July 28, 2014
Today, July 28th marks the beginning of the “Nine Days,” a time of mourning in the Jewish community. During these 9 days, member of the observant Jewish community refrain from eating chicken or beef in favor of fish.
New Yorkers, especially in Brooklyn, might find their frequented restaurants and delis closed or only serving an alternative or half the regular menu containing only fish and dairy. Kosher-Certifiers advise food establishments that are under their certification to cease serving chicken or meat during what’s called the “Nine Days.”
As the kosher eating community, now roughly 1 in 8 New Yorkers, keeps on growing and more restaurants go kosher this is becoming a more noticeable phenomena. The same dietary changes affect all kosher supermarkets where for a bit over a week consumers buy almost no chicken and beef and buy more fish and dairy. Even the Kosher slaughtering plants in New York and Pennsylvania go into some form of hibernation as a price control measure (not flooding the market with unneeded supplies.
Thanks to the generosity of Dagim-fish, NYC’s only Kosher soup-kitchen network, Masbia, will be able to remain open to serve 500 dinners every day, offering an alternative menu of fish.
“For the past 5 years we have been honored to provide Masbia’s network of soup kitchens tilapia, pollock and other fish products to serve during the 9 Days,” commented Abe Stefansky , co-owner of Dagim. “This year also marks the first time that Masbia can continue to order our kosher products through our new partnership with Food Bank For New York City.”
“This year’s donation comes in a time of great need,” added Alexander Rapaport, Masbia’s Executive Director. “Our network of restaurants-style soup kitchens and food pantries have already surpassed last year’s number of meals provided, and we have many months to go. The continued availability of kosher fish through Dagim and Food Bank will also help us stretch our dollar and diversify our meals served.”
Dagim joins the ranks of several community businesses and organizations in Masbia’s newly forming Community Partners Program. From in-kind donations, volunteer support, awareness campaigns and monetary contributions, the support of this growing group of partners is essential to feeding hungry New Yorkers.
“Masbia receives less than 10% of our funding from government,” Rapaport continues. “Support from businesses like Dagim is vital to our ability to serve over 1.5 million meals this year.”
For more information about Masbia’s Community Partners Program, please contact Beau G. Heyen, Chief Operating Officer, at 718-972-4446 x202 or [email protected].
Read the original article HERE.