NEWS
The Deutsch Family Speakers Fund
of
CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE
presents
The Rabbi Moses Lehrman Scholar-in-Residence Weekend
Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11, 1991
at the Jewish Community Center
Maple Drake Building
with
No Contest Plea Allowed
In Matzah Price-Fixing
Dr. David Ariel
Preesident and Associate Professor
The Cleveland College of Jewish Studies
RON OSTROFF
Editorial Coordinator
weekend theme: Jewish Mysticism
Friday, May 10
Evening Activities
6:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 11
Activities
services
9:00 a m.m
Shabbat Services
Topic:
Jewish Mysticism and
Jewish Prayer
7:00 p.m.. . . . Congregational dinner
and zemirot
adults
15.00
12:00 noon
Buffet Lunch
adults
8 50
children 3 through 11
4 25
Topic:
Understanding Hassidism
6 50
children 3 through 11
Topic:
Jewish Mystical Ideas
of Love, Sexuality
and the Soul
7:00 p.m.
Mincha/Maariv
seudah shlishit
refreshments served
Dr. Ariel will speak on his
recent trip to Russia
Please mail reservations to: Barbara Krieger, 35025 Valley Forge, Farmington Hills 48331
or call Synagogue office: 788-0600
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56
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1991
A
federal judge has
decided to allow B.
Manischewitz Co. to
plead no contest to charges
that it conspired to set the
wholesale prices of Passover
matzah products.
U.S. District Judge Harold
A. Ackerman has set a hear-
ing for April 26 in Newark,
N.J., to formally accept the
kosher food company's plea
which was opposed by fed-
eral prosecutors.
The judge made his deci-
sion April 11 in a two
paragraph order received by
attorneys in the case this
week.
His action comes less than
a year after he rejected a
similar plea application,
saying it would not be in the
public interest. The judge's
order gave no indication of
his reasons for deciding to
accept the plea.
Under strict legal defini-
tion, a no contest plea in a
criminal case is equivalent
to an admission of guilt in
that case only. The defen-
dant can still deny the same
alleged facts in any other
proceedings such as civil
lawsuits for damages.
Government lawyers had
argued that such a plea —
even with a fine of twice
what the company gained
from the alleged conspiracy,
or up to $1 million — could
signal to other companies
that price-fixing is just a cost
of doing business. The pros-
ecutors argued against the
no contest plea because they
said that in the eyes of the
public it lacks the stigma of
a guilty plea.
Gina Talamona, a Justice
Department spokeswoman,
said the government would
not comment on the judge's
decision to accept the no con-
test plea.
Jersey City, N.J.-based
Manischewitz, which claims
to be the largest matzah-
maker in the world, has de-
nied the charges. The com-
pany's lawyers argued that
the company had suffered
enough because of the mas-
sive adverse publicity
following the one count in-
dictment and the fine ex-
pected to be levied by the
judge.
"It's an appropriate
resolution of the case," Jim
Plaisted, a Roseland, N.J.,
attorney for Manischewitz,
said of the no contest plea.
"In essence the company
tried to practically resolve
the situation so the company
could move on and conduct
its business," he said. "It's
not pleading guilty to any
offense."
Mr. Plaisted said five class
action lawsuits — four by
retailers and one by a
California consumer and
caterer -- asking for triple
their damages caused by the
alleged price fixing "have
been resolved in principle."
The suits claimed the mat-
zah prices were higher be-
cause of the price fixing.
The indictment, brought in
March, 1990, just weeks
before Passover, alleged that
between "sometime in 1981
and continuing at least
through April 1986,"
Manischewitz and unnamed
others conspired "to supress
competition by fixing prices
of kosher for Passover matzah
products in the United
States." The indictment
charged that Manischewitz
and other conspirators made
agreements about how much
Passover matzah product
prices would be increased.
The indictment noted that
Manischewitz and the
unnamed co-conspirators
sold approximately $25 mill-
ion of Passover matzah pro-
ducts between 1981 and
1986.
The grand jury indictment
was part of a two-year in-
vestigation into pricing by
the $1.5 billion kosher food
industry.
Israeli Girl
Addresses U.N.
United Nations (JTA) —
Chen Shorr, a 12-year-old
Israeli girl from Jerusalem,
was one of a dozen children
invited to speak in front of
child delegates on World
Children's Day.
Ms. Shorr read aloud a
letter from a child in
Jerusalem, describing a pro-
ject to design and build a
children's park in the city's
Baka neighborhood, said
Eliza Mendes, assistant to
the Israeli consul.
This year's theme of World
Children's Day was "Lend a
Hand, Let's Build a Bright
Clean Land." Israeli officials
said they thought the park
project fit in well with the
theme.
The park project was
undertaken last year by the
parents and children of
Baka.