Beer Distributor to Donate ‘Mashke’ to 11 Nissan Farbrengens

By COLlive reporter

At their annual sale of Chometz ceremony, Manhattan Beer Distributors in New York has announced that it will be donating ‘mashke’ to all Chassidic farbrengens in Crown Heights celebrating the Rebbe’s birthday on Yud Aleph Nissan.

As they have done for the past few years, Manhattan Beer Distributors, the largest single market beer distributor in the country providing beer to hundreds of kosher stores and restaurants in the metropolitan area, has sold its Chometz ahead of Pesach.

The first time Manhattan Beer sold their chometz in 2018, it came about after Rabbi Don Yoel Levy obm, the late head of OK Kosher and Rov of Bais Eliezer Yitzchok in Crown Heights, urged Jewish consumers that they should avoid purchasing brands they distributed for a period after Pesach.

Hearing the speech compelled R’ Nosson Sternberg, a Lubavitcher businessman from Crown Heights, and Rabbi Kalman Weinfeld, executive member of the Vaad of OK Kosher and current Rov of Beis Eliezer Yitzchok in Crown Heights, to take action. After much effort, they succeeded in convincing Mr. Simon Bergson, the CEO of the company, to sell the Chometz according to Halacha.

After that first sale, each year ahead of Pesach, the company’s Chometz is sold, facilitated by Rabbi Kalman Weinfeld, his assistant Rabbi Yaakov Teichman, and R’ Nosson Sternberg.

This year, Mr. Alexander Bergson represented Manhattan Beer for the sale, which was sold to Mr. Ed McBrien of the company.

The sale is not only certified by the OK Kosher, but by Rabbi Menachem Meir Weismandl of Nitra in Monsey, NY.

Bergson also used the occasion to don Tefillin, and gratefully received a delicious homemade kokosh cake. The delegation also provided Bergson with Shmura Matzah for Pesach as well.

Bergson then surprised his guests with the news: he will be donating “mashke” – bottles of whiskey to all Chassidic farbrengens taking place in Crown Heights Shuls this Shabbos as Chassidim mark Yud Alef Nissan, the birthday of the Rebbe.

“This year, as we sold the Chometz at Manhattan Beer, it was in the merit of Rabbi Levy obm, whose first yartzeit is coming up on Acharon Shel Pesach,” Rabbi Weinfeld told COLlive.

“We are so grateful to Mr. Bergson for this generous gift, and are honored to be part of this yearly endeavor with the OK which benefits the entire community,” Sternberg said.

Shul representatives may contact Rabbi Weinfeld at +1 (347) 515-3232 until Friday 10 am to receive whiskey for their Shabbos Kiddush.