The owner of two kosher delis in Liverpool and Manchester was found dead last week, the day after his kashrut licenses were revoked by the Manchester Beth Din and the Liverpool Kashrut Commission.
Two days before Robert Kaye’s death, a notice went out on social media, purporting to be from the Manchester Beth Din (MBD), announcing kashrut irregularities at Kaye’s Manchester establishment, Gough’s Deli, and the revocation of its kashrut license.
In response, Gough’s Deli put out a statement, declaring that “all food provided and produced within [its] premises has always adhered to and will continue to be within the guidelines of the MBD.”
The following day MBD issued a statement: “Following a thorough investigation over the last few days, we wish to inform the public that the Manchester Beth Din has withdrawn its kashrus license from Mr. Robert Kaye of Gough’s Deli…with immediate effect.”
The same day, the Liverpool Kashrut Commission made the following statement about Roseman’s Delicatessen, also owned by Kaye: “The Liverpool Kashrut Commission wishes to inform the public that unfortunately serious breaches of kashrut have taken place at Roseman’s Delicatessen. These include deliveries to the shop of non-kosher meat and poultry.”
Following the announcement, shul and communal kitchens at King David School, Merseyside Jewish Community Care, and the Stapely care home had to be kashered, and householders were told to kasher any appliances or utensils they had used for Roseman’s products. Instructions were issued on how to kasher ovens and microwaves, and public kashering sessions were held at Childwall Hebrew Congregation.
Roseman’s is Liverpool’s sole kosher outlet and remains open under rabbinic supervision. The Liverpool Jewish community, though, has lost its supply of kosher meat and poultry.
Roseman is believed to have received supplies of non-kosher meat for years through a non-Jewish meat wholesaler, which has provided written evidence to this effect.
On the day before his death, Kaye told the Jewish Telegraph that the MBD had told him that he could regain his kashrut license if he studied and became more Orthodox.
He was found dead the following morning at his Bury, Manchester home.
BBC Apologizes For Not Vetting Imam
An imam who was vetted by the BBC to ask a question on opposition to Islam in last week’s Conservative Party debate was found to have posted anti-Semitic remarks on social media.
Imam Abdul Patel had tweeted, “Every political figure on the Zionist’s payroll is scaring the world about Jeremy Corbyn.” Patel also shared an image of Israel being relocated to the USA as a way of solving the Palestinian problem.
The BBC said Patel slipped through its vetting process because he had deleted his Twitter account before the debate. “Had we been aware of the views he expressed there, he would not have been selected,” a spokesman said.
Board of Deputies vice president Amanda Bowman said, “We appreciate this apology and hope the BBC will ensure that racists like this do not receive a platform in the future.”
Following the debate, Patel was suspended from his position as deputy head of a Gloucester primary school as well as from his post as imam of Masjid Mosque.
Both Tory Finalists Are Known To Be Israel-Friendly
The final two candidates in the Tory leadership race are Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt and, according to Simon Johnson, chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, both “have shown great support and friendship to the Jewish community.”
“They have taken a strong position on all the issues of importance to us, including speaking up vocally against anti-Semitism, and in support of religious freedom and the protection of rights,” he said.
As Foreign Secretary, Hunt tweeted, “Boycotting Israel – the world’s only Jewish state – is anti-Semitic.”
Johnson, meanwhile, boasts of his time as a kibbutznik and of Jewish antecedents. When he was Foreign Secretary, Johnson condemned the UN Human Rights Council for its disproportionate focus on Israel.
The co-chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, however, has compared Boris Johnson to Hitler. Mohammed Amin, who is also the chair of the Conservative Muslim Forum, threatened to resign from the party if Johnson became Prime Minister.
Discussing Johnson’s popularity, Amin told the BBC: “The test is, is this person sufficiently moral to be prime minister and I believe he fails that test. A lot of Germans thought that Hitler was the right man for them.”