OU Drops Annual Pre-Passover Webcast with Belsky

The OU (Orthodox Union) has been running Pre-Passover webcasts (e.g., 2013 video) for several years with a mixture of lecturing and Q&A featuring their senior poskim (rabbinical authorities), Rabbis Herschel Schachter and Yisroel Belsky. According to their 2013 publicity:

Almost everyone knows the four questions that are read in the haggadah during the Passover seders, but for two OU Kosher poskim (halachic authorities) — Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter — multiple other questions are asked of them every year during the Orthodox Union’s Pre-Passover webcast, which this year will take place on Tuesday, March 12…… Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, vice president of communications and marketing… notes that “the ever popular OU Kosher Pre-Pesach Webcast listened to by thousands around the world has taken place for several years with specific topics and issues addressed in each; this year questions will be accepted on all issues and concerns involving the Passover holiday.”

This year, the OU’s webinar was just for rabbis and Belsky was not on their panel. According to their web announcement,

OU Kosher halachic posek Rav Hershel Schachter will answer general questions… Rabbi Dov Schreier… will discuss Passover food service standards and policies; and Rabbi Gavriel Price… will address ingredient issues. Rabbi Eli Gersten… will serve as moderator and will respond to other Passover–related questions and concerns.

Conspicuously missing from this roster posted in February is Rabbi Yisroel Belsky. He was also missing from the list of respondents to Top Consumer Questions posted on April 3, 2014.

Why is this Passover different from others?

• In other years the OU gave Belsky top billing along with Rabbi Hershel Schachter.
• In other years the OU was eager to have lay members ask Belsky questions.
• In other years the OU upheld Belsky’s position on Quinoa.
• In other years the OU glossed over Belsky’s defense of the Lakewood molester, Rabbi Yosef Kolko

The Answer

Weinberger Conceded His Guilt and Promised to Quit the Rabbinate in December

Rabbi Dovid Weinberger

In September of 2013, Rabbi Dovid Weinberger announced a one year sabbatical leave from his position as Rabbi of Shaaray Tefila in Lawrence, New York. He attributed it to health problems:

My physicians have strongly advised that I take a one year sabbatical in keeping with the torah mandate of “ushmartem es nafshoseichem” (“you should guard your health”). I am confident that this much-needed break will be beneficial in being able to give me the capacity, with Hashem’s help, to serve the klal (public) for many more years in good health.

The letter is ambiguous about which public he would serve. In fact, his understanding with the board was that he was going to get a paid year of sabbatical and that he would not be coming back to Shaaray Tefila. But they did allow him to face save face and they expected him to relocate.

Some would praise them for ridding the shul of a predator while others, myself included are critical because they were allowing him to relocate and prey on girls and women in other communities.

As word of his misdeeds spread, he began to minimize his misconduct and blame his accusers. This led to a confrontation between him and group of local rabbis on December 18, 2013 where they threatened to expose his misconduct unless he agreed to permanently give up any role as a rabbi or educator. He was confronted with the evidence, including an incriminating recording of very serious sexual misconduct. Rather than face more evidence, he stopped protesting and signed the following statement:

To whom it may concern, I Rabbi Dovid Weinberger, formerly the Rabbi of Cong. Shaarei Tefilla of Lawrence, NY, do hereby acknowledge that I will retire from the Rabbinate effective immediately, and will never again serve in the capacity of Rov

How To Succeed in Kosher Without Really Trying

Rabbi Yisroel Belsky

I am reposting this year-old item (5/26/13) about the 2013 Doheney Kosher Meats scandal in LA from the Frum Follies archives because because the Passover season’s kosher concerns are upon us and Belsky is again in the news, this time for defending yet another rabbi crony from charges of sexual misconduct (Five Towns Angry at Belsky Over His Defense of Disgraced Rabbi Weinberger).

This post argues that Belsky, once again, violated fundamental ethical guidelines about avoiding conflicts of interest and issued a ruling for LA that conferred enormous financial benefits on his son-in-law, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz.

Owning a well-run, established business in a growing market is nice. But a monopoly in the same market – now that is splendid. Los Angeles may be heading to a kosher meat distribution monopoly.  Until shortly before Passover 2013, LA was divided into two kosher meat silos. Most of the kosher supervision (hashgachah) in town was provided by the Rabbinical Council of California (RRC). Every restaurant, caterer and retail shop under the RRC had to buy their meat from the RRC certified distributer, Doheney Kosher Meats. The smaller Kehilla Kosher certification (under Rabbi Avrohom Teichman)  required their establishments to buy meat from Western Kosher.  In effect, there was a meat distribution monopoly within each hashgachah.

Then a tsunami overturned this tidy arrangement. According to the LA Times,

Belsky’s OU Quinoa Ruling Ain’t Worth a Hill of Beans

With Passover approaching I thought I would re-post this 12/31/13 item about Quinoa on Passover or how the OU overrode Belsky but tried to obscure his declining status within the OU.

Torah may be timeless, but the Orthodox Union’s (OU) kosher politics are not. The OU reversed gears and is back to saying quinoa is acceptable for Passover, even for those who observe the Ashkenazi custom of not eating kitniyot (a broad category of beans, rice and corn). This is great news for Ashkenazi orthodox Jews who love this high protein seed, especially for vegans who have no other protein-dense options on Passover.

Belsky’s OU Quinoa Ruling Ain’t Worth a Hill of Beans

Torah may be timeless, but the Orthodox Union’s (OU) kosher politics are not. The OU reversed gears and is back to saying quinoa is acceptable for Passover, even for those who observe the Ashkenazi custom of not eating kitniyot (a broad category of beans, rice and corn). This is great news for Ashkenazi orthodox Jews who love this high protein seed, especially for vegans who have no other protein-dense options on Passover.

Rabbi Menachem Genack presides over OU Kosher as its CEO. Beneath him, are two people with the title of Senior Posek (Jewish law authority): Rabbi Yisroel (Israel) Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter.  When the two disagree, the final decision is made by Menachem Genack. They did disagree about