SHAIMOS FRAUD AGAIN: Man With Truck in Brooklyn Caught Dumping Bags of Shaimos

Shaimos internment has unfortunately been a problematic issue, and in case we thought that this Pesach season would be different, unfortunately, that is not the case, as a Matzav.com reporter discovered.

Driving east on Brighton Beach Avenue in Brooklyn, NY, the Matzav reporter passed a Uhaul truck stopped at a corner in the area of Brighton 6^th Street. He saw a man unloading a black garbage bag and something seemed suspicious. Approaching, our reporter saw that two bags had already been unloaded into a dumpster nearby. The reporter was shocked to find the bags filled with shaimos. Before our intrepid reporter could find out more, the man drove off with his truck, knowing that the scam had been uncovered.

The standard of service in regard to shaimos has long left much to be desired, as some of the shaimos that people carefully set aside for internment have ended up in landfills or local garbage dumpsters.

In better case scenarios, shaimos has been buried in a manner that is not halachically proper or in a manner that violates the legal rules regarding the usage of a property.

Several years ago, Matzav.com broke a story about a shaimos truck parked opposite the Shomrei Shabbos shul in Boro Park, one of the many trucks that dot frum Jewish neighborhoods before Pesach. The attendant at the truck told donors of shaimos that burial would be done by Misaskim – but the fact is that Misaskim does not bury shaimos. Misaskim staff and police responded to a complaint by a would-be donor, leading Misaskim to warn people that they must check with these trucks under whose rabbinic auspices they operate.

Matzav.com reminds readers to ensure that all shaimos is given only to shaimos collectors and trucks under reliable supervision.

The Beth Genizah Cemetery was established several years ago in Liberty, NY, to address these concerns. Overseen by the Vaad L’mishmeres Hashaimos, under the directorship of Rabbi Yosef Schwartz, twenty-five acres were purchased for this purpose.

But resolutions like this are only useful if people avoid using unscrupulous vendors parked on the corners of city streets in large frum neighborhoods.

Once-a-year shaimos ventures are riskier, for they are here today and gone tomorrow, one shaimos expert tells Matzav.com. Using a reputable, continuous service is recommended.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}