THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 1, 1982 5
Kosher Butcher Makes Allegations Against Vaad Harabonim
By ALAN HITSKY
One of Detroit's kosher
butcher shops has made
serious allegations concern-
ing kashrut and price-fixing
involving the Vaad
Harabonim — the Council
of Orthodox Rabbis of
Greater Detroit.
Philip and Sylvia Swarin,
owners of Singer's Kosher
la t, and Poultry in Oak
(- Park, have charged in an
advertisement in this issue
of The Jewish News and in
interviews with the news-
paper that changes required
by the Vaad Harabonim in
order to renew kashrut
supervision by the Vaad,
w iminate the provision
of`,...–at for those on salt-free
diets and increase the price
of meat for the kosher con-
sumer.
The Swarins stated em-
phatically that they were
not speaking for any other
butcher, but only for them-
selves. Since they have not
agreed to the changes re-
quired by the Vaad, as of
Sunday their store was no
longer under the supervi-
sion of the Vaad.
Last month, four stores
including Singer's had
withdrawn from being
supervised by the Vaad
at the time the Vaad
dropped its supervision
of a fifth store, New Or-
leans Kosher Meats in
Southfield.
Under the terms of the
supervision agreement of-
fered to the Swarins by the
Vaad, their store would
have to remove a small
meat grinder they have
used for 36 years to prepare
"unkashered" meat for per-
sons on low-salt diets. The
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kashering process draws has other medical restric-
blood from the meat by salt- tions "should consult with a
ing the meat, letting it ray (rabbi), not -with a
stand for an hour, and then butcher." They said meat
immersing the meat in can be broiled without salt-
water for 30 minutes to re-
ing, and there is "reduced
move the salt.
kashering."
The Swarins allege that
When told of these com-
pre-kashering the meat be- ments Swarin scoffed that
unkashered meat would be
fore it is ordered by the con-
sumer will add to the weight difficult to obtain under the
of the meat, and therefore new guidelines and that
the price, and will prevent "reduced kashering" is the
the customer from choosing same as treif.
"fresh" meat.
"If a whole side of beef
Swarin said that he is kashered before it is
weighed three pounds of cut up," he said, "the
meat this week on a digital meat that has not been in
scale and weighed it again contact with the salt is
after the 90-minute kasher- treif."
Rabbi Gordon told The
ing process. He said the
meat increased in weight Jewish News that un-
from 3.02 pounds to 3.20 kashered meat coming out
pounds, with a resulting in- of the small grinder in Swa-
rin's store is treif "as soon as
crease in price of 50 cents.
Swarin also charged it hits the bowl." - -
Asked why the Vaad has
that the Vaad is man-
ipulating the price of allowed Swarin to sell meat
meat at the wholesale perpared in this manner for
level. Two local 36 years, Rabbi Gordon
slaughterhouses and a said, "I can't answer that .. .
Pittsburgh slaughterer It is a situation that needs
are approved by the correction."
Both rabbis denied that
Vaad for purchases by
pre-kashering the meat
the butchers.
"Why is the price of out- would add weight to the
of-town kosher beef, which product. They also denied
includes the cost of the allegation that the 1979
transportation from agreement infers price-
Pittsburgh, lower than the fixing.
"It is - a lie," Rabbi
cost of locally-slaughtered
kosher beef?" Swarin asked. Grubner said. "Let him
"Why is there a difference in produce proof in writing.
price between kosher and We_ have nothing to do
with price . . . except to
non-kosher meat?"
Swarin said that the try to keep it low."
He added, "If the meat is
wholesale price on Monday
for kosher beef slaughtered cheaper out of town the
locally was $1.08 per pound butchers can buy out of
for a front of beef, while the town. They can buy as much
price of the Pittsburgh beef as they want."
