Rav Manat speaks very harshly about the frum Jews, specifically the Haredim, who are traveling to Dubai and eating in the hotels and making weddings there. According to Rav Manat it is impossible for the food there to be kosher, and anyone traveling there now and eating the food is definitely eating treif.
Rav Manat explains that it is extremely difficult to kasher a hotel form kosher to mehadrin, let alone from treif to kosher, and takes time. Without any training of locals, without any mashgichim setting up shop in Dubai and kashering the hotels, replacing equipment, establishing separate kitchens, shechting meat and preparing cholov yisrael and all the other kashrut issues, there is no way food there can be kosher. They are definitely eating treif.
Rav Manat also expresses his consternation at those who might be relying on leniencies in kashrut while there (who otherwise wouldn't), such as a goy cooking the food and eating food that might not be on the level of the Badatzes in Israel.
I haven't been to Dubai (nor do I have any plans to go at this point), but without firsthand knowledge and just assumptions I would not be so quick to cast aspersions on the people there who are frum and God fearing and normally strict and careful about kashrut. I have no idea what the arrangements are for kosher food in Dubai, but it does not seem far fetched to believe that arrangements have been made. They pay to put aquariums in malls, build the largest buildings in the world, snow for a ski resort in the desert - they can import some kosher food some Jews if they want to.
Just as I do not know what the situation on the ground is, neither does Rav Manat. he is just making an assumption, based on his personal experiences elsewhere. He might be right, but he might be wrong. Presumably Rav Manat has not been hired to go check out the situation in Dubai, because he did not say he went and found these and those problems - he just says says he knows how difficult it can be and this happened too fast. Personally, I would prefer to assume that people who care about eating only kosher have made sure that kosher food would be available.
We already know there is a Chabad there, along with at least two Jewish communities. Additionally, we learned not long ago that the OU has been involved in kashrut there already, plus Chabad is likely involved, and there has been kosher food already for the local community.
Leniencies? is it anyone's business to complain about what level of kashrut someone keeps? if someone wants to rely on a "leniency" and rely on the Rama that a goy can cook the food and not require bishul yisrael, that is his business. Rav Manat has no right to say they are obligated to adhere to the stricter opinions. If someone wants to rely on other leniencies, it is purely his business alone.
Rav Manat's warning in general is fair, and anyone who shares his concerns should check out the situation well before going to Dubai. Someone who wants to keep to the strictest levels of kashrut in Dubai should find out what is and is not available there and decide accordingly what food to bring along in the suitcase and what can be purchased and eaten locally. But I would not be so quick to just assume that everyone there is eating treif. And I definitely hope they are not.
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Wrong, as usual
ReplyDeleteThe Chasmono'im were meddling busybodies even more than him
This happens all the time in America.
ReplyDeleteWe have ways of kashering hotels, etc.
They're not shechting meat in UAE, just like meat is not shechted in the US hotels.or hotels the world over.
Maybe he's alluding to problems in kashrut in Israel.