Jerusalem Plaza Hotel - Sukka construction

With the New Year rapidly approaching, 5770, we are entering holiday hotel season, with many of us opting to ‘celebrate’ Sukkot in a hotel. Actually, there are already ads for Pessach resorts, and this too is fine. We seem to plan ahead and doing so can result in significant savings.

I feel compelled however to share some information with you. I recently saw a number of adverts for holiday packages, usually sponsored by travel agents or agencies which design all-inclusive holiday packages, which may include hotels, travel to and from and much more. This going-away trend seems to be gaining in popularity in Israel too, once only seen in North America and Europe.

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The rabbi’s chassidic look and pronounced beard and side locks are perhaps compelled to take a back seat to his marvelous personality and genuine willingness to pass his wealth of knowledge along to others. He is quite the upbeat fellow, and I for one was impressed, grateful as well, regarding his willingness to give me hours of his time.

Crowne Plaza Hotel

What began as an interview of another Jerusalem hotel actually became a day-long adventure, one that benefited me greatly. Rarely do I have an opportunity to have a one-on-one sit down with someone of the caliber of Rabbi Yosef Fink, the rabbi and chief mashgiach of the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem. Anyone in the loop regarding kashrus in Jerusalem in particular, or in Eretz Yisrael and perhaps the international community has heard of Rabbi Fink, a veteran personality in the field, a reference manual for questions pertaining to kashrus, ‘isur & heter’, ‘basar v’chalav’ or what have you.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

This is a most difficult report, not due to a lack of cooperation or information, but quite the contrary – to much information to report.

The Sheraton’s rabbi and chief mashgiach, Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Altman was more than cooperative and provided me with more than a bit of information. While I realize electronic media is more forgiving regarding the length of a report, I could not possibly include all the information given over to me during over two hours of discussion. I will however do my utmost to present facts, stories and antidotes as they were given over to me by the veteran mashgiach, who has been serving in his post for 17 years.

“The Plaza” as the hotel is more commonly known, has served for many years as a bastion for the Sabbath-Observant community long before such high standards of kashrut became available in other luxury hotel settings. The hotel is known for its high standards, and perhaps for its Shabbat lunch buffet, undoubtedly a favorite for many North American visitors.

Anyway, down to business – Rabbi Altman explained his hotel is certified “mehadrin” by the Jerusalem Rabbinate, and as such, there are no exceptions. All meats are glatt (chalak), dairy chalav yisrael, greens Gush Katif, and so-forth. All dry goods and ingredients must have mehadrin certifications and from what I could see, they all do.

Rav Altman, whose knowledge regarding the kashrut industry became increasingly apparent as the interview proceeded, was extremely careful responding to a number of questions, making certain that a layperson such as I could absorb the facts accurately. When asked which hecsher is used for meat, milk, and cheese for example, he candidly explained that they are all mehadrin. (More on this in the article)

The entire hotel maintains the same level of kashrut, including the Primavera Restaurant on the right side of the lobby, all dining rooms and lounges – there are no exceptions.

He expounded on his response explaining that he is permitted to use any hechsher approved by the Jerusalem Rabbinate, which presents him with a large array of meats and dairy products, all maintaining a high standard. As such, he refuses to tell any guest that the milk is a particular firm, and the same for meat served at a meal.

The rabbi stated it is quite simple and one must realize that in an institutional setting, a chef may exhaust a supply of a specific cheese and take another off a shelf, another brand and another kosher certification. As such, he will not take responsibility for something that in essence cannot be controlled due to the enormous volume of food passing through the hotels kitchens daily.

The rabbi stated that guests may realize all the foods are mehadrin, and the kitchen maintains a high standard, but regarding the certification of a specific item served, that is a non-starter.

That said, he did add one booking a private affair may indeed order a special hecsher of meat for example, Rav Landau or the Jerusalem-based Eida Hareidit. This however is not a commonplace occurrence he explains, since it is known the hotel’s level of kashrut is quite high.

The kitchens are all separate, meat, dairy, bakery, and parve – used for fish. Everything follows the traditional pattern, color-coded cutting boards, holes in utensils for dairy and no holes for meat. Flour and rice are checked/cleaned mechanically, with the machines located in a special room for that purpose alone.

