An elderly wedding guest died and dozens more were left seriously ill after suffering salmonella poisoning at the reception meal.
Rene Kwartz , aged 82, was one of four guests rushed to hospital following the traditional Jewish celebration at a hotel in Bury, Greater Manchester, but doctors were unable to save her.
Public health officials have now launched an investigation into the contamination following the marriage of Jennifer Harris to Stephen Wicks on August 8.
Fourteen guests are taking legal action against the catering firm that provided food at the Hilton Suite.
The menu included a buffet of canapes, a salmon starter, chicken soup, potatoes, vegetables, chocolate pudding and ice cream.
The family said that dozens of guests had later fallen ill.
Nine were confirmed to have contracted salmonella after tests, and the bug was recorded the cause of death on Mrs Kwartz’s death certificate.
The three others who needed hospital treatment – a couple in their 80s and a 47-year-old woman – were later released.
Mrs Kwartz died last Thursday.
The bride’s mother, Norma Harris, 58, was among those taken ill. She said that the tragedy had devastated everyone.
Mrs Harris, from Crumpsall, said: ‘The four that were in hospital were very ill indeed. We are absolutely devastated. My daughter doesn’t want to see her wedding photographs. We are in bits.’
Manchester law firm Pannone LLP is representing the guests taking action against caterers Shefa Mehadrin.
Clare Campbell, from Pannone, said: ‘This is a terrible tragedy arising from what was supposed to have been a joyous occasion.’
The investigation is being carried out by Bury council’s environmental health department and the Health Protection Agency.
In a statement issued by their solicitors, the caterers said: ‘We would like to offer our condolences to the family of Mrs Kwartz. An investigation is currently under way, with which we are fully co-operating.
‘Pending the outcome of this investigation we are therefore unable to comment further at this time, other than to reassure all our customers that we always treat food safety as an issue of paramount importance.’
(Read More: Daily Mail UK)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
13 Responses
“Kosher Salmonella Wedding”
Why did the Daily Mail have to single out the fact that it was kosher.
It sounds like they are trying to insinuate that being kosher was a cause of the outbreak.
I am surprised that more people don’t get sick eating at weddings and at many of the kosher restaurants in Brooklyn.
Check the NYC Health Dept website and see how poorly the kosher restaurants have done.
Food sits out all day out of refrigerators in the heat.
Many groceries don’t refrigerate eggs a major source of salmonella. Refrigerators don’t have thermpmeters in them to monitor for the right temperatures.
When they will crack down on these restaurants everyone will yell anti-semitism.
“Many groceries don’t refrigerate eggs a major source of salmonella.”
The makolet here does not refrigerate the eggs, and I’ve never heard anyone complain in the 3 years we’ve been here.
what i find odd is that the shop is opened as normal, the deli is opened as normal and has not been closed down at all by the health people and they catered a wedding on Sunday! so someone must have confidence in them!
I really am horrified!
I have eaten their food many times, it has always been hygenic and delicious, and the shop is always sparkling clean, I DONT BELIEVE IT WAS CAUSED BY THE CATERER.
Isn’t it amazing how people read a news article and feel immediately qualified to judge everything about the circumstances! The comment by “Horrified” could well be true. Who says it was caused by the caterer? At any function there are various outside suppliers and service providers including the equipment suppliers for transporting and storing food. Not to mention basic hygiene compliance which is often lacking on the part of staff who come into contact with food or are charged with responsibilities of washing dishes etc. Come on people! Let those qualified to investigate do their job and hopefully find a factual result. Don’t jump to ANY conclusions about anyone or anything. It is not helpful.
#5 — You’re right! It was a frame up by the same anti-Semites that set up Shalom Rubashkin! It’s not called paranoia when they’re really out to get you.
#1, The newspapers constantly stick in the word kosher, for some reason, on any article pertaining to a Jew or Jews. They somehow find it cute and even original to write, hee hee the kosher kitchen didn’t behave kosher.
Kashrut is not the proximate issue. Very often, salmonella transmission is from unclean hands… The mashgiach (s) always have too much to do. If there are goyim employed, they don’t know sanitation, hygiene, nor kashrut.
Here in Brooklyn, many times guests in restaurants, hotels, etc., DO NOT wash hands properly (if at all). Yes, our chaverim! Do you remember the last simcha you attended? Did you notice how many guests/staff properly washed their hands after the bet ha kisei? (And I don’t mean a very hasty “asher yatzar”.)
Whew! Baruch Hashem it was kosher salmonella. If it were treif salmonella that would have been a real tragedy.
Hi. I know the guy who owns the catering company, and he’s a real nice guy. I don’t think he deserves for this to happen to him. Oh by the way, if you take a fellow jew to a non jewish court then you’re a ‘moiser’ and you’re ‘chayav misah’.
This is ridiculous – could anyone from YWN explain how is this not loshon hara?
I believe that the deli owners are erliche Yidden – is this how we treat fellow Jews? And just days before Yom HaDin?
Well said shaya. None of the jewish media in England who reported this story mentioned the name of the caterer. Come on YWN, why was it necessary to mention names on a frum site of a first time problem with a deli? Nobody in a “Yeshiva World” wants to be involved with lashon hora and rechilus