A reader writes: "The Yiddish language in 2010"

The only Yiddish publication in the Asia-Pacific region?

A reader "Chaverim Kol Yisroel" sent us the following piece as a comment and response to an earlier comment by 'a khaver' . We have asked for and received his permission to use his lengthy 'dissertation' on Yiddish language 'bizman hazeh', which we have no doubt will be of interest to many.

A khaver said...

I thank A former Talmid.. for his response.
You ask regarding the Bundistn/Yiddishistn "Are they still around?" . If you really don't know, perhaps that is a marker of how removed you may be from Yidn and Yiddishkaitn other than your own. And if it was a tongue in cheek comment, may I suggest you think about how such a comment would be received by a Bundist or Yiddishist.
But what I really don't understand, is the comment that follows. Frum Jews can't be exposed to other streams of Yiddishkait because they might be led astray? Assuming you include yourself in that group ... how fragile is the strength of your convictions, beliefs, knowledge and values that merely speaking to another Jew may cause you to reconsider your life-long held positions?
And if it did .... I am not clear why that would be a bad thing.
And how do you hope to draw other Jews into frumkait if you don't engage with them? If you don't tell me about your Rosh Yeshivah's visit, how do you expect me to know that I should go?

Finally, ikh vil dikh nisht baleydikn, but it's DIKH not DIR and it's baleydikn not baleydign.

Czernowitz Yiddish newspapers

Reply from Chaverim Kol Yisroel:

I'll leave the rest of Khaver's issues to others, but will give a general comment as well as explain "baleydikn not baleydign".
Zeit mir moychel khaver, but while you may be correct when using "college" Yiddish, the Yiddish spoken by the vast majority of Yidden these days (and also pre-war in Poylen, Galicia, Hungary and most of Russia) was closer to "baleydign" than “"baleydikn”. Introducing the ‘kuf’ in place of the ‘gimmel’ was invented at some Yiddish conference (Czernowitz?) where they tried to bring some sort of order to our zhargon. But while the secular and haskola media went for those innovations they were hardly accepted by most Yiddish speakers – especially the religious - who didn’t care too much for those resolutions.

A glance at any of the hundreds of (religious) Yiddish publications from those times until today will confirm that most ‘Yiddishistish’ ideas were ignored. After all, “MIr zenen Yidden un nisht YIddishisten". (And of course Yiddish books printed earlier had no ordered style or grammar – each area had their own dialect and spelling.)

As to “DIKH not DIR”, you may or may not be correct - but that is how it is spoken by most Yiddish speakers these days.

And while I truly have rachmones on you and the reshtlech ibergeblibene Bundisten trying to save that beached and dying whale, I think it’s too late. "Toyteh bankes" is how your zeide would have described your hopes. (I say this despite my many enjoyable hours arguing and schmoozing with many of Melbourne’s Bundistn and Yiddishestn in the 60s and 70s and from whom I actually learned quite a lot about the history of those movements. They all saw the demise sooner or later.) Melbourne Jewry already has a generation and half of people who have never seen or even heard of “Der Oystralishe Yiddishe Nayes”. (Are you one of those?)

Yes, Yiddish is alive and well - in fact flourishing. But not amongst Bundist comrades and their offspring. I have no idea what remains of this once noisy and reasonably powerful group here in Melbourne? In fact I am unsure what their function is these days. Skif? How many belong there? Or attend their camps? What is the attendance at the annual breakaway memorial gathering for the Warsaw Ghetto uprising – which the farakshen themselves so naarishly and still observe on the secular date. [Even the Israeli govt, selected a Hebrew calendar date - 27th Nissan, (despite being unacceptable to religious Jews – being in the month of Nissan). But not the Bundists, cholileh. Using our ancient and historic calendar would be far too “Jewish”. So they stick to April 19th – which seems to please the “Khaverim” and no one else.]

So vos iz gebliben fun zei?? And what about the future? Is there anyone who really cares? And what percentage of the einiklech Melbourne’s many original Bund families have any connection to Judaism? (I mean those who did not meanwhile become Chabadniks or other brands of baalei teshuva?) And have you any idea on how many have married out? (In that figure please include those with spouses “converted” via the Temple).
Pretty sad when one thinks about this. Those post war stalwarts deluded themselves into thinking that their children and grandchildren will continue in their unique or peculiar style of Yiddishkeit with the Bund having a real future. Nebach.

And if one looks at the situation in the US you find Arbeiter Ring/Bund type groups where the best they seem to achieve is to get a few dozen kids into TAFE-style courses taught by the few remaining Yiddish ‘scholars’ studying Yiddish some lost indigenous language.
Their famous newspaper – the Forverts – which was published daily for around a century - including of course Shabbos and Yom Tov - has long ago died and revived as an English language weekly (actually quite a good read). Admittedly the owners – reputed to have millions of dollars in the bank after selling off their valuable radio license, also publish a weekly Yiddish tabloid which has hardly any circulation at all. Most of their staff are late arrivals from the former Soviet Union - as are the majority of its readers. Even that infinitesimal readership is expected to dry up in the next 10-20 years.