We toured it all, the lounges, dining rooms, ballrooms, kitchens, refrigerators and freezers, and storage facilities. I even saw the private dining area which over a decade ago housed the then-famous Cow on the Roof Restaurant, which was not mehadrin due to a number of items on the menu. That has since been closed and now, the entire hotel maintains one level of kashrut.

There is a mashgiach on duty every shift, as well as a live-in on Shabbat and Yomim Tovim (Chagim).

In addition to the food aspect, the mehadrin hotel attempts to maintain a Shabbos atmosphere, explaining none of the non-Jewish employees will willingly perform anything forbidden on Shabbat if asked to do so by a guest. Jewish and non-Jewish employees alike are well-aware of restrictions regarding Jewish Law and customs, and they seem to accept their instructions the same as other rules governing each one’s respective job description.

In addition, all electronic items in rooms are turned off before the beginning of Shabbat, including locks, switches that shut off lights when room doors are closed, and other questionable modern-day devices in the bathrooms and elsewhere.

Other steps are taken as well to meet the stringent halachic rulings of the Chazon Ish regarding the warming and serving of foods on Shabbat, as well as the serving of the foods to guests. Much behind-the-scenes effort is taking place, perhaps appearing benign to most guests, but in actuality, it is part of efforts to adhere to many ‘chumrot’ (stringencies) to accommodate the most demanding kosher consumer.

As an overall conceptual matter, Rav Altman explained there is an advantage regarding kashrut in a major hotel, especially a chain hotel, since the name and prestige surrounding the operation is a matter of premium importance and most managers are too wise to risk a future career and/or the hotel’s name for immediate gain, even a profitable one. As such, there is less risk in a hotel than a small business that a buyer would intentionally acquire something which is deemed unacceptable by the mashgiach.

Logistically speaking he added it is almost impossible, since the purchase of any food item involves a number of departments in the hotel, and it is difficult to conceive of a situation in which they would all conspire to deceive the public, jeopardize their careers, and the hotel’s good name. This would include the mashgiach, hotel buyer, chef, budgetary personnel and others.

Let’s jump to Pesach, which by the way is in full swing at the Plaza. Some areas are already marked “Kosher for Passover,” and boarded and/or padlocked close. Others are well on their way while others are still operating as usual. While it is too lengthy an explanation for this forum regarding detailed realities of kashering The Plaza for Pesach (Passover), I was more than amazed to observe and listen to the rabbi – who masterfully explained the logistical realities of koshering one room at a time which still maintaining a flow of food to satisfy his guests, never permitting the behind-the-scenes reality impact the level of service to guests.

This is in no small part due to accumulated experience and a total familiarity with the facilities available to him as well as the actual literal ins-and-outs regarding all the kitchens, storage facilities and other spaces, permitting him many options. Rav Altman explained that if he were less familiar with the physical layout, he couldn’t possibly know what areas to cordon off, lock, permit access to and so forth since the area being kashered is simply too massive.

This year adds an additional challenge to the most seasoned mashgiach, with seder being on Saturday night. The hotel will be serving only kosher for Passover foods at least 5 days before the holiday, at which time one may eat one’s fill of matzah but there will no longer be bread to be found.

Interestingly, in a world paying increasing attention to security and anti-terror concerns, the days before Pesach hotel staff and security who greet you will not be any less concerned about checking visitors, but they will be no less diligent in efforts to prevent anyone from bringing any chametz (not for Passover use) items into the hotel, and this I dare say does not exist anywhere except Jerusalem.

The Passover menu of course is also mehadrin, with matzot being shmura only, both hand and machine. Of course there is no shrurya (gebrochs) or kitniot.

For those readers well-versed in the halachic (Jewish Law) controversy of rolls vs. egg matzah on the Shabbat morning prior to Seder, you will enjoy this. The rabbi explained that rolls or any form of chametz is a non-starter, leaving him with egg matzah, which some leading rabbinical authorities feel is more problematic than bread. (Agree or not, this is not the point, but reality). This is because we learn that flour and water can become chametz in 18 minutes. In the case of egg matzah, we mix fruit juice and flour. The Talmud teaches us however that if water enters this mixture, it can become chametz instantly, creating the problem.

