Meat scandal in Los Angeles: new supervision

The LA treif scandal uncovered before Pesach, continues to stir the observant public. Earlier this week, the U.S. media extensively covered the defaults, which Dohemy company, which markets meat to supermarkets and shops in California and other states, marketed treif meat under false kashrus seals.

The company is a wholesale supplier of kosher products to dealers, restaurants and catering. The company also has a branch in the retail market on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, where they sell directly to customers.

It is suspected that the company began to deceive the public and sell non-kosher meat as early as 2010, which empowers the suspicion that for three years dubious meat sold to the public. The one to expose the affair was one of the employees in the company who fell out with the management. The employee turned to rabbis and said that the company owner buys meat from various sources, packs it and pins onto the packaging false labels and counterfeit holograms of kosher lemehadrin slaughterhouses from reputable sellers from which the haredi public purchases all over the U.S..

A private investigator was sent by the rabbis to determine the information received. He performed his task and returned with video documentation, which verifies the information provided by the employee.

Despite the concerns, voices on Pico street on which the store is located - are mixed. "If they would do this type of thing anywhere else in the world, they would already be dead," said Shein Epstein, who lives nearby. Another woman who was standing earlier this week outside the store shouted: "How do they still open?"

A group of rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of California met with Michael Engelmann, owner of the network. According to the rabbis, Engelman initially denied any guilt, but later "admitted bringing products which are not allowed to the store on two or three occasions."

The Rabbinical Council of California removed the kashrus certificate from the store. At the same time, the Council suspended the supervisor who worked at the video photography, and said that it will investigate further evidence against the meat store. In a statement, the council said that in the past testimonies from competitors of the store were investigated, but there was no authentication to these evidences.

Before the owner could recover from the incident that caused an unprecedented damage to his image, shop new kashrus supervisors appeared in the store, led by Rabbi Menachem Weiss. "We are sure that all meat products sold here are strictly kosher," Weiss tried to reassure the customers. "Michael continues to run the business, he is under very great pressure."

Rabbi Weiss told of a series of improvements made after the failure published. Among other things, a new security system was installed, which includes eight cameras spread throughout the store. In addition there is a new overseer who remains in place at all times. Weiss also noted that all the meat in the store before his arrival – was thrown out.

The owner's supporters were optimistic in recent days. "I know Michael, he would not do such a thing," said Heather Brodie, a buyer in the store for many years and defines the latest incident as "political blackmail by interested parties."