On the other hand, in frum Jewish kehillos worldwide the Yiddish language (takeh, not the ‘faultless’ Czernowitz-nusach) is alive and well and growing in leaps and bounds.

In New York alone there are over a dozen weekly newspapers (paid and freebies) with a number of them running to 100-120 pages and to over 200 pages before the yomtovim. Yiddish CDs for children and adults are being issued every few days. Seforim in Yiddish abound. Yiddish news services via telephone (Chasidim usually don’t have radios) compete with each other both in Israel and New York. Similarly new email newsletters reporting on general and Jewish news worldwide are being launched all the time.

Thus Yiddish is Boruch Hashem alive and well. It just depends where you look.
Sorry about the rant but it was a good opportunity to get all this off my chest and also to pass on to a wider audience what I have gathered in the past few years. I seem to find that there is great interest in the Yiddish language - both by those who can and do speak it and those who don’t.

It always amazes me when reading how the AJN makes a big deal of some tiny local “achievement” re the Yiddish language - either at the Sholem school or at some course at Monash - which would be lucky to attract half a dozen students. At the same time it totally ignores the evenys and places where Yiddish really lives on, ie, the Charedi and Chassidish community. Eg, Yeshiva, Adass, somewhat less in Beth Hatalmud, Ger shteebel. Boys and lately even the girls going through the Adass school system can talk, read and write quite a passable Yiddish. In the Yeshiva there are boys who can read and give over the rebbe’s talks in Yiddish.
As to Sholem Aleichem graduates, I find that most seem to struggle to put together a complete sentence by the time they reach 20, as they have no one and nowhere to practice what they had been taught. Even the presenters on ethnic radio speak a forced and stilted Yiddish which often hurts my ears.

That’ll do me for now…

Meanwhile I looked up the ’original’ (dos haist the German) for ‘insult’ and it clearly says:

Beleidigung ; insult;
beleidigen; to insult 
beleidigt; insulted
beleidigte; insulted
Niemand beleidigt ungestraft meine Schwester. Nobody insults my sister and gets away with it!
Du beleidigst meine Intelligenz! [humor.] You insult my intelligence!

All, you will note, are with a “G” not “K”.

AJN v. The Age: The pot calling the kettle black!

Anyone remember the terrifying threat against us made at the time that this blog was created?  AJN's page-2 bore Adam Kamien warned us declaring: "Shmooze is looking at you!”

Meanwhile almost a year has passed and we have never, ever heard from him again.

Why?

Either everything that has been posted here has found favour in Kamien's beady little eyes or the most probably reason, someone slightly brainier than him whispered in his ear that giving publicity – any publicity - to your critics isn't really such a great idea.

But one can never be certain and we still shiver in our boots every week as we check out his page of sleaze and drivel. After all, who knows what little Adam – the AJN Watch watcher - has found wrong with this blog.

Of course we here at AJN Watch dom’t have any qualms about giving all types free publicity and thus we reproduce a piece, in fact a rare G-rated snippet - in last week’s issue. Yep, a snippet that you may actually allows kids under 15 to read.

Kamien pokes fun at the Age editing and proofreading standards as we see here:

But as readers realised when perusing the next page, maybe the AJN itself would be better off employing a few rabbits (or monkeys) themselves. On condition that these animals can count till 7.
Cast your eyes on this page three article where 3 times the AJN states that Rudd met with "6 (Jewish community representatives)" and lists all 7 of them!
 

105 year-old Rosh Yeshiva visits. But where were the rabbis?

Guest post from a former talmid of the Lucerne Yeshiva:
(Photographs have been forwarded to us by a number of readers with credits due to Leon Shapiro, Yumi Rosenbaum and M L Abelesz)

THE ROSH YESHIVA VISITS THE RAV

The many former local talmidim of the Lucerne Yeshiva have for the past 8 days had the great privilege and pleasure of hosting their great Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yitzchok Dov Kopelman שליט''א (as well as one of his leading talmidim, the world renowned Marbitz Torah and Mashpia, Rav Yisroel Dovid Schlesinger שליט''א of Monsey, New York).
The 105 year-old Rosh Yeshiva עמו''ש had insisted on making the trek to see and inspire his many talmidim who live on the other side of the world. Such a long trip would be no small accomplishment even for one a quarter of a century younger than him. And ב''ה we were זוכה to see and hear him exactly as we did when studying in his Yeshiva 20, 30 and even 40 years ago. השי''ת יאריך ימיו ושנותיו בבריות גופא ונהורא מעליא

From the moment the Rosh Yeshiva arrived at the airport – where he was welcomed by over hundreds of people, headed by Rav Beck שליט''א and until his departure, he was surrounded by huge crowds of young and old listening to his many droshos (said whilst standing) and Divrei Torah as well as seeking his advice and blessing. On Tuesday, the RY was Sandek at the bris of young Shlomo Zalman, son of Rabbi E. Saftlas (performed by Melbourne’s newest Mohel, Reb Moshe Benedikt).

