Major Appliance Dealer Addresses Latest Challenges to the Shabbos Kitchen

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ovenCan you open an oven door on Shabbos? How does one properly use the Shabbos-mode on a refrigerator to bypass the internal light and disable the icemaker? What warming drawer model is accepted by most rabbis? These are but a few of the complex concerns that kosher customers of today’s technologically advanced appliances face, according to Mr. Motty Gross, CEO of Brooklyn-based AJ Madsion, a large appliance retailer with nationwide sales. Mr. Gross and a team of rabbis recently met with experts at the Star-K Kosher Certification in Baltimore, under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, where they discussed several issues related to the advances made by many appliance brands for the Orthodox consumer. The Star-K certifies many of these appliances. AJ Madison has invested considerable resources to research the impact on kosher consumers of features offered by major brands to attract kosher consumers.

Following a series of consultations with leading Halakhic authorities including Rabbi Cheskel Strasser and Rabbi Zvi Ortner, AJ Madison has undertaken a massive campaign to educate the religious consumer about Shabbos and Yom Tov mode kitchen appliances. The educational campaign will include a website and informational pamphlets, in addition to seminars and demonstrations, addressing many of the issues relating to Shabbos and Holiday-mode appliances.

“While the Shabbos-mode option is available on many different appliance models, it is not always well understood by consumers, said Mr. Gross. “As a business that is built on customer service, we have a responsibility to educate Shabbos-observant customers to properly understand the technological features, as they relate to Shabbos and Yom Tov use, on appliance models. We want them to have sufficient information on the appliances they are considering before consulting with a competent rabbinic authority and ultimately purchasing the products. As an appliance retailer and an observant Jew, I felt the need and responsibility to advocate on behalf of the Shomer Shabbos consumer.”

Mr. Gross, a well-known community activist, will be traveling to several major appliance brands such as General Electric and Whirlpool, to spearhead a compliance campaign on behalf of the Shabbos observant community. Mr. Gross commented that “our plan is to get every appliance manufacturer to implement improved Shabbos-mode functions on all their technologically advanced products as a new standard in their production of appliances.” Mr. Gross feels that he has a unique opportunity to help the Shabbos-observing community to combine state-of-the-art products with cutting-edge technology to help them observe Shabbos better.

{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter} 


11 COMMENTS

  1. Great! Something else for the Umos Haolom to claim we are taking over the world.

    Do we have to be in their faces where ever they go?

  2. Smartalex, it’s about marketshare. Keeping in mind that the Jewish market for appliances is probably larger than the average, it’s no wonder that major companies will try to accomodate.

  3. Kudos to AJ Madison, one of the most ehrlicheh dealers in town. Do you how many FRUM yidden are nichshol simply because they don’t realize what mechanisms are involved? There needs to be awareness first and foremost in our own community that there are real issurim involved.

  4. To smartalex-comment 1 –

    Don’t be embarrassed about your Jewishness. The main reason that the goyim hate is due to a lack of Jewish Education. Except for those few goyim who live in or around Jewish communities, the goyim have no idea what we are about or why we dress the way we do, or why we don’t eat their foods or why we take our blood pressure every day with those little black boxes and straps or why we wear those beanies on our heads or why we won’t meet with them on Saturdays or go to their ‘shikker’ parties….etc. I learned this as I traveled throughout the U.S. years ago. If you teach them about Yiddishkeit on their individual level they will tell others and you will no longer be “weird” to them. They may even respect you.

  5. @#6, Goyim hate us because “Esav Soneh es Yaakov”. It’s just a fact, part of the briyah. Anyone who thinks they can change it doesn’t understand the concept. In the meantime I’ll take a shabbos mode oven

  6. Neigerig, Aj Madison is in Boro Park on 38th street and 14th Ave. I bought a couple of appliances there and was thrilled with their prices and service.

  7. smartalex , so be oiver on shabbos bec you are afraid of the Umos haolam?

    Shabbos is a protection, throughout the generations pple have forsaked everything to keep Shabbos. This is a Kiddush Hashem.

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