01/06/2023
Statement Regarding Konjo's Kosher Certification:
Dear Jewish Community,
We feel it is important to address the recent decision by Kosher Australia to revoke our Kosher certification at Konjo. We want to assure the entire Jewish community that Konjo has always maintained the highest standards of Kashrut, and there is no need to worry about consuming non-kosher food at our restaurant.
The reason behind the withdrawal of our Kosher certification was solely a financial decision and not a reflection of our level or standard of Kashrut. We would like to present the facts surrounding this situation:
1. On Sunday, our main Chef who is also our Mashgiach was unable to work due to COVID-19-related circumstances. As a result, we faced a challenge in ensuring continuous supervision in accordance with Kosher Australia's requirements.
2. Kosher Australia suggested that we hire one of their own Mashgichim during this period. However, based on our previous experience with this arrangement, we felt it was not suitable for our specific needs. Consequently, we made the difficult decision to temporarily shut down the restaurant during the absence of our own trusted Mashgiach, who Kosher Australia was ok with.
3. Regrettably, instead of allowing us the opportunity to resolve the issue in a professional manner, Kosher Australia chose to publicly make baseless statements within our small yet vibrant community, suggesting that Konjo was not kosher. We would like to clarify that these statements are far from the truth. The decision made by Kosher Australia was purely business-oriented and did not adequately consider Halacha or Kashrut. Given the existing challenges our small business faces, hiring additional staff would not have been a viable solution, and we believed that temporarily closing was the most responsible course of action.
Currently, we are actively working on establishing an alternative arrangement with a stringent Halachic authority in Melbourne. We implore Kosher Australia to provide the community with an accurate account of why they made this decision without prior consultation with us, and we kindly request them to retract their public statements.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for your ongoing support. We want to reiterate that Konjo has always been committed to upholding the highest standards of Kashrut, and we are determined to continue serving you with the same level of excellence.
Thank you,
Konjo