Not the end of Kosher butchery in Sydney
Kosher consumers are by now fully aware of the closure of Kosherworld, comprising both Hadassa Butchery and Katzy’s.
K-A president Baron Revelman
The president of the Kashrut Authority Barron ‘Revelman and the Rabbinic Administrator Rabbie Moshe Gutnick have issued this joint statement.
“This is a truly unfortunate development for all concerned, with immediate ripple effects for our community, resulting from a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges.
The recent floods in New South Wales together with Covid work shortages in Victoria ultimately led to the proprietors being unable to obtain sufficient product to sell and this led to the businesses no longer being viable.
We wish the proprietors of Kosherwold all the best in navigating this most testing time. Please know that the Kosherworld team gave their all to serve our community and they indeed made many important innovations within the kosher industry. They are the ones who are truly hurting at this time.
The KA is confident that in the near future, another local KA-certified butchery will open its doors, and to that end there are already parties interested in obtaining a kosher butchery licence. The shechita crisis of late will be addressed and will be navigated with Hashem’s help. The current difficulties faced, floods and covid, are not the fault of the previous proprietors, nor are they isolated to one industry alone. Many businesses are suffering.
During this crisis, it is important to note that The Kashrut Authority is not a commercial enterprise engaged in the arrangements of buying and selling of any products, including meat. This is the domain of wholesalers, abattoirs, and retail outlets. We have no control at all over the operation of these entities. We do not open eateries; we do not finance butcher shops. We are not involved in the financial arrangements between butcheries and abattoirs. Our role is to ensure that when these arrangements are made, the highest standards of kashrut are maintained.
Of course, we will make every effort to help in any way we can, and we have done our best to do so during this crisis. However, our primary role is providing supervised shechita of the highest standard, not creating commercial relationships between butcher shops ,wholesalers and abattoirs. The ACCC, with the full support of the lay leadership of the Jewish community at the time, clearly directed us that The Kashrut Authority must not assume a proactive role in the economics of our licensees, and we continue to comply with that overarching and bonding directive. Buying selling renting and leasing are not the role of a kosher certifying agency.
Rabbi Moshe Gutnick
A further point: the future of Sydney based butcher shops and restaurants are ultimately dependent on one thing and one thing only, we the kosher consumers. If we want a Sydney based butcher shop, then we must purchase from that shop. It is a reasonable proposition, that had Hadassa had the share of the Sydney Kosher meat market like in days of old, they likely would have had the turnover and buying power to obtain supply, ride out the current storm.
How we arrived at this point with a loss of market share to Melbourne is a complex story, but one that must be fully understood and overcome. Whatever the reasons for this failure, if we want a Sydney based kosher industry, it is no good pointing fingers at others. We need all of us together to buy Sydney product.
When the new butcher shop opens – and it will – buy Sydney. Indeed the backbone of a capitalist marketplace is free trade and competition but that does not preclude us the consumers from choosing that we want a local butcher and directing our purchases accordingly. In precisely the same manner that the Australian government encourages “buy Australian“, Australian manufactured products are marked with the percentage made in Australia in order to encourage local purchase, so too we need to purchase Sydney products.
We are of the firm view that the needs of the local community are best served by a local butcher. If you agree with us, then you need to buy local. If you don’t agree, that is your choice, but you cannot then complain it is someone else’s fault that the butcher has closed.
Indeed, there may at times be good reason to purchase Melbourne meat in Sydney. Maybe sometimes the service is not as good as we would like. Sometimes there is a price differential. Sometimes it is just more convenient. But we all must do some soul searching. Do we want a local butcher shop or not?
In the meantime, we as a community must sincerely be grateful for the assistance the Melbourne butchers are giving our community and a special shout out to, Continental, Solomon’s and Melbourne Kosher for supplying our community, even while they themselves are under pressure. However, everyone understands that Sydney must have its own meat supply, and we are confident that will be in the near future. However, think long and hard about your choices, as that will only be sustainable if all of us support our local meat supply”
Outrageous cost of kosher meat is to blame
It is all about cost and kosher meat is much more expensive than treyf.