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Suit Alleges UES Kosher Butcher was “Insect-Infected” and Beyond Filthy

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A former employee of the Park East Kosher Butcher has alleged that the establishment on Manhattan’s 2nd Avenue was “insect infested” and that sanitary conditions were neglected

In a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal-court that was tinged with nauseating details of filth, a former Manhattan grocery store employee, alleges that something went totally awry at a kosher butcher on the Upper East Side. After being terminated from his position as mashgiach (someone who preps food and certifies kosher status in observant kitchens) in 2014 from the Park East Kosher Butcher shop, Moshe Ishkahov had much to say about the shocking discoveries of insect infested food being sold to unwitting customers amid the squalor of the establishment.

When making this finding, Mr. Ishkahov reported it to his employer, according to a report published in the New York Post. Offering what could be interpreted as an apathetic and dismissive response, Ishkahov’s employer , the store owner Michael Kane quipped, “Don’t worry. It’s protein.” Ishkahov was also instructed by his supervisor to “wash the insects off the vegetables.”

Ishkahov reported that in addition to foods being ridden with insects, he also witnessed bugs crawling all over vegetables, a proliferation of rats and other vermin throughout the premises and meat being resold that had been returned by customers. He also said that he was directed to store vegetables in roach-covered boxes.

Ishkahov began his employment as mashgiach at the Park East Kosher Butcher in December of 2013 and was let go the following year allegedly for piping up about the egregious sanitary conditions. The suit alleges that Ishkahov’s superiors sought retribution against him for bringing this matter to their attention by denying him compensation for vacation and paid sick leave. He also claimed that he was compelled to dispose of dead rats as a form of punishment for his whistle blower status and that his life was threatened. He alleges that his bosses said that they would “cut you up in pieces” — before eventually cutting his loose from the establishment.

In addition to filing suit against the Park East Kosher Butcher, Ishkahov had also joined the New Jersey based KOF-K kosher supervision service, which gives the store its hechsher (rabbinical approval) as a co-defendant. He asserted that they both were in violation of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act.

According to the Post report, the store manager refused to respond to inquiries from the newspaper and said, “We have no knowledge of this,” before slamming the phone down.

Denying Ishkahov’s allegations was Stephen Hans, the attorney representing the Park East Kosher Butcher. “There’s no merit to these claims,” Hans said, adding, “Anybody can say anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Yedidya Borenstein

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