As such, the rabbi uses kosher for Passover shmura matzah meal, which is boiled to change its halachic status, and then uses the pasty remains to make a dough and ultimately, a pre-Passover roll which is not chametz as is the bread and deemed by most significantly better than egg matzah. The point – Rav Altman goes to great lengths to provide an extremely high level of kashrut to permit guest to sit back and enjoy. (He did add the bakers are less than thrilled with the reality, but they will do what they have to do).

Back to the day-to-day — I was truly privileged to meet senior master chef Shalom Zohar, who has been at his post for 30 years – explaining to me that he has prepared meals for many presidents and state leaders from the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

A marvelously colorful personality, a most illustrated individual, who explained, “I raised six children her, grandchildren, and was offered jobs in some of the world’s best hotels and institutions.”

When I boldly confronted him as to why he is still here, he stated, “My wife refuses to leave Jerusalem,” adding “in three months, I am going home. I have had enough. It is time to relax.”

Back to Pesach – After showing an extremely large state-of-the-art new cooking apparatus in the meat kitchen, the rabbi explained it will be cleaned, covered, and placed out of use for Pesach. He explained the chef did not want it dismantled as he insisted be the case to kasher it for Pesach so the decision was made to put it out of service for the holiday and revert back to the simple stoves and ovens for the one-week festival.

Rav Altman explained that the in-house maintenance staff will disassemble most stoves, the parts will be cleaned and kashered, and then reassembled but some of the more complicated items, such as the new ovens in the bakery which are too digitally advanced. As such, the company’s technicians are called in and paid to spend an entire day to dismantle them and remove the special brick bottom, permitting cleaning and kashering, and they then return to reassemble the item.

One maintenance worker explained that he and his colleagues will spend days just disassembling and cleaning the automatic dishwashers before the rabbi will even agree to inspect it and then bring in his team with blowtorches and hot water to render it usable for the holiday.

Rabbi Altman explained that 90% of the Passover preparations are the cleaning stage. He adds that rarely will a room or piece of equipment pass his scrutinizing inspection first or second time around. The workers are accumulating serious overtime ahead of the holiday due to the tight schedule and his uncompromising standard.

As is the case with such interviews, there is a measure of discussion which falls under the ‘off the record’ category, but this particular matter the rabbi requested that I include, in his name, to impress upon you, the reader, just how strongly he feels based on his many years of experience at the helm of this major institution.

Rabbi Altman questions just how many non-kosher hotels are ‘turned over’ or rendered “kosher-mehadrin” in a matter of days, permitting caterers to come in and begin preparing their culinary delights to accommodate the many Passover guests. “It is a business” adds the rabbi, who stated with absolute certainty that such a feat is simply impossible – explaining that his mehadrin hotel begins preparations for Passover about a month ahead of the holiday, and with an increased staff, experienced workers, all of whom are familiar with the setting and the equipment, just manage to get the job completed in time.

That said, the efforts being exerted in The Plaza ahead of Pesach are quite impressive, and I plan to return ahead of the holiday, to take advantage of the personal invitation to observe the actual koshering of the kitchens as the holiday draws near.

For example, the rabbi explained that ahead of releasing the knives and kitchen tools used on Pesach, his team will use engraving devices to carve a new shape into the handles. This prompted me to question their fashion design attempt, which he explained as follows.

Each year, a number of items will remain in use after the holiday, perhaps a chef stating he prefers a certain tool over another. As such, when next Passover comes around, there can be some confusion over the tool which was packed away and one that remained out. Therefore, every year he adds another engraved pattern to eliminate any confusion as to the status of a piece of kitchen equipment being kosher for Passover or not.

About 7-8 years ago, the rabbi took a leave-of-absence and worked in the Prima Palace Hotel on Jerusalem’s Pines Street, the former Central Hotel.

The rabbi was brought in to set up the kashrut operation for the new hotel. He permitted me to reveal a story, which he chalks up to “Divine providence”.

