How much more of this “it’s not treyf, fress” do we need to endure?

Someone  emailed me a posting from Meir G. Rabi, this time on Golus Australis (Hi Alex and Yaron, hope the bubba is well.).

Here we have the self-proclaimed Rabbi of a private profit-making business, mitzvah doing business that seeks to (surely) try and make/proclaim as many things as possible Kosher (within a solitary perception of halachic understanding) this time drawing Gzeiro Shavos from the London Beth Din web site and pasta production guidelines.

It’s a new Talmud? maybe it’s Tosefta D’R’Meir Gershon.

Meir still basks in the mystery of not telling anyone from where he got Smicha and where he did Shimush in Kashrus. Any other Rov I’ve asked, tells me immediately. Meir isn’t any other type of Rabbi. Maybe he’s more comfortable telling us about the unverifiable stories regarding Rabbi Rudzki’s pleas for him to to take over. I’m sure he won’t tell you about how the Abaranok family wanted every single mention of Rav Abaranok זצ’’ל and היס picture completely removed from that web site. Anyway, even if what Rabbi Ruszki said these things: (a) they are no longer relevant, and (b) they aren’t necessary to start your own business venture with a partner, in kashrus.

So, I am just ranting? Nope.

They quote the London Beth Din. Well they do have Slurpees there, except (typical Poms) they call them “slush puppies”.

Some tidbits:

Screen Shot 2014-01-13 at 2.32.13 pm

Alex and Yaron, and others, get off the bandwagon, and try and follow Emes

PS. Anyone who thinks the aim of the respected Kosher Australia is to make as much Kosher food acceptable, is quite correct. I had my own interaction with Schweppes, who used the law to tell me that they were not obliged to advise on what goes into their drinks. I missed their Diet Tonic Water. There is no Diet Tonic Water. Schweppes didn’t care about the Kosher market, even if it was kept confidential. Cocal Cola we can know, but the Heiliger Schweppes, won’t tell us anything.

Author: pitputim

I've enjoyed being a computer science professor in Melbourne, Australia, as well as band leader/singer for the Schnapps Band over many years. My high schooling was in Chabad and I continued at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh in Israel and later in life at Machon L'Hora'ah, Yeshivas Halichos Olam.

21 thoughts on “How much more of this “it’s not treyf, fress” do we need to endure?”

  1. Am I missing something?

    Rabbi Moshe Gutnick is apparently berating Rabbi Rabi for declaring a few varieties of slurpees kosher, but in Sydney ALL slurpees are kosher?

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    1. I haven’t seen anything about that, but if there is something, I’m happy to discuss with RMG. Perhaps RMG has issues with Rabbi Rabi’s Ne’emonus, which is a serious accusation.

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      1. The KA in Sydney has a “drinks policy” that allows any drink as long as it does not include certain ingredients. This is the relevant policy also for slurpees. (See the fruit juices guidelines at http://www.ka.org.au/index.php/Halachic_Policy/The_Kashrut_Authority_Policy_on_Fruit_Juices.html and the soft drinks policy at http://www.ka.org.au/index.php/component/option,com_kosherdb/Itemid,61/catid,86/).

        This does not mean that the KA has checked out the particular slurpee flavours (and the production facilities) and given them a hechsher. Meir Rabi, on the other hand, has given (unannounced) a hechsher to 7 Eleven for the slurpee flavours in question. There is a clear distinction.

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          1. There is a big distinction. I’d say one would imply it’s okay for Mehadrin and Badatz and every Hungarian offshoot hechsher. The other is paskening for a small consumer base in challenging circumstances.

            The bottom line. Name the RABBONIM who trust the verification of slurpees.
            Does Donenbaum, Heimlich, Wurtzberger et al by that Kashrus business.

            I’ve avoided anyone to do with KA

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            1. Sorry, still confused. I have been told that CCA are refusing to co-operate with anyone. Both KAS and KYV are saying it’s kosher without checking ingredients with CCA. So what’s the difference?

