The situation largely started in August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey left 4.5 feet of water in the South Braeswood location of Three Brother’s Bakery. It closed for 17 days and forced its owners, Janice and Bobby Jucker, to take out disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. But actually, the bakery had faced closures in 2015 and 2016 from flooding as well.
Because Three Brothers was a Kosher bakery, it was required to close during the eight days of Passover. A year ago, the loans were still in a grace period. So the bakery closed except for its commercial business through the back door, which the Houston Kashruth Association had allowed since Hurricane Ike in 2008. However, this year the payments were rolling and due. Jucker and Bobby made the decision in April to take the risk of staying open so they could pay their loans. About nine days after Passover, they received the news.
“The Houston Kashruth Association (HKA) proudly provided Kosher certification to Three Brothers Bakery for most of its 70 years,” according to a written statement from the HKA. “The HKA is grateful for our long-standing relationship with the Jucker family, and while we understand that theirs was a difficult business decision, it does preclude us from continuing the bakery’s Kosher certification. Our decision was made with appreciation that the bakery will certainly be missed by the Kosher community, and we wish Three Brothers Bakery continued success.”
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