When one imagines indulging in a delicious slice of Kosher pizza, they probably envision Kosher cheese and fresh tomato sauce. They might imagine consuming the whole pie solo. They likely don’t think about a Kosher pizza war. Just about a year ago, however, one was waged in a New York neighborhood.
According to a recent report, two owners of Kosher pizza businesses wound up in the Rabbinical Court of Borough—an Orthodox legal system that hears cases in a room above a synagogue in Brooklyn. What exactly was at the heart of this Kosher pizza war? Was it a secret sauce recipe? Was it over some spectacular method of making a crispy crust? No. The war was waged over an interpretation of holy laws laid down thousands of years ago.
In reality, it appears like the owner of one of the Kosher pizza restaurants was upset over the business he witnessed the other restaurant potentially stealing from him. His restaurant had two-hour waits for tables and the luxury of charging $24+ for a gourmet pie. The other business was charging considerably less for pretty much the same pizza, sans the upscale surroundings. Therefore the literal interpretation of the cause of the Kosher pizza war was one business owner trying to “poach” customers from another. And according to one interpretation of Jewish code, this is wrong.
Two Rabbis who heard the Kosher pizza business owner’s case traveled via Uber to both businesses to see if they felt one was trying to usurp the other. It was determined that the business owner who filed the case was suffering from a damaged ego and the case was dismissed.
Who knew there was so much tradition—and competition—behind Kosher pizza? Even though this Kosher pizza war is technically still being waged, there is the assurance firmly in place that people in this neighborhood are privy to some exceptional pizza!