He explained one day, after completing his morning shift, he left but decided to leave a package behind, to be picked up later in the day as he made his way home. He returned later in the day, and as he entered in the lobby, for a “fraction of a second” he saw the head chef walking with a dairy tray of salad components from the meat to dairy kitchen.

He immediately confronted the senior employee, who “began to mutter and stumble on his words,” while assuring the rabbi all was well.

The next day the rabbi, the chef, labor representatives and hotel management met to discuss the serious matter. Rabbi Altman explained that while he was pained, he was compelled to demand his dismissal, which by the way did take place. He told me that if such a high-ranking member of the kitchen staff intentionally did something forbidden, and would not even admit to his actions, he can no longer be trusted and he had to be dismissed to ensure subordinates realize the severity of his infraction.

Back to The Plaza, he spoke of numerous occasions when parties were booked at the hotel and family members brought home baked goods, creating a most uncomfortable situation. The story ends that in all cases, without exception, the home made goods were removed.

Rabbi Altman explains that no outside food items may be introduced to the hotel other than sealed packages of acceptable kashrut certifications. The exception is hard liquor, which he explained the host of a private event must present to him 48 hours ahead of the event, at which time each bottle will be reviewed, and approved or rejected. He explained that the bottom line, permitting guests to bring their own liquors is a favor to enable them to save considerable amounts of money since the hotel prices for hard drinks is quite high.

Regarding catering off premises, which he related occurs quite frequently, the hotel takes it own ovens and all serving equipment, never permitted to rely on anyone’s own kitchen equipment or utensils. He even cited one case in which they catered an event in Telshe Stone, a chareidi community located in the Jerusalem corridor. Despite the event being hosted in the home of a Chassidic Jew, none of his utensils or kitchen equipment was permitted for use.

I also met a young mashgiach, Aaron Katz, who was coming in to begin his afternoon shift. We exchanged greetings and he got on with his schedule.

And once again, back to Pesach – the hotel begins using disposable goods for room service about 10 days prior to the holiday to ensure no chametz plates or cutlery pop up where they shouldn’t as the holiday nears.

Another Pesach related note, the rabbi told me that he even found a different rubber glove which does not use talc made with starch with creates a problem in the kitchen on Passover. This is the extent of Rabbi Altman’s efforts to bring the daily and Passover standards to a truly mehadrin level.

A special Passover mashgiach is brought in about 10 days before the holiday, whose entire job is to observe all items brought into the hotel from the loading dock. Each item is scrutinized to ensure it is labeled Kosher for Passover with acceptable mehadrin supervision.

And to conclude holiday matters, the rabbi detailed at length his efforts following the holiday, to ensure the items being delivered were sold in accordance to Jewish Law – not a small task to say the least. He explained that while there is little problem vis-à-vis large firms with reliable supervision, but many of the items delivered come from distributors, not the manufacturer so he is compelled to trace down all items to ensure they were not in Jewish hands during the Passover holiday, which would render them unfit for use at any time.

In short, I enjoyed an educational experience, given the red carpet treatment by a knowledgeable, cordial, G-d fearing, uncompromising mashgiach who seems to never tire of making every possible effort to bring his guests a very high standard of kashrut.

To speak with Rabbi Altman, or an on-duty mashgiach, one may call the hotel’s main desk and request the hotel rabbi. 972-2-629-8666. The rabbi speaks fluent Hebrew, Yiddish, Spanish and conversational English.

END

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The next article in the hotel series will appear G-d willing following the Passover holiday. Best wishes for a Chag Kasher V’Samayach to all readers.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Quite honestly, it appears that my hotel visits continue to improve with each hotel. This morning, I met with the rabbi of the David Citadel Hotel, Rabbi Yosef Lishner, a man involved in kashrut for over a quarter of a century. Rav Lishner, an eight generation Jerusalemite was most cordial, and provided this reporter with a wealth of knowledge, well exceeding that which was necessary to give a comprehensive picture of kashrut in the David Citadel.

Our conversation was conducted in both Hebrew and English, with a bit of Yiddish thrown in for flavor. Yes, the veteran Jerusalem rabbi is quite fluent in English, so North Americans and other visitors, get right in there and ask your questions.