 The 2 major public droshos of the RY were Monday evening in the Adass Shul and the following evening in Kollel Beth Hatalmud. Both were heavily publicised resulting in the venues being packed to the rafters with listeners young and old. Everyone felt stirred and enthused by the outstanding divrei hisorerus and chizuk by Rav Schlesinger and moved by the amazing drosho of the RY which seemed to seep into every listeners נשמה. (CDs are available for those who missed this once in a lifetime opportunity - or for those who wish to hear the speeches again and again.)

It was impossible not to have been  touched to the depths of one's heart,watching and hearing a universally recogised גדול בישראל, a rebbe to thousands of talmidim for over 4 generations, speaking, crying and singing together with the huge tzibbur who savoured every precious minute.

What was surprising or rather disappointing, was to notice, that besides the rabbonim and members of Adass and Beth Hatalmud (and satellite shteebels) the lack of representation from other Shuls. Of course, Rabbi Telsner (an oft and well-respected guest in Adass) was there, as were a few more ‘outsiders’. But where were all the rabbis of the community? Chabad and non-Chabad? Where were the lay leaders? The COSV, the RCV, the Yeshiva Gedola and Kollel Menachem? One would expect that a speech delivered by respected and scholarly 105-year old, even if not one of the Gedolei Yisroel, (even if not a Jew!), would attract the interest of any reasonable person. In fact, one should have seen the interest and respect of non-Jews at Tullamarine airport, jostling for a position to get a glimpse of “the 105-year-old rabbi”. But Melbourne’s rabbonim – not interested!

I am stunned and shocked at the lack of interest and basic דרך ארץ by these people.
בזיון התורה and בזיון תלמיד חכם is no small offence. But when perpetuated by Rabbonim themselves –especially those who expect respect from others – is simply bizarre.

Wouldn’t this have been an occasion where they should have come along bringing their children? To give them the opportunity and privilege to see a talmid of the Gedolim of yesteryear, and a famous Rosh Yeshiva that was born prior to the First World War! An internationally revered personality from the era of zeidy’s zeidy?

Sorry for the rant, but in my eyes this shows very bad form from Melbourne’s spiritual leadership.   והוא רחום יכפר.

Haaretz article puts AJN to shame! (Is Julius Streicher REALLY dead?)

OR???

The shekel drops -  
               Missionaries in Ramat Aviv
                                                                                    By Nehemia Shtrasler HAARETZ

The battle raging Ramat Aviv isn't just about the neighborhood's character. It's a battle over Israel's image.

The sight was elevating: 800 neighborhood residents took a break from what they were doing and went out to demonstrate. Their goal: to protect their homes. They weren't asking for much: just to maintain their way of life, the character of their neighborhood, their values, dignity and right to educate their children as they see fit.

Nobody was paying them. They had no political party or foreign sponsors. They collected the money to fund their demonstration themselves because they knew that if they didn't, the missionary group Chabad could continue to slowly take the neighborhood over, just as is happening in Migdal Ha'emek, Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

[AJN Watch comment: So when was the last time that these Tel Aviv residents protested against genuine missionaries? It's so obvious that the only religion that they fear is Judaism.]

A few people set up a counter-demonstration against the 800. They believe that the people in question are merely "good Jews" who just rented a few apartments to preach Torah there. All they want is for us to put on tefillin a little, to light candles on Friday night. What charming simplicity.

They don't realize that it's a well-organized plan to take control of the neighborhood. They aren't even aware that a yeshiva opened in the neighborhood staffed by "messengers" who are prepared to sacrifice their souls for their Rebbe.

These "messengers" have one explicit goal: to return the people of the neighborhood to Judaism. The more Jews keep the Sabbath and follow the mitzvoth, the faster the Messiah will come.

[AJN Watch comment: Scandalous indeed. The chutzpah of these 'messengers' who try to promote the Jewish religion in the Jewish state!]

Though actually he already did come, in the form of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, according to Chabad. The Rebbe has died in the meantime, but he lives on - their belief system is a mystical, un-Jewish thing, about which the Rabbi Shach commented: "Chabad is the cult closest to Judaism."

[AJN Watch comment: So sorry about our earlier comment. We misunderstood. These protesters are actually demanding "genuine" Judaism and not mystical un-Jewish Chabad stuff. They simply want their children to follow the ways of Rabbi Shach...]

As in every neighborhood, here too they identified the most vulnerable point: the young. That's why every Friday they ply the grove by the Alliance school, trying to persuade the children to put on tefillin and drop by the Chabad House for a "conversation." At night they lurk among the trees and on benches for the teens, offering refreshments and sweet talk.

