Jerusalem Kosher News

1. Final Shuk Tours of 5769
2. Where Are You? The Response…
3. Whiskey, Liqueurs & More on Hotels
4. Lalush Bakery Jerusalem Goes Mehadrin

1.    Final Shuk Tours of 5769
After assessing the situation, the number of people still interested in the shuk tours dictates that we provide another opportunity. I have determined there is a need and as such, there will be two final shuk tours, Machane Yehuda shuk that is, in Jerusalem, on Monday, September 14, 2009, the last Monday before Rosh Hashanah.  

If you responded earlier, that was only to give me an indication as to the number of people interested. To register, you must respond to this email. In the subject write “shuk tour”. In the message, the number of people registering, their names and which tour, AM or PM.

The tours will get underway on Machane Yehuda Street in front of Chochmat Burekas, at 9:30am and 5:30pm. The tour takes about 90 minutes. Cost per person is NIS 40. Please bring exact change. There are no discounts. Cash only please. Thank you for understanding. Receipts will be issued on location.

I will not be sending additional information as per meeting time, place, date and so forth. You will receive a confirmation that you are registered. Looking forward to seeing you then.

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2. Where Are You? The Response…
I recently asked subscribers to respond, telling me where they are reading the Jerusalem Kosher News. Here are some of the responses. Baruch Hashem, JKN can boast readers around the globe, and growing.

Melbourne Australia, Valley Village, California, Deal, NJ, Maalot Daphne, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boca Raton, Ramot Polin, Hendon (London), Talmon, Miami Beach, Florida, Far Rockaway, Oceanside, NY, Zurich, Ramat Eshkol, Toronto, Kew Garden Hills, Chicago, Florida, Mitzpei Nevo, Maale Adumim, Yerushalayim, Har Nof, Jerusalem, Manchester, Montreal, Lakewood, Tzfat, Austin, Brooklyn, Sanhedria Murchevet, Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, La Jolla, Teaneck, Bat Ayin, Los Angeles, Telshe Stone, Netanya, Ramat Beit Shemesh, Shilo, Ramat Eshkol, N’vei Yaakov, Hashmonaim, Yad Binyamin, Switzerland, Livingston, NJ, London, Golders Green, Bergenfield, NJ, Kibbutz Lavi, and Manchester to name a few.

Thanks for responding. If I omitted you my apologies. Decided to close the list and move on but that does not mean you are not a valued reader!

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3. Whiskey, Liqueurs & More on Hotels
I spoke of some of the ‘questionable’ hard drinks appearing in some restaurants and hotels in past reports. I would like to make the following statement. This is the way it is, and my remarks are not an endorsement but simply passing information along to you. I also do not dispute the decisions of rabbonim, just seeking to enhance your knowledge base.

Regarding whiskey and liqueurs, there are a relative few with hechsherim; some others considered ‘approved’ and even some that are used based on tradition. The matter is complex, addressing scotch whiskey, Canadian whiskies, blended and of course liquors, which all agree requires a hechsher. There are issues stemming from the barrels, mixing with wine, brandy [wine based] drinks, and issues of grains (chodosh), to name a few. (For the record, you are welcome to have a l’chaim at my shabbos table – I use some scotches).

Bottom line, like it or not, the drinks are more or less out of the confines of a hecsher – meaning to say, the kashrut agencies by and large to not accept responsibility for them. Hotels may claim they need some ‘higher end drinks’ to accommodate non-Jewish patrons, and other reasoning. You can attend an Eida Chareidit [or other kashrus agency approved] wedding and see bottles of scotch whiskey and unflavored vodka on the tables – they too politely turn a blind eye t0 the ‘approved’ brands brought in by the baal simcha (host). I am not saying they are non-kosher G-d forbid, just seeking to make you aware that generally speaking, they do not have kosher certification, but in a good case, unwritten approval, no more.

Truth be said, there is a ‘tradition’ for drinking unflavored vodkas, which one may find on the tischin of admorim and gedolei yisrael, and whiskies are everywhere, and there are torah giants who permit them, but liquors do require a hechsher and realize when you are out on the town, the kashrut agency may not necessarily be certifying every bottle you see in the bar.

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4.    Lalush Bakery Jerusalem Goes Mehadrin
On March 17, 2008, I reported on the then new Lalush Bakery located on Agrippas Street in Jerusalem, close to the shuk. It then had a regular Jerusalem Rabbinate certificate and an unauthorized mehadrin. Today it has moved to the legitimate mehadrin of Badatz Beit Yosef.

By the way, another branch of the bakery, in the Shilat Shopping Complex in the Modi’in area, is also Beit Yosef mehadrin.

Lalush Bakery Jerusalem

Lalush Bakery Shlilat Modi'in area