Albany, NY – Eliminating the state’s kosher food inspection unit was a regrettable, but necessary decision forced by the state’s $10 billion deficit, Gov. David Paterson told The Jewish Week on Wednesday.
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“We’re in a recession and I’m not going to make any bones about that,” said the governor. “I hate having done that and we’ll take responsibility for doing it. We’ll be very sympathetic to any criticism I get about it, but it’s gotten to the point where we have depleted our resources to reduce the deficit and have to go now into some places where we did not want to go.” He noted that staff conducting health code and environmental protection inspections will also be reduced.
“I apologize to everyone that we have had to make that decision,” said the governor, who leaves office Jan. 1 after completing the term of his predecessor, Eliot Spitzer. The former lieutenant governor did not seek election to a full term.
Is there a single Jew anywhere who relies on the New York kosher inspection service?
Governor Patterson, you know that there were presented to your office a viable economically feasable option to have the Kosher Enforcement Bureau continue, you opted to ignore it for some unexplained reasons.
There is no reason to keep that department. NOBODY who cared about kashrus gave a hoot what those people had to say. The state should keep its nose out of kashrus. We know how to do this right and the taxpayers of NY should not be forced to pay for bogus inspectors to go around with their clip board checking off boxes. It is a complete waste of taxpayer money.
Many years ago, the Kosher Enforcement inspectors fine a glatt kosher restaurant in Manhattan for mistakenly having square packages of butter (With an O.U.!) on their tables to be used with bread. This was not caught by the Mashgiach of the fleishig restaurant. The inspectors play an important role.
Just talk to any of the 10 inspectors who will be laid off at the end of this month. They will tell you of many abuses caught, especially in the suburbs and upstate. The budget for Kosher Enforcement is incredibly small and there was no reason for eliminating it, given the importance it means to our community.
reply to # 1. Please don’t show your ignorance. Are you aware of all the mislabeling going on? The hashgoches call on the Kosher Law Inspectors to take care of these cases because only they can can remedy this immediately otherwise it can take years th remove or black out the false o-u’s or o-k’s etc. Kosher Inspectors working for New York State have the expertise to determine whether or not foods sold throughout the state are in compliance with the law.