[AJN Watch comment: Now had these 'messengers' been offering their kids drugs, alcohol and various options of perversions that are available all over Tel Aviv, there would've been no demonstrations. But tefillin, refreshments and 'sweet talk' - that's something that must be stopped. And here you have the Stuermer depiction - making similar complaints about the Juden:

They cunningly tell these kids, "You have the soul of a righteous person," and don't cavil at saying that their mothers and fathers are sinners. They even whisper that people who don't honor Shabbat are doomed to hell.

[AJN Watch comment: Pure, utter garbage. Anybody who knows anything about Chabad knows that this has never been their way. Only an ignorant, Chabad-bashing Torah-hating secular journalist would make such a statement.]
 
Puberty is a vulnerable stage and some of these kids, who want to rebel against their parents anyway, listen. The nice people of Chabad have no problem taking in a youngster and destroying a family in Israel.

[AJN Watch comment: Yep. Keeping their kids away from drugs and alcoholism will destroy their families. Here's part of a speech we found on the net - on the Israeli PM's website about these problems amongst Israelis:

Address by Acting Prime Minister Israel to the Anti-Drugs Authority Tel Aviv
Distinguished Guests,

You heard the statistics: there are 300,000, some even say 350,000, drug users in the State of Israel. There are 20,000 to 25,000 addicts – what we call hard users. The amount of money we refer to per drug addict, is approximately $3000 per day. Perhaps this is not a lot of money, but it is over and above the average salary in our economy.

[AJN Watch comment: "Not a lot of money!?" That's over $60 million a day!
The figure seems wrong as that would equate to $22 billion annually! But whatever, they would be far better off giving a fraction of that amount to Chabad and would save themselves a lot of heartache and a lot of money. Oy, but then you would have even more demonstrations by tel Avivians concerned that Chabad is giving their kids refreshments.]

Usually, drug addicts do not work, so in order to be able obtain their daily dosage, they are dragged into various criminal acts, including damage to property, and often involve physical injuries. That is, a full circle of social perversion and crime becomes an inseparable part of the life of an addict and also involves those who are not addicted to drugs. There is no simple and easy way to deal with this problem. (More here)

Where are the police and the municipality as strangers badger children among the trees at night?

[AJN Watch comment: Probably arresting and jailing other kids -  those who are drinking and doing drugs or involved in other violent and criminal activities.]

The Chabadniks understand that the middle class is groaning under its burdens. So they opened a few kindergartens in the neighborhood that charge little and give much, including a hot meal. Some parents succumbed to the temptation - and lost their children. This neighborhood sorely lacks kindergartens without religious affiliation. But the city allows Chabad to open one kindergarten after another, even at the expense of a building that had been a cultural center until two years ago.

These Chabadniks with their butter-wouldn't-melt smiles have no problem flouting the law. They rent apartments and turn them into studios. They build without permits, establish hostels and mikvas in violation of municipal ordinances, but the city doesn't block them. Mayor Ron Huldai did denounce Chabad in Ramat Aviv, saying they were harassing the residents. But his job is to stop the harassment, not just talk about it.

Imagine what would happen to me if I went to Kfar Chabad, rented an apartment and dared to open a class to teach a modern interpretation of the Bible, or women's rights or Darwinism. In the evening I'd go out and roam the neighborhood, trying to persuade their children to visit my home on Shabbat to see what a nonobservant Jew does on the day of rest.

Soon enough you'd have to visit me at the burn ward at Ichilov Hospital, if not worse.

And if all that happened, the good souls among us would say: Why did he have to interfere in their way of life? Why provoke them?

But when they come from Kfar Chabad to Ramat Aviv, these same good souls say, in the name of an artificial, suicidal liberalism, "We should understand them," and, "We mustn't oppose others because that is unenlightened racism."

Only they are allowed to sell their rotten goods, rife with ignorance, superstition, terrible discrimination against women, bottomless hatred of Arabs and Gentiles, and nonsense about the Messiah.

[AJN Watch comment: Let's repeat Nehemia Shtrasler's Stuermer-style rant:
   "... their rotten goods, rife with ignorance, superstition, terrible discrimination against women, bottomless hatred of Arabs and Gentiles, and nonsense about the Messiah..."
Had that infamous Nazi publisher, Julius Streicher (yemach shemoy) not been strung up by the Allies, no doubt he would've found himself at home at the Haaretz, where, presumably, the front page banner would have declared: "Die Chabad sind unser Ungluck!"]

We may not even protect our values of humanism, education, rationalism, equality, literature and the great inventions of science that changed the face of mankind.
The battle in Ramat Aviv isn't just about the neighborhood's character. It's a battle over Israel's image, and the 800 residents who got up and left their homes and went out to demonstrate last Monday are just the harbingers.

Targum Yonasan and the Zohar - re flotillas?