The rabbi began his career at the LaRomme Hotel (now the Inbal), followed by the Renaissance, where he spent 14 years. He explained to me that the latter was the first of the 5-star hotels to become mehadrin. It was at the behest of the city’s chief rabbi that young Rabbi Lishner began implementing then pioneering efforts towards raising the kashrut level of the hotel, and as he put it. He continues with new innovations today, always seeking ways to improve towards ensuring a high standard of kashrut for guests.

When he arrived at the Citadel he implemented all the mehadrin additions that were commonplace at the Renaissance, and continues to “learn everyday” as he modestly explained. Also traveling abroad from time-to-time, he explained that he is always on the lookout for new innovations and he readily brings new technology home to enhance the level of kashrut in his hotel. Now the rabbi proudly boasts, many rabbis from abroad ask to see his operation, to learn from his wealth of experience.

As the hotel’s rabbi, he functions as the chief mashgiach as well, and tends to all the religious needs of the hotel and its guests.

The rabbi explained the hotel is well-aware than many if its clients are Sabbath observant – people wishing to maintain a high standard of kashrut while also seeking uncompromising hotel accommodations – stating proudly the Citadel provides both.

The hotel has a regular Jerusalem Rabbinate certification, maintaining a shmitah l’chumra status, using only produce from non-Jews. There is nothing used that is heter mechira or kedushat shvi’it. All greens are the “Gush Katif” type.

Mashgiachs are present in the hotel from 7am, making certain to light the flames and ensure the cooking is in compliance with bishul yisrael. The rabbinical supervisors remain until 11pm at night, when the kitchens close down. A mashgiach lives on premises on Shabbatot and Yomim Tovim.

The rabbi explained the hotel complies with the demands of the Rama, and Sephardim who seek mehadrin compliance with the rulings of the Beit Yosef may make arrangements when necessary. He explained that sometimes, one might book a party and insist the food is only prepared by Jews, and with a kitchen staff that is 60%+ Jewish, this is doable and in fact, has been done in the past.

While chatting with the rabbi, his phone rarely ceased to ring for period longer than 10 minutes, ranging from demands to arrange private synagogue services for a guest and his party, to making a ‘shiva’ condolence call.

The beef in the hotel is usually Beit Yosef, and Rabbi Avraham Rubin/Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook. The fowl is currently mehadrin Jerusalem Rabbinate. Rabbi Lishner explained that from time-to-time, he and a number of colleagues visit slaughter houses to monitor the situation and they may change suppliers based on kashrut and cost considerations.

At times, only by special request, non-mehadrin duck liver will be served but he stressed that any food coming out of the meat dining area on a regular basis is indeed chalak (glatt). The fillet, which in the Inbal and Jerusalem Regency hotels was not glatt, is glatt in the Citadel.

The rabbi added that soon, the demands on the hotel, now approximately 400 rooms, will increase, with the planned spring opening of the new wing, adding 250 rooms.

There are a total of 6 kitchens, and yes, we toured them all. I must say that while my mission is not to represent the Board of Health, I am compelled to state that I have never seen such noticeable cleanliness. While other hotels were in no way unsanitary, here, the place sparkled. It was amazing, nothing less. The meat and dairy kitchens were buzzing when I toured, as were the parve and dairy bakeries. One could literally eat off the floor. This was the standard throughout the hotel, walk-in refrigerators and walk-in freezers — a standard that deserves special mention.

Anyway, back to kashrut issues. Some of the rabbi’s unique innovations are low-tech, but no less effective in maintaining the high level of kashrut he seeks to call his standard. For example, in the large room that houses the meat and dairy automatic washing facilities, he does not make due with the natural room division, or the large “meat” and “dairy” signs posted conspicuously in Hebrew and English. He has stainless steel covers literally blocking the loading areas of the machines not in use to make sure a waiter or busboy does not accidentally place a dish or article on the incorrect side. This is all in addition to the standard coding, holes for dairy and no-holes for meat. The cutting boards are come colored from the factory so they do not wash off in the high pressure wash cycle.

Another component of his fine kashrut system is the physical layout and design of the kitchens, wash stations and prep rooms, all guaranteeing that an item never leaves its designated area.

