New York – Sassoon Fire Casts Spotlight On Shabbos Food Warming Practices

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    Several different models of Hotplates on Display at an Appliance store in Monsey NY New York – The unthinkable deaths of seven brothers and sisters this past weekend in a raging blaze, possibly caused by an electric hotplate, has once again cast the spotlight on a nagging questions that has no easy answer: how to heat up food for Shabbos, safely and halachically.

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    Leave your food on a blech and there are those who will warn of dangerous carbon monoxide levels caused by leaving a flame burning for the duration of Shabbos.

    Use a hotplate, as the Sassoon family did on that fateful Shabbos, and run the risk of an electrical fire, which could be caused by any number of factors including a short circuit, a defective or unsafe hotplate, a frayed wire, an overheating device or several other reasons. Is a crock pot the answer, or can any electrical device left unattended overnight and turned on for as long as 25 hours on Shabbos be a potential fire hazard? It may be halachically permissible to heat up food on Shabbos. But can it be done without compromising on safety?

    As someone who uses a blech to warm food for Shabbos I don’t know much about hotplates so I Google one model that I am told is popular in the Jewish community: an electric griddle made by Presto. I read the three page instruction booklet to see if it warns against using the griddle for an extended amount of time, but it doesn’t. I call Presto customer service and speak to a representative who identifies herself only as Sara and says that the griddle is designed to be used for cooking only. She seems mystified by the idea of leaving the griddle on for a 25 hour period, telling me unequivocally, “It is not to be used as a warming tray or a warming appliance.”

    A trip to two local Jewish owned stores gives me a first-hand look at twelve different units made by seven different companies, ranging in price from $30 to $130.

    Some bear the approval of various safety institutes in various countries while others have none. Surprisingly enough, very few of the boxes have any information about the products’ manufacturers. One lists a phone number, while another supplies a website address. Two other models report just the manufacturer’s city and state. A third says only that it was distributed by a company in New Jersey, but a quick Google search of the distributor yields zero useful results. I find the lack of identifying information on the packaging to be more than a little unsettling.

    I discuss safety ratings with the salesman in the first store I visit. He understood right away that my questions were directly related to the deaths of the Sassoon children and told me he wasn’t sure if any of his hotplates had the endorsement of any safety institutes but pointed me to one that actually did: the Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle. Both this model and its larger sibling, the Presto Tilt N Drain Big Griddle Cool Touch Griddle, bear the Underwriters Laboratory seal of approval, certifying the safety of the product. I inform the salesman that the instruction booklets for both models clearly state in bold face type that the product is not intended to be used as a warming tray. He shrugs his shoulders and tells me “Everybody does it.”
    A popular griddle used by the Orthodox Jewish community as a hotplate for Shabbos
    I spend some time checking out the other hotplates in stock. A Canadian electric griddle bears the Intertek stamp and says it is ETL listed for safety. Another model comes in two different sizes; neither indicates that any agency has certified the product as safe and other than the words “Made in China,” there is absolutely nothing on the package that identifies the product’s manufacturer.

    An Israeli hotplate that comes in three different sizes is stamped halachically approved for Shabbos, but none have any verbiage that attests to their safety status. One Israeli hot plate, the Moledet Top Heat Shabat Hot Plate actually has a series of logos on the box. I take a picture of all three and email it to my sister in law in Efrat who tells me that one of those stamps is the “Tav Teken” which certifies that the product meets the applicable safety requirements of the Standards Institution of Israel. How safe are any of these products? I have no idea.

    I make a quick stop at a second store and spend a few minutes chatting with a salesperson there, who declines to give me his name but recommends $130 glass topped Deluxe Shabbat Warming Tray by Embee, bearing the European CE safety designation.