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            2. The difference is that the Melbourne source cryptically claims being privy to private information. This would presumably even make it Mehadrin

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            3. Why “presumably”? Where has he implied such a thing? You’re presuming something that he has not said, and then blaming him for it. Even if he managed to find out exactly what’s in the Slurpee syrup it still wouldn’t be kosher limehadrin, because there’d be no guarantee that it wouldn’t change tomorrow. A mehader wouldn’t rely on the chazokoh of “well, the last we heard it was OK”. That’s good enough for basic halocho, but it’s not a hiddur. And at the level of basic halocho, the KA is also saying that it’s OK, since the ingredient list doesn’t include anything that should raise a red flag, and we don’t have to worry about other undeclared ingredients, or about the keilim.

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            4. The problem with all of these things is that there are few open answers and lots of presumptions.
              It’s a business, a money making venture.
              I don’t know why he doesn’t simply follow Rabbi Abadi and be done with it. Rav Abadi isn’t followed widely, but he does have the expertise, shimush, and dayonus.
              He doesn’t need or try to imply that anyone else has to approve his approaches.

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  2. There are those who are looking for any excuse to fress and, will therefore hold by any Rabbi who declares any of the food they want to eat kosher, regardless if it is or not. All the proof, all the arguments, all the evidence in the world showing these foods to be questionable or treife will never convince those individuals who are allowing themselves to be enslaved by and led by their appetites and base animalistic desires.

    Then there are those who are simply ignorant and are thereby being mislead into believing that certain Rabbis are learned and trustworthy when in fact they are not. Such individuals are truly victims and to be pitied for becoming dupes.

    Nevertheless, those Rabbis who ‘put a stumbling block before the blind’ for whatever reasons are in deep trouble with Hashem even if they manage to gather a strong and loyal following.

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    1. That being said, we pursue Emes. Rav Abadi is a huge Talmid Chacham who GIVES Shimush, doesn’t need it. The Orthodox world generally doesn’t subscribe to his view of Halacha. That’s never been different to just about any issue over time with a Posek or four. Some, however, think it’s a pure science, and once they have concluded according to their own Shikul Ha’Daas, it’s concluded. This isn’t the case in practice. It’s almost like they work according to Yekke absolutism. Yekke’s think their Minhagim are correct and immutable. They are: but only in a Yekishe Shule that accepts such. The difference is about 400 years of acceptance.

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  4. Meir Rabi’s last paragraph in his posting on Galus Australis is laughable:

    “Since the focus of our work is to assist the community, we will not be deterred if the manufacturers are unwilling to proceed with Kosher certification, or answer all of our questions. We pursue other avenues to establish the kosher status of the ingredients and processes. As should be clear from my tone, this information is very private and we are unable to provide detail.”

    I cannot imagine any other kashrus agency using such “very private” means to provide hechsherim to unwilling manufacturers!

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  5. “Meir still basks in the mystery of not telling anyone from where he got Smicha and where he did Shimush in Kashrus”.

    Do you know where and if the other Kashruth Rabbonim in Melbourne got their Smicha and was the value of their Smicha, or where they did Shimush in Kashrus?

    Did you try here if he got his Smicha from him?

    http://www.chabadinfo.com/?url=article_en&id=24462

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  6. It looks to me the reason the LBD don’t allow slush puppies and the like in those letters is because unlike bottled drinks one cannot see the ingredient list. I assume they would allow an eatery to buy the syrup without hechsher and freeze it in their machine as long as the ingredient list on the packaging of the syrup has nothing unkosher, as per their general drink policy.

    So when a rabbi such as r moshe g etc has been in touch with seven eleven that is adhering to UK kashrus policy.

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  7. I’ve noted the following on the rabbi’s website with great curiosity:
    “I actually never dreamed or ever intended to undertake this onerous task and heavy responsibility. It was the insistence of Rabbi Shlomo Rudski, the Chief Minister of the South Caulfield Hebrew Congregation that corralled me into accepting this undertaking. Rabbi Rudski ran a Kosher certificate and in his later years apprenticed me to assist him. Eventually he commanded me to take over and expand the operations with the clear instruction that I “ensure that Melbourne have a Kosher foods and services that cater the needs of the entire Jewish community”.

    I am deeply curious as to whether anyone is able to confirm this. Was there any overlap between ItsKosher and Rabbi Rudski’s hechsher? When did Rabbi Rudski cease giving a hechsher? Does anyone know of someone who received a hechsher from Rabbi Rudski who might be able to confirm Rabbi Rabi’s involvement or otherwise? Surely this is verifiable!

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