Letters
January 2, 2009
A word to the Va’ad
Although I don’t know him, I am very proud of Rabbi Krief for addressing the Va’ad Harabonim of Raritan Valley’s withholding of its kashrut endorsement of Shushan Grill. In truth, it is only a minority of one or two members of the Va’ad who have adamantly refused to recognize the sincerity of the owners’ efforts to comply with the strictest halakhic kashrut standards and their return to Torah Judaism.
Other members of the Va’ad have made it clear that they would bestow its kashrut endorsement on Shushan Grill were it not for its strong policy on unanimity. It is also ironic, for reasons that are known in the community, that the primary dissenting member is not willing to accept the bona fides of another ba’al teshuva despite the overwhelming evidence that proves the Dror family’s total commitment to Torah Judaism.
It is sad, not only on the personal level articulated by Rabbi Krief, but also on a community level. There should not be a division regarding kashrut in our small Orthodox community. It is a great shame that some of the most respected members of the Orthodox community have no problem eating in Shushan Grill and allowing the restaurant to cater in their synagogue while others, in essence, label the Dror family, as well as Rabbi Blech’s kashrut supervision, “treif” by refusing to allow the food in their shul or institution. This attitude should be rejected and the Va’ad should have the intestinal fortitude to bring pressure on its dissenting member to convince him that it is time to put aside personal agendas and think about the good of the community.
As a Superior Court Judge for 22 years (now retired), I am not unfamiliar with the responsibility of making judgments, albeit sometimes unpopular. Nevertheless, in light of the Drors’ impeccable behavior in the past several years, I would not want to have to justify, in this world or the next, the unspeakable damage done to the Dror family and the division it has caused in our Orthodox community with the flimsy excuse that the Drors can’t be trusted because of an incident or incidents that occurred many years ago. That judgment is simply not defensible.
The Va’ad has the power and the opportunity to rectify its previous actions. It should do so immediately.
Mark Epstein
Edison
B’tayavon
I would like to applaud Rabbi Jacob Krief’s letter to the editor regarding the Vaad recognizing the kashrut of Shushan Grill and thereby allowing the local synagogues to use their services. It would be a great mitzvah for the community to support them.
Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
Edison
January 2, 2009
A word to the Va’ad
Although I don’t know him, I am very proud of Rabbi Krief for addressing the Va’ad Harabonim of Raritan Valley’s withholding of its kashrut endorsement of Shushan Grill. In truth, it is only a minority of one or two members of the Va’ad who have adamantly refused to recognize the sincerity of the owners’ efforts to comply with the strictest halakhic kashrut standards and their return to Torah Judaism.
Other members of the Va’ad have made it clear that they would bestow its kashrut endorsement on Shushan Grill were it not for its strong policy on unanimity. It is also ironic, for reasons that are known in the community, that the primary dissenting member is not willing to accept the bona fides of another ba’al teshuva despite the overwhelming evidence that proves the Dror family’s total commitment to Torah Judaism.
It is sad, not only on the personal level articulated by Rabbi Krief, but also on a community level. There should not be a division regarding kashrut in our small Orthodox community. It is a great shame that some of the most respected members of the Orthodox community have no problem eating in Shushan Grill and allowing the restaurant to cater in their synagogue while others, in essence, label the Dror family, as well as Rabbi Blech’s kashrut supervision, “treif” by refusing to allow the food in their shul or institution. This attitude should be rejected and the Va’ad should have the intestinal fortitude to bring pressure on its dissenting member to convince him that it is time to put aside personal agendas and think about the good of the community.
As a Superior Court Judge for 22 years (now retired), I am not unfamiliar with the responsibility of making judgments, albeit sometimes unpopular. Nevertheless, in light of the Drors’ impeccable behavior in the past several years, I would not want to have to justify, in this world or the next, the unspeakable damage done to the Dror family and the division it has caused in our Orthodox community with the flimsy excuse that the Drors can’t be trusted because of an incident or incidents that occurred many years ago. That judgment is simply not defensible.
The Va’ad has the power and the opportunity to rectify its previous actions. It should do so immediately.
Mark Epstein
Edison
B’tayavon
I would like to applaud Rabbi Jacob Krief’s letter to the editor regarding the Vaad recognizing the kashrut of Shushan Grill and thereby allowing the local synagogues to use their services. It would be a great mitzvah for the community to support them.
Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
Edison