Why Rechnitz Purchased Doheny

By COLlive reporter

Why would the owner of the largest operator of nursing homes in California purchase a scandal-ridden Los Angeles kosher meat distributor and retailer?

For charity, apparently.

Businessman and philanthropist Shlomo Rechnitz, who co-founded the TwinMed wholesaler of medical supplies for nursing homes and Brius Healthcare, has explained why he acquired Doheny Glatt Kosher Meat Market that closed its doors last month.

“The Rabbinical Council of California [RCC] approached me and said, ‘Shlomo, could this be one of your charity things’?” Rechnitz recalled in an interview with the Jewish Journal. “Kosher meat is expensive enough.”

Rechnitz, 41, took less than a week to close the deal with Doheny’s former owner, Mike Engelman, who was caught on video bringing unidentified meat products into his store at a time when the RCC’s supervisor had left the scene, Jonah Lowenfeld reported.

Rechnitz only held onto the purchase agreement for about a week before arranging to transfer it to a third party, David Kagan, the owner of the glatt kosher retailer Western Kosher, which also does some distribution to local businesses.

“I love the rush of a deal. It’s like a coke addiction,” Rechnitz, said, a tall glass of caffeine-free Coca-Cola on the coffee table in front of him. “Not that I know what coke addiction is.”

The profits he amassed through business ventures with his twin brother Steve Rechnitz, has allowed Shlomo Yehuda to give away millions of dollars — to Jewish charities and also directly to people in need.

On more than one occasion he’s come to the aid of a major Orthodox organization, offering gifts or loans in times of crisis, the Journal writes.

One example was last December when Rechnitz purchased a creditor’s note against Chabad of California’s headquarters in Westwood for $2.35 million, helping the organization avoid foreclosure on the replica of 770.

Lowenfeld reported that Rechnitz, who also donates to Chabad in more conventional ways, said he still holds the note, adding that he’s hoping to be paid back “one day.”

“His business is a front for his charity,” said Rabbi Chaim Cunin, CEO of Chabad of California, who went to school with Rechnitz for a few years when they were boys growing up in Los Angeles. “Because he lives his charity.”

The article in the Journal says that many people seek Rechnitz’s help these days. Since he does not maintain an office, people try reaching him on his cellphone or visiting his home in the neighborhood of La Brea Avenue.

Rechnitz said he sees himself as “a nondenominational giver,” noting that he has given $20,000 to a Texas widow and checks of $10,000 to families of police officers who were shot while on duty in Southern California.

“I don’t think that [non-Jews] should ever look back at the Jewish people and say, ‘You only care about your own’,” he was quoted.

Read the full article at JewishJournal.com

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