An Appeal for Kashrus to the Cardiff Jewish Community by Rabbi Asher Grunis, dated September 1923

Description

Two versions of “An Appeal for Kashrus to the Cardiff Jewish Community by Asher Grunis”. One is printed and the other appears to be a typed draft. Kashrus refers to Jewish religious dietary laws. Shechita is the Jewish religious and humane method of slaughtering permitted animals and poultry for food. It is the only method of producing kosher meat and poultry allowed by Jewish law. [https://www.shechitauk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/A_Guide_to_Shechita_2009__01.pdf, accessed 1 November 2018.]

Transcript:

“Cardiff Shechita Board
Under the entire supervision of the Ecclesiastical Authority— Rabbi Asher Grunis, Rev Jerevitch and Rev Simmonds.
September 5683 -1923.

An Appeal for Kashrus to the Cardiff Jewish Community by Rabbi Asher Grunis.

My dear Sisters and Brothers,

The importance of Kashrus is well known to every Jew and Jewess whose heart is possessed of religious feelings. To avoid Traifa food is not only a direct command of our Holy Torah, but its prohibition aims at safeguarding ourselves and our children from the danger and the cankerworm of assimilation. A strictly Kosher Kitchen will do much to impress our children from their earliest youth with the sacredness of our religion, and will bind them to their parents, their Judaism, and their race.

From time immemorial, it has been the practice of Jewish Mothers to exhort their daughters—especially prior to entering upon marriage—to keep strict observance of the Jewish dietary laws, in which they have been instructed during their home life. Experience has invariably shown that marriages based upon such conditions, are more fruitful of real happiness and contentment. It is well to remember that our ancient and venerable Rabbis have expressed the opinion that Traifa food not only enters and injures the body, but destroys completely the Jewish intellect.

I therefore appeal to you, my dear brothers and sisters, to take the greatest and utmost care, concerning Kashrus. Do not buy your Meat, Bones or Fat unless the Porger is present, and actually sees the meat you purchase. If your meat is sent to your house, see that the parcel has the Seal of the Schechita Board or Congregation, as otherwise the Schechita Board cannot be responsible for the Kashrus of that meat. The greatest care and supervision is needed when functions are held in Hotels or Cafés. In the first place it should be borne in mind that the Utensils are Traif; there is also fear (and this frequently happens) of Kosher and Traifa food mixing together, either in cooking or serving. A recent Wedding Feast held at one of the Cafés, where meat and milk foods were served together, was really a scandal.

I must also advise all Jewish women to be very careful when opening a fowl or any poultry, if they have any doubt at all about anything, they should not decide it themselves but ask a Shalo. Some women when they find anything wrong in a fowl, throw the affected part or parts away, and eat the rest of the fowl. That is a sin, and should not be done. When purchasing killed fowls, see that they have a proper Schechita Board stamp.

I fervently hope that our Community will take this appeal to heart and act upon it, to make sure of the Kashrus of the food they use, and uphold the Statutes of our religion.

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year,

Yours faithfully. ASHER GRUNIS, 39 Craddock Street, Cardiff

The following persons are licenced under the Cardiff Schechita Board:-

BUTCHERS:-
A. KROTOSKY, Wood Street,
A. MILLER, Clare Road,
S. GAIST, Bridge Street, [amended in manuscript to Clare St.]
Messrs. POOLE, Central Market.
[Added in manuscript] M. Krotovsky Carlisle St.
POULTRY DEALERS:—
Mrs. GOLDSTEIN, Wood Street,
Mr. CALBSTEIN, Wellington St,
Mr. ERLICK, Stoughton Street,
Mr. GORMAN, Fish Market,
Mr. GOLDBERG, Cowbridge Road.
[Added in manuscript] Goodman, Garden Place.”
[The names have been struck through in manuscript.]
Traifa refers to un-kosher food. A Porger makes a slaughtered animal ritually clean in accordance with Jewish religious laws by removing the sinews and veins. A Shalo is a question.

Rabbi Asher Grunis stated that he was born in Pietrokov (now Piotrków Trybunalski, although other sources mention Czarnocin/Ksarloshin), in Poland in 1877. He married Hannah Baila in 1896 and they had seven sons and one daughter. In 1902 he was appointed Rabbi of Wilczyn in Poland. In 1921 he was appointed the first communal Rav of Cardiff, overseeing the correct application of Jewish religious dietary laws. Five of the sons and one daughter came with their parents to Cardiff and one son, Hirsch, was a minister to the Bangor and Bettws-y-Coed communities before the war. Rabbi Grunis successfully campaigned to permit Jewish children to leave school early in winter on the Sabbath, and prevent Jewish students being forced to take examinations on Saturdays and Jewish Holy days. He also unsuccessfully tried to have kosher food available to Cardiff prisoners throughout the year. He died in July 1937 and he and his wife are buried in Highfields Jewish cemetery. His major work, a commentary titled P’ri Asher (Fruits of Asher), was published posthumously.

Sources:

Page 43 of Bimah issue 18 (Pesach 5759 - 1999) and Introduction to the Fruits of Asher by Rabbi Asher Grunis and his son Iyeleg Grunis.

From the Grunis family archives, which are to be deposited in the National Library (Edward J. Safra Campus) at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.