After months of work the special kashruth committee appointed by city authorities and headed by William Weiss, yesterday morning presented a report of its findings and recommendations to Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia and Aldermanic President Bernard S. Deutsch. The latter attended the session at City Hall. Hostilities on the kashruth front, however, gave no evidence of abating and heated discussion with charges and counter-charges flying lasted for more than two hours.
The continuance of the committee as requested in the report was authorized by Deutsch, who expressed appreciation of the difficult task confronting Weiss in his role of mediator between the warring factions.
Acknowledging the magnitude of the problem in New York City with its 12,000 food manufacturers and dealers in kosher products, whose output and sales approximate $200,000,000 annually, the report recommends that kosher food law activities be concentrated in the Department of Health and that enforcement machinery of the city be made more adequate and effective. A number of amendments to the state kosher laws and the department’s Sanitary Code are proposed, designed to eliminate fraud and misrepresentation.
Declaring that in his opinion it will be possible to put the recommendations into effect and that they will be brought to the attention of the next session of the State Legislature, Deutsch insisted that the matter should not rest there and “should not remain just a gesture.” He revealed that various groups, interested in advancing their own interests, had approached city officials in an effort to have their own rabbis collect funds in connection with kashruth.
“The city,” he announced, “will not give any private agency authority to levy tribute. Kashruth enforcement affects every Jew and consequently conservative as well as orthodox and other branches of Jewry should be permitted to assist in the matter.”
Deutsch promised full cooperation from the city as soon as the factions reached an agreement among themselves. He expressed the hope that municipal finances would permit the expansion of supervising force. He also intimated that it may take more years than the span of one administration to adjust all difficulties incidental to the problem.
SHOCHTEM PROBLEM ALLIED
“Mere inspection and supervision is not enough,” he continued. “The shochtem problem is allied to this. There have been charges of racketeering.” He also quoted the health commissioner as saying that supervision did not belong in his department but in the Department of Markets which is the one maintaining inspectors. The sentiment at yesterday’s meeting appeared to favor the Health Department.
Persons who participated in the discussion or were present included Arthur Simon, confidential investigator for the Department of Health; Mose H. Hoenig, counsel for Young Israel; Rabbi Moses Hyamson of the Rabbinical Council of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations; Rabbi Solomon Reichman; Rabbi E. Gartenhaus of Degel Harabonim; Rabbi Menashes Margolis and Rabbi Harry Burstein of Keneseth Harabonim; Louis Lande of the Board of Aldermen, and Rabbi A.D. Burrack, representing rabbis of Yeshiva College.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
