Special tribunal stated: meat shop in Frankfurt did not obstruct

A special Beis Din convened in Frankfurt, headed by Hagaon Rabbi Yirmiah Menachem Cohen, Av Beis Din of Paris, along with Hagaon Rabbi Yehuda Rabinowitz, Hagaon Rabbi Meir Sirota and Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Nidam, concluded that the butcher's store 'Aviv' currently in the eye of the storm, did not sell its treif products as part of kosher meat sales.

However, the panel's conclusions were rejected by the local rabbinical factors, as well as by committees of European Rabbis, who argued that the Beis Din's conclusions are questionable and baseless, and were outraged by what appears to be "irrelevant involvement of outsiders who are unfamiliar with the subject".

The Beis Din which collected testimony on the conduct of the butcher, was established at the initiative of Hagaon Rabbi Moshe Nidam, who heads the Beis Din panel for conversion in Frankfurt by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and is close to Rabbi Klein.

According to the conclusion of the judges, the kosher meat was sold to customers who use non-kosher meat, and the version adopted by the butcher shop itself that it sold non-kosher meat as kosher, is incorrect.

The Beis Din writes: "From documents and evidence presented to us, it became clear that the Zohar catering - with all its kitchens, at least since 2005, did not buy any meat at all from Aviv butcher shop. Therefore, one should not tie the catering (and the food array at Lufthansa airline) with the meat affair".

As recalled, the Orthodox Rabbis' organization in Germany, the ORD, ruled that the butcher sold treifot and one should kasher one's vessels, since the butcher's owners admitted it, and since Rabbi Klein refused to appear before it.

Members of the present Beis Din stated that the decision of the ORD "was hasty before any clarification or even ex parte, and is itself a serious hindrance".

In conclusion the judges said that, "none of the residents of the city of Frankfurt and its institutions, does not have to do 'Hagalah', and those outside the city should turn separately to investigate their case."

Rabbi P., one of the Rabbis of the ORD responded that, "the verdict is not acceptable to us and to any serious cause. The dayanim are outsiders, who are not familiar with the case, and G-d forbid to be matir that which is forbidden. The meat shop sold without any doubts non-kosher meat as kosher and even spelled to the court out how he did it.

"The reasons cited in the decision," added Rabbi, "are at least ridiculous and baseless. Is it because there was a shortage of kosher meat butchery that means they did not sell treif? The butcher himself admitted clearly how he did so and serious testimonies accumulated further, however the dayanim present an odd statement that it is unclear how rabbinical judges are able to write it."

Regarding the criticism on the ORD, the Rabbi explained, "Rabbi Klein refused to appear before our own Beis Din and therefore the psak banning his kashrus was published. It is inconceivable to think differently and at the moment there is no rabbinical institution in Germany, and indeed throughout Europe and Israel, ready to support this puzzling judgment".

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!