    He tells me that while the top of the unit can reach as high as 230 degrees, the underside stays significantly cooler, thereby reducing the risk of having the countertop catch fire due to extreme heat. He also informs me that he has been telling customers for years to avoid Israeli hotplates and mentions a fatal fire in Brooklyn a few years ago caused by a hotplate. I ask him why he sells hotplates that he believes are dangerous and he explains that because they don’t have thermostats, many people find the Israeli models preferable from a halachic standpoint but that he urges anyone who buys the those hotplates to use them only on a non-flammable surface, like their stovetop or the top of their washing machine.
    An Israeli made hotplate shows an Halachic stamp of approvel but lacks to show any safety ratings stamp.
    Ensuring the integrity of products that will find their way into people’s homes is both imperative and biblically mandated according to contemporary halachic expert, Rabbi Yair Hoffman.

    “There are a number of Torah mitzvos involved in making sure that the products that go out to klal yisroel are safe,” Rabbi Hoffman told VIN News. “Unfortunately we don’t necessarily do that. We have had plastic yahrtzeit candles. Prefilled, individual oil cups for the Chanukah menorah made out of plastic that can melt, and actually started a house fire a few years ago. The first thing we should be doing is seeing what safety issues are involved in any products and appliances that we use.”

    Rabbi Hoffman suggested that heating appliances for Shabbos usage take their cue from other kitchen appliances that have evolved over the years to incorporate additional safety features.

    “In the 60’s and 70’s we had kids losing fingers because of blenders and food processors and other kitchen machinery and there has been constant product improvement to prevent those injuries,” said Rabbi Hoffman.

    “We should be doing the same thing in terms of the technology behind our blechs. There is no question that the issues of shehiya, bishul and hatmona have to be done properly, but we also have to put safety up there. We should be looking for technological solutions. If something gets too hot there should be an automatic shut off, those types of issues. I believe that making sure that all electrical items are UL approved is part of the mitzvah of saving lives, which is a d’oraysa.”

    Safety is a major factor for the Star-K, which works with major appliance companies to offer a “Sabbath mode” in order to circumvent certain halachic problems when left on on Shabbos or Yom Tov.
    Sabbath mode on an oven (RyanIsHungry via Wikimedia Commons)
    According to Dr. Avrom Pollak, President of the Star-K, the agency routinely declines offers to certify devices brought to them by individuals because of safety concerns, preferring instead to work with the large companies who put all products through rigorous safety testing.

    “The Torah tells us ‘v’nishmartem meod l’nafshoseychem,’” said Dr. Pollak. “You don’t find wording like that by very many mitzvos.”

    An email from Jonah Ottensoser, an engineer who works with the Star-K, attests to the safety of all ovens bearing Star-K certification.

    “Our Shabbos mode ovens are manufactured by major companies who conduct many safety tests to verify the safety of their products,” reads Ottensoser’s email. “In addition, I believe that all of the Sabbath mode ovens meet UL (Underwriters Laboratory) requirements. I have noticed that some of the hotplates and hot water urns sold to the frum community do not have UL certification. Perhaps consumers should only purchase heating devices that are UL or equivalent approved.”

    Ottensoser’s email advised extreme caution for any item that will be left plugged in on Shabbos.

    “Use of these heating devices should be evaluated before actual use on Shabbos/Yom Tov. Cords should never get so hot that they cannot be held in hand. Wires should not be frayed and plugs should fit firmly into outlet sockets.”

    Ottensoser’s email underscores a very important point: even the safest of hotplates can be lethal if not used appropriately.

    Passaic resident Moshe Stareshefsky, a volunteer firefighter in Rutherford, New Jersey, warned of other potential hotplate dangers.

    “Remember that hotplates use up a lot of power when they are running, much like an air conditioner or space heater,” said Stareshefsky. “Make sure the outlet you are using can handle the electrical needs.”

    Stareshefsky also advised using timers to shut off hotplates on Shabbos afternoon so that the device isn’t running for a full 25 hours and had strong words of caution about using blankets or towels to cover food on a hotplate.

    “This is extremely dangerous and can cause the whole hot plate to overheat, especially the electrical system and wiring that connects to the wall,” said Stareshefsky.