Thank you to the AJN Watcher from Jerusalem who after reading our earlier post on signs of the approach of "Moshiach tzeiten", has kindly forwarded the following piece, quoting the Targum Yonasan and the Zohar, which, as we understand, may be referring to past and future "flotilla" activity against Israel.


We invite one of our rabbis or knowledgeable readers to translate this into English, for the benefit of those who have difficulty with Hebrew and Aramaic. (Another option: print it out and take it to your rabbi for elucidation.)

Remember, we welcome interesting material for publication.

Disgraceful AJN reporting on the passing of former Israeli Chief Rabbi

'Disgraceful' and 'appalling' are probably the accurate terms to use when describing the Jewish News report on the death and funeral of Rabbi Mordechain Eliyahu zt”l, former Rishon LeTzion and Sefardi chief rabbi of Israel.

All this, in their view, was worth a few short lines copied from the Jerusalem Post and pasted on  page 19 (!!!).

This sad excuse for ‘journalism’ only reinforces the view of virtually the entire observant Jewish community of Australia, that the AJN treats them and their issues with complete contempt and disrespect. Is it any wonder that more and more members of that segment of our community no longer waste their money or time on the newspaper?

It's not as if Rabbi Eliyahu was a "Charedi", chas vechalilah. He was a leading figure in the "Religious Zionist" (aka "Mizrachi") camp. Shouldn't this qualify his passing as being worthy of more than a few lines on page 19?

And even if not, the fact that over 100,000 people attended in funeral should be newsworthy in itself. How often does that happen - even in the non-Jerwish world?

Meanwhile the Hamodia published by the RZ's 'rival' the Charedim, gave the passing a full-page article presenting a a most respectful obituary as well as a concise biography of the rabbi.

The article includes the following beautiful story (which no doubt would never be published in the AJN):

  

                         

                          

From the Talmud: BP oil spill disaster - a sign of Moshiach times?

                          

Something good may still develop from the BP disaster...

Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a: Discussing various signs of the Messianic era:
Rabi Chanina states: when there will be no fish available (even) for a unwell person - as the waters will be solidified like oil...

Report on THAT Sydney wedding

From "Sydney Wedding Crasher":

I attended that wedding last Sunday and can report that the catering - both food and presentation - was superb. The Fogel family of Melbourne's Eshel Catering really did a beautiful job.

This was not only the view of the 10 or so of us who sat at the 'separate - frum - table', but indeed all whom I spoke to at the simcha. The vast majority were, to be honest, not too fussed on which rabbi gave his seal of approval, but they were quite amazed to learn that catering of such a standard is available in Melbourne for less than half the price of our usual caterers. I got the feeling that we will be seeing far more of the Fogel famiuly hee in Sydney. And good lucl to them. If they can make money and still produce such a wonderful effort 700 kilometres away from the home base - and save us Sydneysiders a packet, then I say, "good on ya our Melbourne mates!"

Oh, and a special 'thank you' to Rabbi Silberberg, for agreeing to oversee the Sydney end of the supervision process. As I understand, it wouldn't have happened without his input.

And for those of our readers who don't buy the AJN, here's their report on the KA v. KA affair:

Yechi - NO! Jesus YES! - Melbourne Jewry welcomes a fan of Rabbi Jesus!

Caulfield Hebrew Congregation warmly welcomes

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

celebrated Chief Rabbi of Efrat

(formerly of Lincoln Square Synagogue, New York)

as our scholar in residence for the Shabbat of 4-5 June, 2010 Parshat Shelach

We are pleased to invite the community to hear this innovative thinker and dynamic speaker at the following times:

Friday 4 June, Mincha 5.00pm followed by Kabbalat Shabbat 5.45pm 

“The Conversion Conundrum”

Saturday 5 June, Shacharit 9.15am  

 “Is the State of Israel Still Vital to World Jewry?”

Saturday 5 June, Mincha 4.45pm followed by Seudah Shlishit 

 “Is There a Future For Modern Orthodoxy?”

Don’t miss this rare opportunity!

JBD and the Werdiger family  cordially invited you to a lunchtime lecture in the city by

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Efrat, Israel

Where there is a rabbinic will, you can always find a halachic way.

Is this true?

Time: 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm (followed by Mincha)  Date: Wednesday 2nd June 2010

Rabbi Riskin tells us that he always refers to Jesus a "Rabbi Jesus" and considers him as a model rabbi!

And did we understand him correctly? Did he say that when the Moshiach comes, he will ask if this is his first of second coming?

And some googling brought us up this gem of his hypocrisy:

Isaac Balbin said...
On Rabbi Riskin and Chabad:
When Rabbi Riskin was on a recent visit to Melbourne, he visibly squirmed when he noticed the "Yechi sign" at the back of the main shule (Rabbi Groner z"l's shule). He could not believe that it was still up there and felt uncomfortable davening there.

