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http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/88534

Breakfast:
Paying guests get breakfast for free. If you are staying on points you need to be gold or diamond to get free breakfast. (source)

Parking:
Complimentary (No longer, is now 60sh for self park - Drago)

Shuls Nearby:
Great Synagogue - Approx. 7 minute walk
Kotel around 15min walk thru the mall & arab Shuk (Only suggested when soldiers are present like friday night on the way home)
Hotel has a Shul in the basement
Shul across the street

Hechsher: Plain Rabbanut Yerushayim (not mehadrin)
hechsherim in isreal
whatever your rabbi says you can eat, someone else's rabbi says is treif

If anyone is planing on staying at Waldorf and not eating the free breakfast (Hechsher, Early flight, etc') please PM shimino1

If you get free drinks vouchers and don't use them, I'll buy it off you for 10 shek per voucher.
PM shimino1

If anyone is planing on staying at Waldorf and not eating the free breakfast please PM dragoddfer, and he may be able to pay for the breakfast.

« Last edited by Mimo on October 25, 2022, 01:41:54 AM »

Author Topic: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem  (Read 1151151 times)

Offline dandu16

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5020 on: June 30, 2021, 11:38:23 AM »
I just did a deep dive on the Hashgacha for the Waldorf.

2 People who are directly involved with almost all Mehadrin hotels in Israel confirmed that from day 1 until now the place only uses Mehadrin products. They both attested that the Waldorf is the best most reliable Mehadrin hotel in Israel. The only products that are not Badatz, Rubin or Landau - are the pareve ingredients from Chasam sofer mehadrin (Which I believe most ppl eat anyhow).

This is not an endorsement of any sorts. This was just my personal research.
"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves"

Offline Dan

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5021 on: June 30, 2021, 11:41:22 AM »
I just did a deep dive on the Hashgacha for the Waldorf.

2 People who are directly involved with almost all Mehadrin hotels in Israel confirmed that from day 1 until now the place only uses Mehadrin products. They both attested that the Waldorf is the best most reliable Mehadrin hotel in Israel. The only products that are not Badatz, Rubin or Landau - are the pareve ingredients from Chasam sofer mehadrin (Which I believe most ppl eat anyhow).

This is not an endorsement of any sorts. This was just my personal research.
Here we go...
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Offline JlmBoi

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5022 on: June 30, 2021, 04:35:45 PM »
Chasam sofer mehadrin (Which I wrongly believe most ppl eat anyhow).
A. FTFY
B. I spoke today to the mashgiach he told me they use Eida, Rubin, Landau, Kehillos and Sheeris shchitas.
C. All those for cannot answer one simple question. If everything is as mehadrin as they say it is, why no mehadrin (or even mehuderet) certificate? It stinks. The best I could get from the mashgiach is "That's how the owners family wants it". Shady.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2021, 04:39:40 PM by JlmBoi »
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Offline Happyguy

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5023 on: June 30, 2021, 04:42:25 PM »
Even the hard cheese is mehadrin? :-\
I wouldn't be so sure.

A. FTFY
B. I spoke today to the mashgiach he told me they use Eida, Rubin, Landau, Kehillos and Sheeris shchitas.
C. All those for cannot answer one simple question. If everything is as mehadrin as they say it is, why no mehadrin (or even mehuderet) certificate? It stinks.

I have spoken to ZNT about quite a few hotels all around Israel. Some they have approved some of the products, some not at all etc. but when it comes to WAJ they say that they have no information about the hotel. How come they know so much about random hotels in Tel Aviv but not WAJ? Is WAJ not as co-operative with Kashrus organisations as appose to other hotels?

The best I could get from the mashgiach is "That's how the owners family wants it". Shady.

Unless they don't want more Chareidim there...
« Last Edit: June 30, 2021, 04:48:53 PM by Happyguy »

Offline Dan

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5024 on: June 30, 2021, 04:47:08 PM »
A. FTFY
B. I spoke today to the mashgiach he told me they use Eida, Rubin, Landau, Kehillos and Sheeris shchitas.
C. All those for cannot answer one simple question. If everything is as mehadrin as they say it is, why no mehadrin (or even mehuderet) certificate? It stinks. The best I could get from the mashgiach is "That's how the owners family wants it". Shady.

A. For parve?
C. Posted reasons here: https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/israel/kashrus-israel-todays-interesting-waldorf-astoria-email-ad-campaign/
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Dan

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5025 on: June 30, 2021, 04:47:39 PM »
Even the hard cheese is mehadrin :-\
I wouldn't be so sure
That's what the mashgichim say.
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Offline JlmBoi

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5026 on: June 30, 2021, 04:52:59 PM »


A. Yes. IMO on the level of Bet Yosef. Not better than average local rabanut. I would use for some basics but woudo not rely on most of the imported products they certify. It's definitely nowhere near the big 3.
C. Fair enough. I'm interested in Rabbi Weiners opinion. Il post when I get it.
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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5027 on: June 30, 2021, 04:53:29 PM »
If everything is as mehadrin as they say it is, why no mehadrin (or even mehuderet) certificate? It stinks. The best I could get from the mashgiach is "That's how the owners family wants it". Shady.

