The Eida's Mess

I don't want to get too involved in the details of the continuing controversy with the kashrus of the Eida, as it is complicated, and there are accusations on each side about conflicts of interest and ulterior motives, so it is hard to know what is karov l'emes and what is not.

The basic updates is that after Rav Shwimmer, a top mashgiach for the Eida in both Glatt Of and Hiddurim slaughterhouses, threatened the Eida, they threatened him with firing him unless he would retract his statement. they also offered him the top job in Hiddurim if he would retract his statement and work to fix the problems from the position of chief mashgiach of Hiddurim. Shwimmer refused and was axed by the Eida. Rav Shwimmer released a detailed letter explaining what many of the issues are and how the Eida has been at best ignoring the problems and at worst causing them by pressuring shochtim and mashgichim. The letter can be found on the haredi news sites, is 4 pages long, and is too long for me to bother translating at this point. To me that is just a basic employment dispute and not interesting - each will have his own claims about what the other side was doing wrong.

The accusations of kashrus improprieties, and sweeping problems under the carpet, are serious allegations. The allegations are so serious that Toldos Avraham Yitzchak, a major component of the Eida community, has given instructions to its adherents to no longer eat Eida Hareidis hechsher (perhaps only on meats and chickens) until further notice, and the Admor is considering setting up a new hechsher because of the problems in the Eida.

Again, I am not suggesting that the accusations are true or not. I have no inside information, no secret documents or firsthand knowledge with this. I am just reading the news and see that the situation in the Eida is a serious mess. No matter who is right or wrong on the specific accusation, the Eida is a mess right now.