Hebrew National Takes on N.Y. in Hot Dog Dispute

Someone in state government altered a document to make it appear Hebrew National sold non-kosher frankfurters, needlessly alarming Jewish consumers nationwide, the meat company charged in a lawsuit announced Thursday.

“We have built an outstanding reputation over the course of 81 years and will not permit that reputation to be tarnished by irresponsible acts of New York state officials,” said Isidore Pines, Hebrew National president.

The suit, filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan by Bronx-based National Foods Inc., Hebrew National’s parent company, names state Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Donald Butcher and Rabbi Schulem Rubin, director of kosher law enforcement for the department.

Soaked in Water

Butcher was out of town on Thursday. Rubin and other department officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

Last Friday, Rubin said his department had determined that on June 19, 1985, about a truckload’s worth of Hebrew National meat was soaked in water that was an improper temperature under kosher law.

Rubin also was quoted as saying Hebrew National had failed to pay a $39,800 penalty or otherwise respond to the charge.

“Each of these statements was blatantly false and was known to be so at the time they were made,” said Pine.

Hebrew National is asking the court to annul the charge against it and to prevent the state from collecting the penalty.

At the time of the inspection, Pine said, Hebrew National’s supervising rabbi told state inspectors that although “someone had fooled with” the water temperature, it still fell within kosher guidelines.

Hebrew National then was given written approval for the meat, Pine said. But on May 8, the state sent a letter to Hebrew National charging that it falsely represented the meat as kosher.

When it obtained a copy of the inspection report, Hebrew National found it had been changed: a check for “in compliance” was crossed out and “out of compliance” was checked instead, according to Pine.

“It is our position that the false statements, attributed to Schulem Rubin, were made maliciously in an attempt to do irreparable harm to Hebrew National,” said Pine. “In turn, we charge that the department, by its agents or employees, has altered an official document and sought to prosecute an alleged violation based on such alteration.”

Pine said he didn’t know what would motivate such an attack, but said it might be related to Hebrew National’s decision to move its salami factory from Queens to Indianapolis because of union problems.

National sells about $80 million worth of salami, frankfurters, bologna, corned beef, pastrami and pickles worldwide each year. In March, the company began a $2-million advertising campaign.