He immediately went to see Rabbi Groner and complained directly to him. Rabbi Groner was quite ill and bed ridden

As I recall, Rabbi Groner told him in not so delicate tones "If you don't like it .... "

Another NSW KA statement: "Every confidence in Melbourne Kashrut"

Just forwarded to us by a Sydney source:

The battle of the KAs

                                     

Post by Kosherman:

I wonder how Rabbi Moshe Gutnick and his KA will respond to the news that Melbourne KA is giving its Hashgacha to a Bondi Beach food manufacturer?

Could this be the start of a new trend? Both KA's spreading their wings to the other's hometown? Will this be "good for the Jews"?

The screenshot is from a recent post by the KCA - a Sydney-based Kosher consumers group.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

KA x 2, 3 or 4?

A reader forwarded a screen shot of the NSW KA's web page, where we learn that "NSW" has been dropped from their name and are now known as THE Kashrut Authority.

Presumably this was in response to Melbourne (nee Mizrachi) Kashrut namechange to Kosher Australia. It seems each organization wishes to give the impression that it represents the Australian Kashrut “industry”.

We have heard (not from anyone in an official position) that the board of Adass Vaad HaKashrus are considering a suggestion that they call themselves “Kosher Adass”. Add to that the Perth community’s KA WA and we may end up with 4 KA’s in Australia!

Which makes us a bit sorry for Rabbi Meir Rabi and his non-“KA” brand - “Kosher veYosher”.

However, there has long been a rumor that the business name of “Kosher Australasia” has been reserved by someone not associated with “Kosher Australia”. Maybe that person would be kind enough to transfer this registration to Rabbi Rabi - so he too can sport a “KA” label…

Community Unity? Sydney KA gives Melbourne's Shechita a serve!

Community Unity

Kosher consumers will have heard of the appearance of a new Kashrut Agency in NSW. Since 1990, Sydney has benefitted from a united kashrut under The Kashrut Authority. The Sydney Beth Din and the Yeshiva rabbinate came together under one banner, bringing an end to many difficult years of machloket within the community. Previously there had been friction and tension when events were hosted. Members of the community required dual supervision or risked alienating guests who would only trust one hechsher or the other. The joint KA, and Sydney’s Kashrut, quickly became the envy of many communities around the world, bringing communal unity and kashrut to the highest standards.

Now it seems this is about to change. Some argue that competition is always good for the community, but is it really good in this case?

At the outset, so that there is no misunderstanding, nothing that is about to be said is intended to reflect badly on any of the principal kashrut organizations in Melbourne. The KA holds each of them in high regard and works closely with them. We have always maintained that it is the duty of every local consumer to fully follow the halachic rulings and take guidance from their own local Rabbinate – and we will support that local rabbinate in full. However, at the same time, it is our duty to expose the truth in relation to what is taking place in our community, for the benefit of our community.

Why does this organisation say it wants a new kashrut agency here in Sydney? Not because it favours competition. Not because there is a problem with KA prices. Instead it has stated clearly that our standards are not up to par, and in particular Sydney chickens are not kosher enough for them. They don’t consider our food to be kosher. To be clear; this is not about using Melbourne caterers and providing a competitive service to the community. The very same caterer that is being used by them now has catered previously in Sydney, with chickens produced under the supervision of the KA.

This time there was more to it. This time there was the insistence that the caterer must use Melbourne chickens (under Melbourne Adass.) They contend that some of the guests simply would refuse to eat the Sydney chickens. Given that the KA cannot supervise a function unless the meat or poultry is under its supervision, as is the normative rabbinic practice; this new group has jumped in to “fill” the “desperate” need that it has itself manufactured.

Let us examine the contention that our chickens are not kosher or not kosher enough.

The Shechita

This year a very respected Rabbi from the United States, Rabbi Rotenberg , who works with the Nibator Rav - the supervisor of shechita for the Hisachdus HoRabbonim of Rabbonim of America (Satmar Shechita)- was brought from the US to inspect the shechita in Melbourne. His findings are not a secret and indeed are quite well known. He reported among other things:

Shechita and especially the checking of the knives (chalef) are difficult tasks, and the shochet must be at ease and not pressured. As such, guidelines have developed overseas as to maximum rates of shechita. The OU shechts at a maximum of 750 birds an hour per shochet, some require as low as 600 birds an hour. In Melbourne the Rabbi found the amount being shechted was 1000 per hour!

Furthermore in general, no pressure should be placed on the shochet to work faster than he feels he can. Rabbi Rotenberg had heard that this pressure unfortunately sometimes takes place in Melbourne.

In contrast, in Sydney, the rate of Shechita is at most 450 birds an hour. Furthermore, in order to reduce the chance of mishap and pressure on the Shochtim, links have been removed from the chain, so that chickens cannot be hung, to ensure forced regular breaks for the shochet.

