate and not for Bnei Torah. He could have used Fishing Line's fish.

10- Wines- Could have been mehader and use Schwartz's, Armon, Carmel, etc.

11- No chumras, no hidurim, what about basic kashrus? Etc.

These fish mongers missed the boat. These fish mongers located in Lakewood and Monsey put out this "fish list" as you see they wrote in the wedding standard. Their knowledge about kashrus in general is very limited and not reliable. It's based on "if you say that worms in fish is
ossir, then everything you certify is acceptable as mehadrin products. If not you are not acceptable at all. That's a very twisted standard.


All of them are allowing herring which has worms. The Eidaha's fish worms were found, Revach's fish also. CRC, Hisachdus, Tartikuv, Volover are not makpid on worms in fish.

These fish mongers don't have any "Mesorah" and are just hockers, tummlers, but not to be relied upon.

They made big campaigns for Farm Fresh supermarket just because he carried the Eidah's products. How many people were deceived in kashrus and financially by the fish mongers to purchase at that store. check it out.


Besides White fish and salmon, etc. the whole issue of worms in fish is questionable. Most Certifiers are mattir the fish.

Sheitels / wigs contain Indian hair

באתי להציע בזה על גבי הכתב בס"ד, בירור דברים שעלה בידינו בעניין ה'הכשר' המדומה על מקור השערות המשמשות לפיאות נכריות, וידוע מה שכתב מרן פוסק הדור הגר"מ שטרנבוך שליט"א בתשובות והנהגות ח"ה סי' רס"ה אודות ההכשר שאין לסמוך עליו, ולאחרונה עורר על כך מרן שליט"א בקצרה בדרשת שבת הגדול שההכשר רפוי, והנה מתוך העיסוק בעניין, עלה בידינו ממצאים רבים – וכל הנכתב כאן מוקלט ומגובה במסמכים, [ובכל מקום שנכתב איזה עניין בשם אחרים, הכוונה שיש תחת ידינו הקלטה מזה, אלא שלא טרחנו לחזור ולכתוב כן בכל מקום], וכתבתי בקצרה, וגם ישנם כמה עניינים שלא הספקתי כעת לכתוב, אך באמת אין צורך בזה באריכות, כי הרואה יראה מיד מהו ערכו של הכשר כזה שהסוחרים עצמם שמקבלים הכשרות לועגים על ההכשר ואומרים שההכשר אינו מונע מהם מלייבא שער הודי, ואי"ה עוד חזון למועד להרחיב הדברים ולבארם עוד.

וזה החלי בע"ה, התמקדתי בעיקר בעשרה נושאים מורחבים, ובתוך כל נושא העניין מתפצל לכמה וכמה עניינים, וכאשר תחזינה עיניכם מישרים.

ובנותן טעם להקדים תחילה מה שאמר לי אחד הסוחרים מארה"ב המקבלים השגחה: "רבאי שלזינגר לא יודע בדיוק מה שקורה, מי שרוצה לחטוא בוודאי יכול לחטוא, אם זה היה בשר אני לא הייתי אוכל, אני סומך על הקב"ה, אני מסתמך גם על הגוי בסין שלא יכשיל אותי".

וזהו דוגמא אחת מיני אלף, ואידך זיל גמור.

א] יוצא ונכנס

KCL fleecing Agri / Aaron's, Rosenblatt, for $5,000.00 @ month

הפקרות בשחיטה באייווה

לכבוד הרב חיים

נו״נ בענינים שעל הפרק

לוחם מלחמת הקודש

 

חייב אני לשתף אותך במה שסיפר לי קרוב משפחה שעובד בהשחיטה של פרידמאן באיווה כבר כמה שנים

שהרב המכשיר שם זה הרב מרדכי וויסמנדעל בן של הגאון הרב מנחם מאיר שליט״א

אבל כנראה שהבן לא כל כך מקפיד ומהדר כמנהג האבא , ומרשה לעצמו להתנהג ולהנהיג בדרך חדשה.

וסיפר לי בן משפחתי על מנהג חדש

שבהשבועיים האחרוניים היה שם בבית השחיטה הרב המכשיר רק ליומיים בלבד

ביום שני וביום השלישי בכל שבוע אפילו ששוחטים כל השבוע

ובשאר הימים הם לא יודעים לאיפה הולך ואין לשאול שאלות של כשרות טריפות וכדו...

וצריך להעיר שגם ההכשרים האחרים שם

כמו האו יו, הרב מיללער מתפילה לדוד,ה קי סי אל מליקוועד,הרב סעגעל מליוובאיטש,ועוד סומכים ידם על ההכשר של הרב וויסמנדעל ולא מובן איך נותנים לדבר כזה לקרות

ויוכל כל אחד לשאול הרבנים האלו אפילו לדבר עם הרב הגאון מנחם מאיר ולשאול על כך

השם במערכת

ALERT: BMG is serving AGRI meat & Poultry in the yeshiva

ALERT: BMG is serving AGRI meat & Poultry in the yeshiva. (bishul yisroel bais yosef, of course)

On a similar situation Reb Moshe, Z"L said to tell the Rosh Yeshiva, such a product even if it's a "hefsid merubah" should not be served to Yeshiva Bochurim and Yungerleit.

Reb Moshe, Z"L sent a message to Reb Shnuer, Z"L not to use Empire poultry. "dus geht min nisht tzu yeshiva leit".

Alle poultry is actually an Empire product, and the oilum does not want it.

Gourmet Glatt Lakewood realizes that the Lakewood Oilum doesn't want Agri / Rubashkin products in spite of the Bakshish provided to KCL.

6/9/18 Shechitah today: Chassidisher, Bais Yosef and Litvish - Is there a difference? What is important? An expose

http://podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/6918/