Los Angeles, CA – A month’s long undercover investigation has resulted in a major local Kosher meat distributor being stripped of its certification by California’s Rabbinical Council.
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KTLA (http://bit.ly/10EBFQO) is reporting that Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats lost its certification after investigators uncovered an ongoing practice of switching Kosher meats with USDA products.
Eric Agaki, an investigator with Hover View Investigations Inc., told KTLA that employees from Doheny Glatt were frequently viewed repackaging the boxes at times when the mashgiach was not on site.
Agaki also told KTLA that Doheny Glatt was in possession of a “stack” of fraudulent labels.
Doheny Glatt operates a retail market onsite at its Pico location, as well as providing Kosher meats for many of the areas restaurants, merchants and caterers.
The Rabbinical council notified members of the Jewish community via email that meat purchased before 3:00 p.m. Sunday meets Kosher certifications.
To me, breaking this type of trust is about as bad as it gets. Though we all rely on a mashgiach to check, we fundamentally rely on the integrity of our butchers. Let’s face it, an owner can always find a way to get around our systems of checks and balances. When they do, it is clearly willful and intentional. I find this fraud and deceit the worst of the worst because it touches every member of a community at a very basic level — eating appropriately.
Kudos to the RCC for finding this out. Hatzlocha to all those who have to kasher galore now!!!
How could the meat purchased before the Hechsher was revoked be considered Kosher? This estalishment has no Chezkas Kashrus!
I don’t believe this for one second. Michael is a stand up guy. I sold him meats for many years. This cannot be true. He never sold treif meats.
The Rabbinical council notified members of the Jewish community via email that meat purchased before 3:00 p.m. Sunday meets Kosher certifications.
Huh????
The Rabbis didn’t catch this guy. It was the investigators. Who hired them?
This guy is done. Just throw a lock on the door.
The meat is USDA – it’s not KOSHER. He was putting kosher labels on traif meat.
But the rabbis have ruled nothing has to be kashered because it was just “discovered” now.
Serve chicken or fish at your seder LA yidden if you bought from him.
he probably purchased from both and the rove was kosher…
What’s the name of that contributor who was complaining about CCTV cameras and how they were so harmful to American society in general and American Jews in particular? He kept ranting on about “infringement of human rights” or some other similar bushwa.
Im yirtzeh HaShem I plan to visit LA immediately after yomtov. Can anyone recommend a few Jewish *vegetarian* restaurants, please? It seems that some American hechsherim over meat supplies must be regarded with suspicion, r”l.
If all else fails, I can always carry a couple of hard-boiled eggs, a beigel and some milk if all else fails.
If it makes you feel any better, the NY meat is not much better. When the satmar dayan in Boro park stood in front of a crowns on Chol Hamoed and declared that meal mart chickens are not kosher, he was quieted it down by the big honchos the next morning, so what does that show.
No one can be trusted today, its a sad GREEDY world we live in and its all about the $$ and that’s where it ends
While it might not make a lot of sense, the Rabbis were relying upon legitimate halachic reasoning. Considering the impact this would have had on the frum community, the psak was 100% legitimate.
What individuals decide to do for themselves is another matter.
However, the basic halacha is that everything is OK.
If something similar occurred in Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan, the store owner would be toast!!!
http://dohenykosher.com/
Nice video link of if Michael ironically praising his kosher quality meat .
OY. siz shver ztu zayn a yid. chag kosher visamayach.
This is a sad serious situation… It also reaffirms my decision not to eat Aarons best products. It’s not that they were at fault here, but still…. It was their labels that were used
Ach, this is narishkeit! In the town where my family lives a butcher (goy) employed for 25 years by his Kosher employer was caught in the middle of the night cutting up treife meat using the butcher shop’s tables, knives etc & shipping it out. They don’t know how long he’d been doing it but I’d guess long enough for a “sting” operation to take place. The Beis Din said it was perfectly OK, Kosher consumers weren’t sold treife meat & the store was open that day.
So please don’t worry, Kashrus is never compromised. The Rabbis keep telling us so.
Why were the employees packing any meat without a mashgiach present? Why would a glatt kosher butcher not have a mashgiach there at all times? What’s the owners side of the story? Something doesn’t add up?
I bet a lot of Californians are thinking of going vegetarian this year!
I went on its website, and the owner, “Mike” doesn’t even look Jewish. Don’t trust your butcher if he looks like a goy.
Find a farmer. Club together with a bunch of friends. Buy a cow. Hire a shochet.
It’s the only way to be sure.
For all those asking about the meat before 3, and paskaning as if they know. See Yoreh deiah siman 110 & 111 Sfek Sfeka…
i feel bad as we all should for innocent well meaning yidden
being duped by one of our own. The empathy doesnt appear in most these comments. I personally experienced such a scam at a popular “glatt” restaraunt in our town .No sarcasim intended. the meat must exceptionally tasty and tender..Seems it happens in every town sooner or later.
It was painful here and is devastating to the community and people of L.A. It is a double tragedy to those that keep kosher and those who dont. those that dont keep kosher now have conclusive proof (in their minds) that its all a scam by the rabbis to make money because a cow is a cow. Show a little rachmonus for good jews being led astray by our own. Show greater concern for the horrific chillul Hashem.
#20 amen
There seems to be a culture of deception around Kosher slaughter in the Pico-Robertson area currently. If people are not confronted about tossing out all the tons of chickens intended for the needy over the years, its not a great leap to take non-kosher meat and stage it as kosher in this local culture of lax supervision and community involvement.