(JTA) — The owner of the deli that was the main outlet for kosher food in Liverpool, England, was “completely broken” after being forced to paint over the sign identifying the store as kosher.
Hours later, Robert Kaye hanged himself.
Kaye owned Roseman’s Delicatessen in Liverpool as well as Gough’s Deli in Manchester. He was found dead on June 18 after it became public that he had been selling nonkosher meat for seven years at Roseman’s and was stripped of his kashrut licenses, the Manchester Evening News reported.
The rabbis of the Manchester Rabbinical Court made Kaye paint over the sign identifying the store as kosher.
His partner, Kathryn Davies, during a hearing Monday at the Rochdale coroner said that Kaye had been left “completely broken” by the decision, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Accusations were made against Kaye, who also suffered from multiple sclerosis and depression, after a member of the Gough staff refused to accept a delivery of liver that did not appear to be kosher. The order was for Roseman’s. The product supplier then confirmed it had delivered nonkosher meat to Roseman’s for seven years.
The three rabbinical court judges had followed Kaye back to Gough’s Deli after their meeting in June and watched as he painted over the Manchester Beit Din’s symbol identifying the shop as kosher.
Davies found Kaye hanging in the loft of their Manchester-area home on June 18.