The Kashering

Rabbi Rotenberg found that chickens in Melbourne are soaked before kashering at a temperature of 4C. Rabbi Rotenberg said that this is not the standard (lechatchila) and chickens processed this way were only acceptable after the fact (b’dieved). He said they must develop a system “similar to the system in Sydney”(!!).

In Sydney, from 1999, when the introduction of chilled water was first canvassed, our Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, negotiated with the authorities and they agreed that as mandated in Shulchan Aruch the initial pre-soak would not be chilled. This has remained the standard in Sydney with full co-operation between the chicken manufacturer, The Kashrut Authority and the government. (Soaking in chilled water prior to salting prevents the free flow of blood from the meat during the salting).

Unfortunately in Melbourne this was missed and chilled water was introduced and this is still to be corrected.

Yet we are told by this new group that they cannot eat the Sydney chickens because the standards in Melbourne are so much higher. So let us look further.

Could it be the salting?

Rabbi Feigelstock , a highly regarded and leading posek from South America, who assists us with our Eruv, who is a shochet himself, and has been involved with shechita around the world, inspected our shechita. As well as praising our Shochtim, he said that our salting is of the highest standard and is as good as anywhere in the world.

The Shochtim

Is it perhaps the Shochtim? Everyone knows that Halacha says a shochet must be even more G-d fearing than a rabbi. Perhaps our shochtim are not good enough for these people?

The entire community knows rabbis Perlow and Niasoff. They are both G-d fearing men, loved and respected by their communities. Equally so, our stand-in shochet for fowl, Rabbi Groner. On numerous occasions their “chalafim” have been shown to visiting Rabbis who have praised their talents. At no stage have the local detractors asked to see the chalaf of these shochtim or to view the shechita or even the salting – yet our shechita has been condemned. How insulting that visiting rabbis have recently come from overseas and have told us that they were warned by local individuals that they should not eat our meat because our shochet is not good enough!

So are Melbourne chickens from a kashrut perspective better than Sydney chickens?

Clearly not. Independent review declares Melbourne chickens to be only “b’dieved” - not the way things should be. Consequently, to import Melbourne chickens to Sydney is to import a demonstrably lower standard. How then does one have the audacity to foment disunity in this city based on the falsehood that our standard is inferior?

The answer is that communities become driven by pseudo-elitism. They claim to be holy, and convince themselves and others of the justice of their cause. Factions and new players strive to make a mark by adding credence to their own religiosity through disparaging others. As the Torah teaches us, they are not doing the will of the Creator. By Divine Providence clear lessons can be drawn from the parshiot of the coming weeks , Bha’alotcha , Shlach and Korach. Our sages show that all the tragedy, disunity and rebellion throughout these parshiot comes from one single primary source – the motsi shem ra and lashon hara of just a few individuals The “evil tongue” so despised in Jewish law – defamation and tale bearing which is forbidden even if the words are true, how much more so when they are not true. This talk of inferior standards is simply lashon hara and motsi shem ra masquerading as piety.

Elitism thrives on disunity, because unity implies mutual respect and tolerance – disunity is fertile ground for one to say I am superior to another. It appeals to the ego and to the religious sensibility of those who are invariably misled into following it. These followers are sincerely in search of what they believe is true Torah, and sadly, they are indeed misled into believing, that theirs is the way to come closer to the Creator. Their teachers have forgotten what our sages have taught, that we are in exile not because of the laws of kosher or the laws between man and G-d, but because of our failures in the laws between man and man!

The False Claim of Personal Higher Standards

The Shulchan Aruch (OC Siman 468 and elsewhere) rules that in interpersonal relations, one must even forego a personal stringency or custom rather than create division, or embarrass one’s fellow. The hypocrisy of these people pretending elevated piety is that they overlook or violate fundamental tenets of the very code they claim to uphold.

Competition may be good when it is based on truth and Torah principles, but not when based on lies and manufactured, unsubstantiated accusations of inferiority. If anyone wants to start a kashrut organization to make themselves some money, or they are under the illusion that it will make kashrut cheaper for us all, then let them do it and say so. If they want to open because it makes them feel empowered or worthwhile – gezunterheit , but say so. Please do not propagate the abhorrent falsehood that it is about standards of kashrut or superior levels of religiosity.

We recognize that no kashrut organization is perfect, and no human being is perfect, and where problems are identified we seek to correct them in a professional and transparent manner. We have been asked and we will assist the Melbourne authorities to overcome the cold water regulations issue. However what meets their local reality, including the necessary respected ruling of their Rabbinate, is for their community and cannot be marketed here as superior when it is demonstrably not.

In the meantime, the vast majority of our local Rabbinate, and the vast majority of our local kosher consumers, supports the ideal of communal unity that has developed under our model of one agreed high standard of kashrut, under the joint regulation of those with real experience and expertise in the field. They do not want to go back to the days of disunity and confusion over differing kashrut organizations. We can only hope that those others involved in this new organization, will quickly see the light before irreparable damage is done to kashrut in our city.

