PESACH WRAP UP

We found many examples of reasonable prices over Pesach and far too many examples of price gouging. One store in Queens had some of the same products in the regular aisle (the kind that are KP all year) and in the Pesach aisle. Those in the Pesach aisle were 40% higher in price.

One consumer wrote to us and complained that once she trimmed the fat off of the chicken legs she bought, the price was well over $5.00 per pound. For chicken legs, no less! We don’t want to even think what she would have paid for trimmed chicken cutlets!

The action of the Queens Vaad and the Five Towns Vaad still bothers us tremendously. We really believe that they are guilty of lashon harah and of gangsterism of the highest order. Shame on them for their bald faced attempt at extortion. And how interesting that one rabbi works for both the Queens Vaad and the OU, and the other rabbi works for the Five Towns Vaad and used to work for the OU. And now we hear that the company is negotiating with the OU to come on board. How pathetic. Some one should call the US Attny and ask about RICO statutes. Both vaadim would not allow the stores under their hashgacha to sell Streits products, yet both of them rushed to assure consumers that the stuff was, indeed, kosher for Pesach. Hey guys, you can’t have it both ways!

Pesach lists and books contain much that is misleading if not out and out false.

One famous book said that we must only use shmura matza for the seder. Gosh, how about “some people have a custom to only use shmura matza on Pesach?”

Another magazine from an organization that does not allow their certification on gebrokts featured recipes in their magazine that were gebrokts. Go figure.

We could go on and on, but you get the picture. Sure there is lots of info available out there- just not all of it is reliable.

We love Pesach and we would never not keep Pesach, but we do wonder at the incredible high cost of observing Pesach. What do people of modest means do? If you don’t have a house on which to take a second mortgage, how do you buy meat for yom tov when even chicken legs cost a bundle?

It is time we all started telling our so called rabbinic leaders to make it better.

After 120 years when we each stand before the Kadosh Baruch Hu, what will all those rabbis who did nothing to protect those of modest means say?