I've heard that many hotels dont have mehadrin certificate either because they don't want to scare away the non religious clientele or because they are unable to due to the pool (mixed swimming?)

Not sure if there's any truth to it though.

Offline Happyguy

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5028 on: June 30, 2021, 04:54:13 PM »
That's what the mashgichim say.

I'm just saying that because in Israel in general there is a lack of mehadrin hard cheese

Offline Dan

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5029 on: June 30, 2021, 04:54:58 PM »
I'm just saying that because in Israel in general there is a lack of mehadrin hard cheese
They can't import?
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Offline JlmBoi

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5030 on: June 30, 2021, 04:55:58 PM »
I've heard that many hotels dont have mehadrin certificate either because they don't want to scare away the non religious clientele or because they are unable to due to the pool (mixed swimming?)

Not sure if there's any truth to it though.
WA has separate swimming I believe and trust me the non religious are sufficiently scared away. Someone once brought up the WA on a predominantly non religious Israeli fb group and I couldn't believe the responses.
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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5031 on: June 30, 2021, 04:57:07 PM »
I'm just saying that because in Israel in general there is a lack of mehadrin hard cheese
You have to know where to look. There's plenty imported with good hechsherim and plenty of local.
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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5032 on: June 30, 2021, 04:57:29 PM »
C. Fair enough. I'm interested in Rabbi Weiners opinion. Il post when I get it.

I asked him. He told me to ask Rabbi Moshe Farkash from ZNT who said they have no information about the WAJ.

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5033 on: June 30, 2021, 04:58:01 PM »
You have to know where to look. There's plenty imported with good hechsherim and plenty of local.

Where? Which hechsherim?

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5034 on: June 30, 2021, 04:58:15 PM »
I asked him. He told me to ask Rabbi Moshe Farkash from ZNT who said they have no information about the WAJ.
Chaval. Noone wants to get into it it seems.
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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5035 on: June 30, 2021, 04:59:22 PM »
WA has separate swimming I believe

Hotel told me they don't

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5036 on: June 30, 2021, 04:59:54 PM »
Chaval. Noone wants to get into it it seems.

The question is, why not?

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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5037 on: June 30, 2021, 05:08:51 PM »
Where? Which hechsherim?
Parmigiano Regiano- OK, Belinov imported.
Grana Padano- Westheim imported.
Manchego- OU imported.
Emental, Gruyere, Roquefort, others- Pevsner imported.
Blue- Gad Kedassia imported.
Gouda, Scandinavian style, Cheddar- Tnuva mehadrin (in desceding order of yum).
Emental- Tara Eida.
Many yellow styles- Gvaot Olam Eida.
Many yellow styles- Meshek Dotan Eida.
Theres a few under Rubin I can't recall.

This is not counting multiple dry and fresh mozzarellas, many cheeses with less accepted hechsherim, the multitude of salty white cheeses, and soft yellows such as camembert and brie. 
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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5038 on: July 01, 2021, 01:34:03 AM »
I have done many bookings there and stayed there many times myself ,I have spoken to rav nafcha as well as the other mashgichim there. It's not so black and white that all the products are acceptable and when in the past I had called them out on certain products being less accepted the response was either , look e/o eats here so what's the problem why can't you , or for an American it's better then anything you get back in the states so what's the issue. If you ask in English vs Hebrew you get very different answers trust me as I have done it many times asked in English gotten a bs answer bc they thought I was an ignorant tourist  then called them out in Hebrew that they were using less then acceptable products  and most times the mashgiach will walk away and say either eat here or don't. The chicken they used to get was rabbannut mehadrin which most people wouldn't eat  for fleishig though officially since before covid they stopped.

I don't know how they operate now since covid have not had a chance to ask but will In few weeks but everyone must know what to ask the mashgiach and not go in blindly that bc someone with a beard says it's fine it's always fine or bc it has Hebrew letters it's automatically kosher . Everyone has their own standards and you should ask according to your standards even the term everything we use is mehadrin
Can mean many things and what mashgiach says is mehadrin (which for an American is anything to rav nafcha as he  holds Stam rabbannut is more mehadrin then anything in the u.s. even say the star k so any american that asks that will always be his default and I know some very prominent rabbanim in the states who basically will say the same thing even though they have no clue of what goes on here) but not everyone holds say that chasam sofer bnei brak is acceptable and for sure chasam sofer petach tikva is very low and not considerd mehadrin which is the hechsher for most of  cheeses they use , and previously they used aguda yisroel for all dairy which again no rav for  charedi / yeshivash oilim  held was acceptable.
Again I'm not coming to knock anyone all I'm saying is due your own research according to your standards or what your rav tells you and keep it to yourself. This isn't  just for the waj but anything you buy or eat in Israel , bc what's good for you isn't necessarily good for others it's never black and white here .


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Re: Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem
« Reply #5039 on: July 01, 2021, 08:04:28 AM »
To which claim chug CS PT says...?