    Special blankets designed to help foods get hot and retain their temperature are meant to be used on a blech, away from any flames, and not on a hot plate, according to Stareshefsky who said that he himself used the blanket on his hotplate with treacherous results.

    “We killed the hotplate by putting the blanket on top of the food,” said Stareshefsky. “The hotplate overheated and burned out. It could have easily caused a fire.”
    FILE - Firefighters stand near the site of a home fire in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York March 21, 2015.  Reuters
    City Councilman Chaim Deutsch, whose district includes the Sassoon family’s Bedford Avenue home, said that over 1,000 structural fires were reported in Midwood and several surrounding neighborhoods in 2014.

    Deutsch coordinated a fire safety training event in conjunction with the FDNY, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James and other local elected officials on Tuesday night with free smoke detectors distributed in memory of the Sassoon children.

    The Sassoons, who had moved to Brooklyn from Israel less than two years ago, had only one smoke detector in their home, located in the basement. Neither smoke detectors nor carbon monoxide detectors are legally required in private dwellings in Israel.

    According to Deutsch, the fire safety event had actually been arranged three weeks ago.

    “I saw the need for something like this every time I got a notification of a fire and I wanted to be pro-active,” said Deutsch.

    Deutsch noted several close calls in his own house over the years.

    “Some people shut their stove off before Shabbos and cover their soup pot with towels to keep it hot,” said Deutsch. “The problem is that the pot is still sitting on top of the grates and if someone leans against the knob and it turns on, it can start a fire. How do I know? Because it happened to me. My daughter started screaming and I grabbed the burning towel and threw it out on the window.”

    In another incident the councilman said he was woken up by his smoke detectors one Pesach.

    “We had a stove fire,” recalled Deutsch. “We were all upstairs sleeping and the smoke alarm went off. I jumped out of bed, woke up my wife, grabbed my phone and two of our three kids. I couldn’t find the third one. We went downstairs and found the three year old standing a few feet away from the stove watching the fire. Luckily I had a fire extinguisher so I called 911 while using the fire extinguisher to put out the fire. I tell people that that fire extinguisher saved my property and the smoke alarm saved my family.”

    Deutsch advised common sense when it comes to hotplate safety.

    “If a wire is cut or exposed, don’t tape it up; get rid of the hotplate,” said Deutsch. “Be careful what is around the stovetop especially in the summer when the air conditioning is on. Make sure there are no napkins that can blow around and no towels nearby.”

    There is still much to be said on finding safe ways to heat up food on Shabbos and the topic will likely be discussed in depth, both within the Jewish community and by the fire that serve large Jewish neighborhoods. While we cannot compromise on either halacha or safety, two things are painfully clear from this weekend’s horrific fire: properly maintained and strategically located smoke detectors are a must in all homes and as always, caution and common sense are crucial in order to keep our families safe, particularly when dealing with electrical appliances.


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    50 Comments
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    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    9 years ago

    They all are certified safe by UL and or by the European equivalent called CE

    Maybe we should all stop flying in a plane because you never know if the pilot is an Arab?

    What if our president is from Kenya, “flying our country” should we all leave the US untill his term is over?

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    9 years ago

    Gas Stoves with an old fashioned Bleach has been used safely for countless decades. No need for new unknown electric devises from China.

    HankM
    HankM
    9 years ago

    Reply to 1. Re Obama, good point, we probably should

    jakyw
    jakyw
    9 years ago

    I have been using a water blech (kdeirah blech) over gas range for years and never had a problem. No electricity involved and it never gets very hot. Just warms up food. Too bad stores are not selling them anymore.

    9 years ago

    So were does it stop , is only the Shabbos with the blech and plate that causes problems, how about a similar fire from a faulty fluorescent were seven children were barely saved taken out all black faces from smoke rushed to the hospital and BH saved , no one talks about eliminating fluorescent light, how many fires have been caused by other faulty electric home appliances, with no issue, and so on and on, cars planes trains boats all involved in tragedy accidents and still you go out for fun trips with no issue, only the fault of Shabbos is alarming. Shame Shame.

    pinay
    pinay
    9 years ago

    In the wake of this tragedy the least we can do is pay attention to basic fire safety.

