16 Av 5770
July 27, 2010

Once again, I turn to the growing number of readers and subscribers interested in kashrus and the ongoing effort to learn and improve the situation in Eretz Yisrael to assist.

Earlier this week I met with the rav/posek of the Jerusalem Rabbinate, Rabbi Eliyahu Schlesinger Shlita, using our meeting to point out what I believe are many problems with the local rabbinate kashrus.

The rav appeared most attentive and more importantly, genuinely concerned, and promises to work with me directly towards improving the situation in Jerusalem. (more…)

23 Tammuz 5770
July 5, 2010

I am usually not at a loss for words, but my experience yesterday in the community of Ramat Beit Shemesh left me searching for the correct adjectives to describe the exuberance and genuineness of the community’s desire to learn just how one can navigate the Israeli kosher scene – how to enjoy eating out and finding the supermarket bargains without compromising one’s kashrut standard.

In truth, many of us, including long-time residents of Eretz Yisrael learned they really did not know what the standard is, since that requires understanding the system, which many do not. (more…)

 19 Tammuz 5770
July 1, 2010

I hope to be in the New York City area for about a week beginning October 6, 2010. If you are interested in arranging a Jerusalem Kosher News (PowerPoint) presentation for your shul or community (event), an approximately 120 minute lecture and PowerPoint presentation, please contact me at Jerusalemkn@gmail.com .

This is the presentation given to a growing number of anglo communities in Israel and post high school students learning in Eretz Yisrael, providing them with the tools to navigate the kashrut scene in Israel. (more…)

16 Tammuz
June 28, 2010

DON’T FORGET to join me in Ramat Beit Shemesh on Sunday, July 4th. I will be giving lectures for men and women (AM and PM) in English accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation on how one can navigate the kosher scene in the Holy Land.

16 Tammuz 5770
June 28, 2010
The High Court of Justice ruled in favor of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel against a food importer, who was seeking to override the Rabbinate’s rulings regarding food imports, insisting that any foreign hechsher is acceptable under the nation’s kosher law. In short, he wished to usurp the Chief Rabbinate’s authority to make its own determination as to what hechsherim/items are acceptable for import as kosher/approved.

The court upheld the authority of the Chief Rabbinate as the state agency responsible for determining what is and is not accepted as kosher and approved, and the petitioner, in this case an importer, must agree to the Rabbinate’s terms if items being imported are to be approved by the Chief Rabbinate.

The importer was also instructed to undertake the legal costs, NIS 12,000.

10 Tammuz 5770
June 22, 2010

Like it or not, if an event is being hosted and it lacks a hechsher, you simply have no right to eat, even if those partaking exhibit a ‘more Orthodox’ look in your mind.

Their religiosity [or the lack of it] should in no way be a factor in your effort to determine if there is a kosher certificate for the event. Not everyone sporting a beard and a fedora is a kashrut expert!

We must demand that caterers comply with the acceptable American standard, and every event MUST display a valid original kosher certificate as described below, a certificate specifically for the event. (more…)

9 Tammuz 5770
June 21, 2010

I will be speaking on 22 Tammuz (Sunday, July 4th) in Ulam Shabsai in Ramat Beit Shemesh (Beis Tefillah Yonah Avraham, corner of Nachal Refaim and Luz).  (more…)

8 Tammuz 5770
June 20, 2010
 
“Can I ever know which of the five areas listed ( practical concerns  ; Halachic concerns of doing it right  ; Halachic grey areas ; minority opinions ; may lead to issurim ) are being addressed by any particular hechsher?
 
O.K , I admit  my ignorance.  Now what do I do? ”
 
    Rabbosaiy , and Ladies: You pick a Doctor, and trust him or her,  precisely because you have not gone to medical school. And if you indeed do not trust your Doctor, or think you know better , do yourself and the Dr. a favor–go away, and find another Doctor. Because if you do not trust him , if you think he is not knowledgeable enough , or that he has an agenda (such as money or kovod)–well , as Moshe Rabeinu put it—“Ribbono shel Olom: This won’t work .”  Because you will find  101  things to complain about , nothing he does will satisfy you , you will kvetch and complain about how he treats you–because you are missing the basic element of trust. You don’t trust him.  (more…)

3 Tammuz 5770
June 15, 2010

A personal note of apology: Yes, this is my third attempt to write the final column on this topic; as you will soon see, I am again unsuccessful. This is NOT intentional. I congratulate members of BTYA who are able to smile and say, “I could’a told you this would happen!”
 

From last week’s column:
BUT, how do I know which hashgachos have the standards that I, too, want to uphold? In fact, how do I know which standards I want to uphold? How do I know which hashgachos are themselves playing one-upsmanship, and are creating chumros which are not halachically sound? Can I ever know which of the five areas listed above [in part four] (practical concerns; halachic concerns of doing it correctly; halachic grey areas; minority opinions; may lead to issurim) are being addressed by any particular hechsher? (more…)

1 Tammuz 5770
June 13, 2010

In this article I will b’ezras Hashem summarize and encapsulate what we have learned, and I will suggest a derech in understanding the plethora of claims of being mehadrin.
 
Let me start by reiterating that mehadrin is about standards, not about kashrus per se; standards — both practical (how do I make a problem less likely to develop; how long will it take for a problem to develop; and how will I know if and when one does develop?) and halachic (how much care is taken to cover the shitos in this matter?).

(more…)