[Avodah] Jewish Owned Bakeries Open on Pesach

[Prof. Levine]

The Chicago Rabbinical Council recently sent out the following:

April 10, 2008

Nisan 5 5768

Although all of the Jewish owned companies under cRc certification 
sell their chometz for Pesach, the following Jewish owned bakeries 
will be producing during Pesach:

Bulldog Bakery, Solomon Gourmet, Eli's Cheesecake & Today's Temptations.

All products manufactured by these companies during Pesach will NOT 
bear the cRc logo on the package. Consumers should be aware of 
packaging not bearing the cRc logo when purchasing any of these 
products after Pesach.

I sent the following email to Rabbi Sholem Fishbane of the CRC:

Does this mean that you go in and kasher these places after Pesach?

Do these places sell their Chometz? Are there Jews actually baking 
Chometz on Pesach in these places?

Y. Levine

Rabbi Fishbane's  reply:

Yes, we sell their chometz so there is no need to kasher.

I then emailed him and asked:

But who supervises the place during Pesach? How does one know that 
they are using kosher ingredients? Are you supervising the baking of 
Chometz on Pesach?

Rabbi Fishbane's reply:

Our mashgichim visit them during Pesach as well.

None of this sits well with me personally, although it may be ok 
according to halacha. How can an observant Jew go into a Jewish owned 
bakery that is baking chometz on Pesach? What about Moris Ayin? How 
can one justify setting up a procedure that allows Jews to bake 
chometz on Pesach? Of course, on Pesach the bakery is not owned by 
Jews, since the owner has sold his chometz. However, how many people 
actually know this?

The fact that this sort of thing is being done at Dunkin donuts 
stores does not sit right with me. However, these stores are owned by 
gentiles, so it is certainly different. Nonetheless, the idea of a 
fellow with a Yarmulka going into a place that sells chometz on 
Pesach to make sure that it is kosher, strikes me as strange.

I await edification from those more knowledgeable than me.

Yitzchok Levine 
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