The rabbis said that the
shipped here was $1.045.
cost of supervision has not
Swerin alleged that costs increased in some time.
of the Vaad's supervision They said that the Vaad
locally drove up the costs. Harabonim has paid half
He referred to a statement the cost in the past, but it
in the 1979 agreement be- can no longer afford the
tween the butchers and the cost. The increase from $65
Vaad which required the per month to $50 per week
butchers to purchase all will be paid completely by
their beef from one local the butchers.
slaughterhouse:
Rabbi Grubner explained
"Whereas the Vaad that inflation has increased
Harabonim has entered the price of everything and
into an agreement with claimed that the increased
the American Beef Co. of cost "would only add a
Detroit, Michigan, reg- quarter-of-a-cent per
ulating the beef pkice pound."
mark up to kosher butch-
Asked if they would like
ers."
to provide a written state-
Swarin also said the new ment, the following was
supervision agreement of- later submitted:
fered to him by the Vaad
Statement by
would have increased his
Vaad Harabonim
prices. The new agreement
"The Council of Orthodox
calls for the butchers to pay
$50 per week. Under the old Rabbis of Greater Detroit
agreement the butchers brings the following to the
attention of the public:
paid $65 per month.
"Meat that has been
Rabbis Respond
kosher-slaughtered is still
to the Charges
not kosher for cooking or
On Monday, two repre- roasting, etc. until it has
sentatives of the Vaad, been properly kashered —
Rabbis James I. Gordon and i.e. soaked and salted to
Chaskell Grubner, were ,draw out the blood."
asked about Swarin's
"Since many Jewish
charges.
women of our generation
Rabbi Gordon said that are not familiar with the
pre-kashering all the meat kashering process, the
reduces the work of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis
mashgiakh (supervisor) of Greater Detroit has ar-
from going from store to ranged at six of the 10
store. Rabbi Grubner added butcher shops under its
that "people are not kasher- supervision that all meat
ing themselves. They do not sold there is kashered in ad-
know how to do it."
vance for the consumer.
They said that a. person Each such butcher has a
who is on a salt-free diet or posted sign advising the
customer of this service.
"Consumers are
cautioned, however, that
the other four butcher
shops under the council's
supervision do not
kasher their meat, and
thus any meat bought at
those stores may not be
cooked or roasted, etc.
until it has been properly
kashered- by' the cus-
tomer. A sign is posted at
each such 'store stating
this information.
"On special request of the
customer, the store will ar-
range for kashering of the
meat under supervision of
the mashgiakh at no extra
charge, in which case proper
certification must be at-
tached. (A list of the butch-
ers appears in this issue.)
"The question of indi-
viduals who must be on low
salt or salt free diets has
come to the fore. Halakha
has always been sensitive to
the needs of the ill and in-
firm. Volumes and volumes
of responsa deal with the
problems of the sick and
there are special Halakhic
provisions which apply in
an emergency life-saving
situation.
"Solutions for those re-
quiring a low-salt diet are
available. People may eat
kosher meat that was
broiled on an open flame
and such meat need not be
subject to the salting proc-
ess. This is the same process
used for preparing kosher
liver.
"Another solution
would be to salt large
pieces of meat as is done
nders all pots and utensils
`treif.' We underscore this
issue because the council
has been called upon to ad-
vise on re-koshering homes
that innocently assumed
that kosher meat bought
from a kosher butcher is
ready for the pot . . ."
by some wholesale
butchers and by six of the
local kosher butcher
shops under the Council
of Orthodox Rabbis
supervision, and to care-
fully wash off all residue
of salt. The net result of
such a salting process
eliminates the concerns
of the majority of those
on low-salt diets.
"Should an individual
need meat but could not
utilize one of these proce-
dures, the Vaad will be
pleased to further adviSe on
an individual basis.
"We reiterate our warn-
ing concerning the `kasher-
ing' of meat. Kosher meat
coming from even the most
reliable sources and dis-
pensed by butchers of piety
is still forbidden to be
cooked and eaten unless
soaked and salted. It re-
We are as often duped by
diffidence as by confidence.
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