    1. use only UL or similarly certified devices.

    2. Chinese Manufacturers are notorious for cutting corners when it comes to safety. Use only Brand Name appliances.

    3. Israeli hotplates supposedly get much hotter than American hotplates, see if they are certified with a UL equivalent. Also in Israel everything is Marble, Brick and Stone and there are consequently much less house fires. In the US everything is made out of wood, including countertops (formica covered wood) and house framing. If you are concerned about having a thermostat on Shabbos on a US hotplate consider taping the knob or covering with foil.

    4. for those who use a gas stove with a blech remember gas has an open flame , I recently left a towel on the countertop near the stove (which had its flame on low) and the towel caught fire. Be careful.

    DanielBarbaz
    DanielBarbaz
    9 years ago

    I have been eating cold food on Shabbos for years. It tastes delicious and there are no worries about electrical fires etc.

    It is my understanding that The Chachamim instituted a takanah to eat hot food on Shabbos as a reaction to the Sadducees. The Sadducees interpreted the written Torah literally. They would not use a flame on Shabbos even if it was already on before Shabbos because the Torah forbids fire on Shabbos.

    I may be wrong, and correct me if I am, but there are no longer any Sadducees around. So why do we have to keep a takanah which was specifically made to rebuff Sadducees?

    I am always open to learning something new. Can anyone address this question? Thank you.

    TexasJew
    TexasJew
    9 years ago

    The “Viking” warming drawer is excellent and the cost is less than $2500.00.

    9 years ago

    The writer and many commenators talk about how they just use a gas range with a blech? Is that safer? Any kids can just throw something or move something onto the fire? It just doesn’t seem safer to me.
    Another pointer, yes we should take all the necssary saftey precautions needed to prevent another tragedy. But lets all not loose ourselves. Fires from hot plates are a rariety. There were probably lo alinu more deaths in our community due to car accidents than there are are due to hot plates. Yet we all still drive. Will anyone hesitate to go on our planes after the Luftansa crash in France? We can’t live a life of paranoia. I’ll repeat this does not mean a free pass not to take saftey precautions. But we must move on too.

    9 years ago

    Anyone know if crockpots are safer than hotplates?

    sighber
    sighber
    9 years ago

    Do Shabbos mode ovens work for heating food the second day of yomtov?

    9 years ago

    Warning: If there are any loose parts inside the hotplate, do not use. A heating element inside may have become disconnected from it’s proper location and may be touching another heating element which will cause extreme heat.

    sighber
    sighber
    9 years ago

    People are blaming the fire on Shabbos observance. The Sassoon’s appliance may have been on for less than four hours.

    RebJon
    RebJon
    9 years ago

    I agree that electrical appliances must be used with seichel, and an electrical fire could come from a heater, lightbulb, etc. I also agree that it is not a frequent occurrence when considering how many Jews keep food hot.

    1. I use both a crockpot and a hotplate. The crock for the cholent stays on, but the hotplate is on a timer and goes off Friday night then back on Shabbos morning, and off again Shabbos afternoon. It’s generally off when we go to sleep.

    2. I’d like to point out the halachic ramifications to different heating methods. You can’t put new food on a blech, but you can put it onto a hot plate. That’s a big score for the hot plate. (Not mechzi k’mevashel.) Same goes for an oven, into which you cannot put food to warm up once Shabbos starts. I’m not sure what the heating blankets look like, but one must be careful of hatmana, insulating, when using them, especially along with a heat source.