The Kashrut Authority
Mr Baron Revelman – President
Rabbi Moshe D Gutnick – Rabbinic Administrator
Rabbi P Feldman - Committee
Rabbi J Lawrence_- Committee
Rabbi D Rogut- Committee
Rabbi Y Ulman- Committee

Rabbi A Perlow – Shochet
Rabbi Y Niasoff – Shochet

Rabbi A Groner – Assistant Rabbinic Administrator
Rev A Amzalek – Senior Supervisor
Rev S Samra – Senior Supervisor

AJN Watch is no authority in Shechita and obviously cannot comment on procedural or halachic concerns. But this lengthy screed seems to indicate that the NSW KA is quite anxious about the likelihood of another Kashrut power in their region.
Issuing this statement is also a dicey move for KA as no doubt the 3 Melbourne Shechita authorities will respond vigorously.

Instead of, or in addition to, ORA lobbying the government on labeling matters, maybe they ought to emphasize to their membership on the hazards of bagging each other.

This notice by KA, by the way, proves the concern by many on granting powers of certifying Kashrut authorities to an organization like ORA where many members would have conflict of interest.

And talking of ORA lobbying, how on earth did they overlook the looming ban on Shechita in New Zealand? The question is especially pertinent to Rabbi Moshe Gutnick who states that he has been sending shochtim there for years. Let's hope ORA direct some of their energy towards ensuring that this disgraceful ban is overturned.

New Zealand bans shechita
By Dan Goldberg · May 28, 2010

SYDNEY (JTA) – New Zealand has banned shechita, the kosher slaughter of animals.

The country’s new animal welfare code, which took effect Friday, mandates that all animals for commercial consumption be stunned prior to slaughter to ensure they are treated “humanely and in accordance with good practice and scientific knowledge.”

The regulation has shocked the Jewish community.
“This decision by the New Zealand government, one which has a Jewish prime minister, is outrageous,” said Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, acting president of the Organization of Rabbis of Australasia. “We will be doing everything possible to get this decision reversed.”
Gutnick, who travels frequently to New Zealand to oversee shechita, added, “One of the last countries I would have expected to bring in this blatantly discriminatory action would have been New Zealand.”

David Zwartz, the chairman of the Wellington Jewish Council, agreed. “I am sure there will objections made that this action is an infringement of the right of Jews to observe their religion,” he said.

Agriculture Minister David Carter rejected a recommendation that shechita be exempt from the new code.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee did recommend a dispensation for kosher slaughter in 2001, but the new code does not allow any exemptions.

AJN's free publicity to treif German-style restaurant

Received from a reader who (most unusual for him) requested anonymity:

"If you ever wanted the ultimate non-kosher experience, check out page 4 of the motoring supplement in the Jewish News this week."

We have no idea who Jason Stevens is. The name, at least, doesn't sound Jewish, in which case we can't blame him for singing the praises of that chazir-treif German-style restaurant. And after all, his employers are constantly advertising nevelot utreifot establishments.

Despite this, it seems that the Jewish News has sunken to a new low here. There isn't even the non-excuse that they were being paid for this - and for money, as we know, they are prepared to sell their souls. 

All they achieved was to upset their religious and traditional readers by giving free publicity to this place.

And it sure exposes the incredible hypocrisy of the AJN's lecturing and editorialising on the best ways to advance Kashrut in Australia.

The ORA and ECAJ submission

Thanks to Galus Australis we can now read the submission of ORA and ECAJ to the Food Labelling Review (here).

Kosherman comments:
Having had a quick read of the submission it seems to confirm that ORA wants to be the "posek acharon" in deciding who can and who cannot offer Kosher supervision in Australia.

Seeing that quite a few of ORA's members are themselves employed in the Kashrut supervision industry (eg, Rabbi Y Sprung, Rabbis Moshe and Mordechai Gutnick, Rabbi Yanky Barber), aren't we expecting too much from them to vote for approval of new competitors?

As far as I know, the only organization mentioned in the submission whose rabbis are not members of ORA are from Adass. (Anyone know if Rabbi M Rabi and Rabbi S Silberberg are ORA members? And if not, how can they assure themselves of getting fair treatment?)

I had asked "Did ORA in their submission demand that fraudulent terms like “Kosher-style” and “Kosher-friendly” be proscribed? If not, why not?"

Reading the submission I found nothing about this. One may have thought that eliminating the use of such blatant deceitful terms would have been of major concern for our rabbis (and indeed for the lawyers on the ECAJ). Looks like we were wrong.

I am still puzzled on why there was there no public consultation with the main stakeholders, ie, Kosher consumers? Another concern expressed by commentators on GA is why were details only released to the public after the closing date for submissions?

Let’s hope that ORA and ECAJ will try and clear things up for us.