Hospital inquiry into claims patients not getting kosher food
Jewish News spoke to a bereaved son whose father died of Covid. He said: 'My mother wanted him to have kosher food, but he never got it'
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
A hospital has begun an investigation into claims that Jewish Covid-19 patients are not receiving kosher food on request — and in some cases being given non-kosher food.
Jewish News spoke to a bereaved son whose father died of Covid at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
Moshe Baum, whose father Gabriel was 77, has written to the complaints department of Barts NHS Trust, of which the Royal London is part.
Because of Covid, Baum and his family were unable to visit his father in hospital — but he claims that each time he spoke to him by phone he asked about kosher food and the possibility of a hot drink.
He received neither and a shocked Baum found, after his father’s death, a bag full of fruit and sandwiches which had been sent in by his mother — and apparently never delivered to the patient. He said: “My mother wanted him to have kosher food, but he never got it. My father looked like a rabbi, the staff could not have been in any doubt that he was an Orthodox Jew,”
Baum told Barts Trust: “While my dad was in hospital, battling Covid, as you are well aware the family cannot visit.
“While speaking to him on the phone he told me that his special dietary request of kosher food had not been served to him. Even just the request of a hot tea was not available, which resulted in him not eating for days.”
Ari Feferkorn, chairman of Bedside Kosher, which supplies kosher food to patients in many hospitals, has also written to the Barts Trust. Feferkorn claims there were other instances: “In August, the father of a four-year-old told us his child was not served kosher food at Royal London and we stepped in to provide our service.”
A spokesman for Barts NHS Trust said: “We are taking this matter very seriously and have been in contact with our catering contractors, who have a comprehensive kosher menu, and are confident that the kosher food service at Barts Health meets dietary requirements.
“We are working with the Jewish community to make sure that we are doing everything as well as we can.
“In addition, we are currently adapting our process for home prepared foods to be taken to the wards, supported by the volunteers.”
Asked if the Trust would be apologising to the Baum family and anyone else who had not received kosher food, the spokesman said that since a formal complaints process was under way, the Trust could not comment further.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