    9 years ago

    A philanthropist could distribute hundreds of thousands of free smoke alarms and 9 volt batteries. A quick Google search reveals that a smoke alarm costs between 5 to 10 dollars, and the battery is about 3 dollars. Here in New York City, for less than 10 million dollars, much of the problem can be solved. Which mitzvah takes precedence: maakeh or mezzuzah? Maakeh – the Torah requirement that a house with a flat roof must have a guard rail. You can’t live in a house without a roof guard rail for even one day, but you have 30 days to affix a mezzuzah. Somebody should ask Mayor Bloomberg, who is a good fellow.

    bcurrent
    bcurrent
    9 years ago

    As I once heard, Hashem told the malach hamaves that when it comes the time to do his job, noone will blame him. It will be the smoke alarm, the sickness, the airplane or car etc…

    That being said, yes, we must do our hishtadlus to be safe in every situation, but lets remember who is in charge here.

    Keep safe.
    Besoros Tovos
    Chag Kosher V’sameach to all of Klal Yisrael.

    cbdds
    cbdds
    9 years ago

    The Israeli brands, made wherever have this easily damaged plastic protrusion covering dangerous wires. The presto is solid metal. I am confident that if it is safe 30 minutes it is safe hours AS LONG AS IT IS NOT TOUCHING or NEAR FLAMMABLE surface. The presto sometimes loses a leg and then you need to fix the leg so it does not rest a hot surface on wood.
    Using a towel for any reason is beyond stupid. No Rabbi, Rebbe nor Rav said to use the towel, they may have said it is allowed. They will understand that using the towel is only if safe.
    The UL requires certain standards in design which I assume are absent in the brands with Israeli names, I also had to throw them out after getting electrical current leaks.

    DovidTheK
    DovidTheK
    9 years ago

    Gegilte fish and Deli sandwiches for Shabbos lunch.

    9 years ago

    electric appliances should NOT BE USED ON SHABBOS OR YOM TOV

    mewhoze
    mewhoze
    9 years ago

    #11 , $2500 is a lot of money. I don’t know anyone with a stove for that price.

    9 years ago

    #28 – you are WRONG. If the flame goes out, turn off the gas IMMEDIATELY – and do it YOURSELF. It is permitted. Check Vol. 1, p. 11, English paperback edition, of R’ Yehoshua Neuwirth’s “Shemirath Shabbat : A guide to the practical observance of Shabbath.” It says: “28. a) One may turn off the tap of a gas burner which has gone out, so as to stop the gas from escaping. b) Where possible, this should be done with a variation from the usual manner, for instance by turning off the tap with the back of the hand or with the elbow.” In other words, turn it off so there won’t ch”v be an explosion. Use a variation if you can, but otherwise just turn it off. The sefer is published by Feldheim, so it’s normative halacha, not a minority opinion.

    Chaimd
    Chaimd
    9 years ago

    I read somewhere that someone thought of the possibility that maybe the wire from the hotplate got caught underneath the pot on top of the hotplate and maybe that is how the wire shorted out and maybe there was no defect at all. Such a scenario is very possible.

    9 years ago

    With all due respect… perhaps it’s time for our Gedolim to decide,
    Is the reason for cholent L’Shem Shomayim? or ancient politics?

    ? Isn’t there a story reported in Talmud Bavli about a Roman dignitary, who was invited to be a guest at a Shabbat meal, and he marveled,
    How can it be that cold food tastes so extra delicious?
    Rabbi answered, It’s the Shabbat spirit that makes it taste so delicious!

    One can plan for hot food Shabbat night.
    And a cold meal (or at room temperature) for Shabbat day.
    And maintain a beautiful hedge around our holy Torah b’yad Moshe.

    ThinkAgain
    ThinkAgain
    9 years ago

    #48 “ayoldguy1”, You are correct with the Shabbos mode on the oven, however I believe it’s not so clear with your crockpot and hotplate.
    Turning off your crockpot on Shabbos with a timer is, according to many Poskim, not permitted. Turning ON AND OFF a hotplate on SHABBOS is AFAIK definitely NOT permitted.
    Please let us know which Orthodox Rabbi(s) approves of your “solution” to this issue.