Rabbi Slams 92nd Street Y For Serving Non-Kosher Food At Gala

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A little-known rabbi has launched a media assault against the venerable 92nd Street Y for serving a “kosher style” meal at its May fundraising gala.
In a full-page ad in the latest issue of the New York Jewish Week, Rabbi Sholtiel Lebovic issued a “COMMUNITY ALERT AND PROTEST!!!” against the major Manhattan Jewish community center, known for its high-profile lecture series.
Lebovic, who claims to hold the “world record for Koshering more kitchen than any single individual since the world was created,” calls on the Y to hire a kosher caterer for the gala, which takes place in four days.
The gala’s website refers to gala’s “dinner experience” as “kosher style,” a euphemism that generally means that only kosher ingredients are used, and there is no mixing of milk and meat, but the food is not prepared under rabbinic supervision.
“A phone call to the right kosher caterer has to be made to set this right and have a truly kosher event,” Lebovic said in an email to the Forward.
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.
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