[RBS] A letter from The Oriental

[The Viflics]

Dear friends, neighbours and the community,

First, we would like to say that we regret that our teudat kashrut has 
become an issue in our community. We did not mean to be the cause of anyone 
getting upset, and if we did we ask mechila.

Second, we would like to clarify a few points for the public and rabbonim. 
The Oriental Chinese did display an expired teudah for a period of time 
after Pesach. We admit that we truly made a mistake in leaving up an expired 
teudah (we have definitely learned a lesson from this whole experience) and 
we apologise to anyone who may have been mislead into thinking that the 
teudah itself was current, This was truly unintentional.  We had been late 
in paying the annual renewal fee for the teudah. However, under NO 
circumstance did we have any actual kashrus problems or issues with Mehadrin
Yerushalayim.

Even during the time that our teudah was expired, we continued to pay for 
the FULL-TIME Mehadrin Yerushalayim mashgiach, who came in each day as usual
with the knowledge of his supervisor. This fact, together with the fact that 
there was no change of any kind in our high kashrut standards and 
observance, made us think that we still in effect had our hechsher.  Thus 
our displaying the expired teudah was done in true innocence (people make 
mistakes).

Another reason why we left the teudah up, which was also not right in 
retrospect, is that it had contact details of the Mehadrin Yerushalayim 
supervisor (not the mashgiach - but his supervisor) and we routinely urged 
people to call him, if they had any questions.

Our teudah was renewed and paid for by the first week in July.  However, the 
Mehadrin Yerushalayim supervisor did not bring it over to us until the end 
of July, which is when the new teudah went up.

We understand that those who compiled the guide had the best intentions and 
reported what they saw.  Apparently, in their research, somehow they got a
different message from Mehadrin Yerushalayim regarding the renewal of our 
teudah. It is hard to understand this, but apparently all reasonable efforts 
were made, they had whom they thought to rely upon, and they reported what
they understood was the full truth.  We appreciate that the Kashrus Guide 
did contact us, on their own, before the printing of the guide, so that the 
renewal of our te'uda could be included in the Guide.

Thank you to all who have expressed their concerns and shown their support. 
Please G-d, all accusations, recriminations, insinuations and suspicions in
this matter will  come to an immediate end.

We hope and pray that we can continue providing a service to the community, 
BE"H, and may we all be blessed with a shana tova u'metuka,

Itzik and Tamar Viflic