Jewish community controversy
Houston's only kosher steakhouse abruptly loses rabbinic certification
Genesis Steakhouse recently lost its kosher certification.
One of Houston’s most prominent kosher restaurants is in a dispute with the rabbis who determine whether or not it's in compliance with Jewish law. Genesis Steakhouse & Wine Bar faces an uncertain future after an announcement from the Houston Kashruth Association that the restaurant is no longer under its supervision.
Before diving into the current circumstances, a bit of background might be helpful. For those unfamiliar, kashrut refers to the Jewish dietary laws that govern whether food is ritually permissible to eat, such as the well-known prohibitions against eating pork or shellfish and not mixing meat and dairy. While the rules may sound a little strange to anyone who isn’t Jewish — even most Jewish people don’t adhere to a strictly kosher diet — keeping kosher is a way of life and fundamental belief for the religiously observant people who follow the rules.
Merchants, including restaurants, grocery stores, and caterers, contract with the HKA to ensure that all of their procedures and ingredients are in compliance with kosher practices, which means that religious people can eat there and feel certain the food they’re consuming is in compliance with their beliefs. HKA operates under the supervision of the Vaad Harabanim, a rabbinic board made up of six Orthodox rabbis who lead the congregations where these deeply religious people worship.
In that community, Genesis stands out among the relatively small group of restaurants that are under HKA’s supervision due to its fine dining-style atmosphere. For more than 10 years, it has been the restaurant of choice for religious Jews in Houston to celebrate special occasions, hold business dinners, and socialize. Hotels and other institutions hire Genesis for catered kosher meals at events. Losing HKA certification means that Genesis’ most devoted customers no longer have ritual permission to dine there.
Genesis owner Jason Goldstein tells CultureMap that the trouble began last Monday, January 20, when HKA Rabbi Nosson Dubin entered the restaurant and asked Goldstein to produce an invoice for a package of fileted fish he found in the restaurant’s freezer. Goldstein explains that he relies on the restaurant’s chef and kosher supervisor to maintain the documentation showing that everything it purchases is in compliance with the HKA’s regulations. Without talking to those employees, he was unable to link an invoice to that specific package of frozen fish filets.
Goldstein emphasizes that the restaurant usually brings in whole fish or filets that have been certified kosher by the vendor who sells them, all of which is reviewed and approved by the restaurant’s onsite kosher supervisor for review by the HKA. Since only certain species of fish are considered kosher, Genesis has to be able to document that all of its fish are acceptable.
“Fish is coming in all the time for 11 years,” Goldstein says. “We have branzino, Scottish salmon, Canadian salmon, bluefin tuna, red snapper, redfish. There’s a lot of fish processed in the freezer, because we have a full sushi board.”
Through a representative, HKA declined to comment on the specific circumstances under which Genesis lost its certification but noted that it always seeks to work with merchants amicably. Terminations are rare. For example, Three Brothers Bakery gave up its kosher certification in 2019 in order to remain open on Saturday.
“Decisions regarding termination of certification are made by the Rabbinic Board (Vaad Harabanim) and typically are unanimous by the rabbis of the Orthodox congregations,” the group said in response to emailed questions from CultureMap. “Exact infractions are not shared with the general public in order to protect merchants. Once a termination is announced, consumers can make choices based on their own comfort levels and/or with guidance from their local Orthodox rabbi.”
After the HKA announced publicly that Genesis was no longer under its supervision, Goldstein released his own lengthy social media post denouncing its decision. In part, it accuses Rabbi Dubin of telling people that Goldstein isn’t religious enough to operate a kosher establishment. For its part, the HKA denies Goldstein’s claims and notes that even non-Jewish people are allowed to operate kosher establishments as long as they’re in compliance with the organization’s rules.
From Goldstein’s perspective, the HKA needs to stop thinking of itself like a regulatory agency and more like a partner to the businesses who pay it to certify their establishments are in compliance.
“A lot of people don’t understand the relationship between a kosher establishment and an organization like the HKA. We have a contractual relationship. What we are hiring them for is liability protection so when customers eat our food, they know I have an outside certifying agency to guarantee the food is kosher. It’s there to protect me,” Goldstein says.
When asked about the importance of outside certification to his customers, Goldstein elaborates. “It’s for the customers. It’s part of doing business,” he says.
In its own statement about the situation, the HKA notes that trust is fundamental to maintaining a working relationship with the businesses it certifies. Once that’s broken, either through repeated violations or angry social media posts, it’s difficult to repair.
“If the Vaad no longer feels that it can trust operations within a facility and identifies a pattern of dishonesty, it must act with conviction. Name calling, finger pointing, harsh and/or threatening language and/or consistent mistrust do not exist within working partnerships,” it states.
Reaction in the community has been mixed. Kenny & Ziggy’s owner Ziggy Gruber shared the Genesis post on his personal Facebook page and added his own commentary about his family’s experiences working with a similar organization in New York. (Kenny & Ziggy’s is not a kosher establishment and is not under HKA supervision).
“It is a true Shonda for our community,” Gruber writes. “I think it is absolutely horrible that a small family business owner who has two children and a wife has their business taken away from them with no fault of their own. I encouraged the whole Jewish community to go out and support them.”
Goldstein acknowledges that not being certified has already hurt his business. He claims to have lost $500,000 in private dinners and catering contracts since the HKA announced its decision last week. He’s seeking to be recertified by a different group of rabbis from outside Houston, but it’s unclear whether Houston’s most religious Jewish people would accept that authority. Recognizing that his relationship with HKA is permanently broken, Goldstein has an ambitious vision for steps the HKA could take that would rectify the situation and preserve the viability of his business.
“In a perfect world, I would like the HKA to apologize for the way things were handled. I do not want to go back under the HKA,” he says. Later, he adds, “Is the HKA willing to be humble? You’d have to understand the personalities involved. That’s a slim to none chance.”
The HKA maintains that any business may apply for recertification. In a statement, the organization offers its own take on any business that would seek certification from another sanctioning body.
“If merchants are able to secure an alternative hechsher (kosher certification), HKA leaves it to individuals to determine their comfort and confidence dining there. While HKA does not provide opinions or endorsements around other kashruth certifications, it does recommend organizations vetted and overseen by the CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council) and consulting with their individual rabbis for guidance.”
At this time, it’s unclear how the matter will ultimately be resolved. The contract between HKA and a business calls for disputes to be resolved by a rabbinic court known as a Bet Din. When that hearing will be held and what decision the court will reach remains to be seen. For now, Genesis remains open for lunch and dinner Sunday-Thursday and lunch on Friday (closed Friday night and all day Saturday, in compliance with Jewish rituals regarding the Sabbath).
