Kosher Store Reopens but Business Is Poor

The controversial Emes kosher meat store has reopened its doors, but owner Semion Rachshtut says that customers who once clamored for beef and poultry are staying away in droves despite a maverick rabbi’s blessing.

After a two-month layoff forced by the alleged discovery in his dumpster of an empty poultry box from a non-kosher supplier, Rachshtut went back into business three weeks ago at the shop on South La Cienega Boulevard near the Fairfax District.

But the immigrant butcher said he despairs about surviving without the approval of the Rabbinical Council of California, which canceled his kosher certification in May.

His plight illustrates a growing demand among religiously observant Jews for strict enforcement of ancient dietary laws, spokesmen for the Rabbinical Council said.