Bidspirit auction | At the Height of the

At the Height of the Kashrus Battle in America – Letter of Certification from Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the Chief Rabbi of New York – 1896 Letter of kashrus certification signed by the gaon Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the famed Chief Rabbi of New York, foremost talmid of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, written in New York on the second day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, 1896. This letter was written during one of the most turbulent chapters in the history of kashrus in America. Only a few months earlier, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef had courageously prohibited the shechitah of a shochet who knowingly fed treifos to Klal Yisrael. His uncompromising stand ignited a fierce battle against him. The struggle for the sanctity of kashrus cost him dearly, and by the time this letter was written he had already fallen gravely ill. His weakened condition is clearly reflected in his signature, written with great difficulty. The letter certifies the reliability of Reb Moshe Mendel Werner , producer of kosher coconut-oil soap: ”...He is a trustworthy and G-d-fearing Jew, and one may rely upon his word and integrity that the soap is produced according to halachah...” Reb Moshe Mendel Werner was apparently the well-known shadar who faithfully served many of the gedolei Yisrael before settling in America. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Chief Rabbi's Historic Battle for Kashrus When Rabbi Yaakov Yosef arrived in New York, he was received with extraordinary honor as the city's first Chief Rabbi. But as soon as he began establishing proper standards of kashrus and introducing lasting reforms to the shechitah system, fierce opposition arose against him. Newspapers of the day viciously attacked him, and powerful interests did everything possible to undermine his efforts. The controversy reached its height in Kislev 1895, when he prohibited the shechitah of a shochet who had deliberately sold treifos. The anguish of this bitter struggle shattered his health, and he never recovered. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Maharil Diskin Comes to the Defense of the Chief Rabbi The gedolei Yisrael came to Rabbi Yaakov Yosef's defense. Foremost among them was the Maharil Diskin, who sent him a remarkable letter expressing his profound esteem: ”...To the honorable gaon, renowned throughout the world, a tzaddik who rules through the fear of G-d... Rabbi Yaakov... Av Beis Din of the Congregations of Bnei Yeshurun in New York... News most alarming has reached our ears. Printed notices have appeared before me of those who have risen to speak arrogantly against a tzaddik such as yourself... I have therefore considered how I might come to your aid... My words are intended only to strengthen and encourage Your Honor, that your heart should not weaken, chalilah, nor your hands slacken from faithfully standing guard over your sacred mission...” A remarkable document from the heroic struggle to preserve authentic kashrus during the formative years of American Jewry.