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<font size=3>At 03:14 PM 4/14/2010, R. Joel Rich wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">April 13, 2010<br>
Although Safeway Supermarkets is a non-Jewish corporation, the Eastern
Seaboard Safeway stores order 80% of their groceries from C & S, a
Jewish distributor. These products will arrive in stores by April 18th.
Chometz which was purchased immediately after Pesach may be used.
However, for three weeks starting from April 18th through May 9th, 2010,
chometz products such as cereals and pasta should not be purchased from
Safeway.<br><br>
Please post this in your shul or synagogue<br><br>
View all our alerts here<br><br>
This message was sent from Star-K Certification</blockquote><br>
A reputable Orthodox rabbi wrote the following to me. "I don't
know whether the Star-K is unaware that I sell chametz for C&S, or
are aware but don't think it's valid. If the latter, it's not just
a problem for Safeway, but for a slew of other supermarkets: C&S is,
I believe, the largest food wholesaler in the Northeast."<br><br>
I also learned the following from a reliable source, "Rabbi
Heinemann does not hold of R' Moshe's heter when the mechira is made and
the baal habayis stays open." However, there are many
respected rabbonim who do agree with Reb Moshe on this issue. <br><br>
This announcement from the Star-K was I have been told meant for
Baltimore only. However, it does not say this in the announcement. As a
result, it has been picked up nationally and is being spread as the
"gospel" everywhere. See
<a href="http://www.kashrut.com/Alerts/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.kashrut.com/Alerts/</a><br><br>
IMO, the Star-K did not do a community service by sending this
announcement out without qualifying it properly.<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Yitzchok Levine</font></body>
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