The meat prep station is adjacent to the wash and cooking, so a meat receptacle will never have to be taken elsewhere. The same holds true for dairy and the parve and dairy bakeries. The respective walk-in refrigerators and freezers are directly opposite each area – once again ensuring an item never leaves its designated area. This he exclaimed achieves its goal, with almost no incidents of mixing up utensils, an occurrence that is rarely seen in his institution.

The meat tray and platters are all silver-plated, giving them a unique identification, and the glass bowls and salad dishes are all marked with a very noticeable red dot on the bottom, rarely seen by guests.

In addition to the holes drilled into the stainless utensils, most have a ring through the hole to make it immediately identifiable, quicker to the eye than seeking to spot a drilled hole.

The rabbi also showed me his Shabbat innovations, which include but are not limited to the warming boxes, manufactured by Alto Shaam. He saw them in The Diaspora and today, they are part of the hotel’s operation for Shabbat. The food is kept warm, and the thermostat is preset before Shabbat. A plate covers the buttons and is locked before Shabbat, ensuring a higher standard of maintaining food temperature without compromising the Holy Day.

There are also locks for the gas buttons on ranges, and thermostats on refrigerator units that have manual temperature settings. He explained that on Shabbat, all potential pitfalls are addressed in so far as the staff cannot raise and lower the temperatures of the food.

The bakery he added is manned by only Jewish staff so those maintaining a strict standard needn’t worry.

Another word about the bakeries regarding kashrut precautions, both quite busy upon my arrival. It was explained to me that if the parve bakery is making chocolate cake, the dairy will not, another safeguard against mix up between dairy and parve. The same holds true with other items he explained. The dairy baker, whose name I forgot to write down, told me the parve bakery will never ever use white chocolate so it is known if the product has white chocolate, it is dairy – that simple. To say the temptation was incredible would be a mild understatement, as I was offered the finest sliced fresh fruits, white and dark Belgian chocolates and more. Nevertheless, I managed to politely decline. Too many calories for this reporter.

All the baked goods by the way are homemade in-house, nothing brought in from outside.

The bakeries also have their color as an added kashrut safeguard, yellow for the parve and green for the dairy.

And let’s take a moment to skip over to Pessach (Passover). Preparations are in semi-full swing and a number of rooms and refrigerators were locked with signs conspicuously displayed stating “kosher for Passover” in a number of languages.

One of the mashgiachs, Reb Nosson, an elderly hassidic fellow, was busy moving from one place to another, stopping briefly to greet the rabbi and engage in an ever so brief Yiddish conversation.

We entered all the meat refrigerators and they were as organized, clean and well-marked as the next. Ditto for the freezers. I met the chief of the meat department, a Sabbath-observant Jew, who was busy boning fresh veal, which was slaughtered locally just yesterday. Kosher seals, labels and plumbers were quite visible and care is taken to permit them to remain until the actual cooking stage begins, once again a safeguard and testimony to ongoing efforts to maintain a high kosher standard.

We visited the storeroom, manned by a fine young man who seems to alternate between doing his job and reciting Tehillim (Psalms). Products on the shelves had an array of kosher certifications, all well-established, including but not limited to the Eida Hareidit, Rabbi Landau, Rabbi Rubin, KSA (Los Angeles) and the OK.

Even beers, and there was quite the selection, all have kosher certification, those from Israel, the United States, Ireland, and more. There was quite a display of NIS 120 a bottle champagne on ice, apparently for a wedding scheduled to take place tonight. The refrigerator was locked, so there were no concerns here. There is a separate storage facility for wine and water.

Another kashrut move that I have not yet seen is the method used to store legumes and flour. They are in their own walk-in refrigerator, with the rabbi explaining this significantly reduces the fear of bug infestation, and it is the hotel’s norm – a matter of policy.

Flour is sifted by machine, as is rice, and other beans are checked by hand. On the subject of rice, this machine is another find the rabbi made, explaining to me that a number of years ago he spotted the machine used in Europe to separate all unwanted matter from expensive coffee beans. After a few adjustments, the machine now cleans the rice by removing all broken grains and any unwanted matter other than whole clean grains of rice. He insisted on dumping some rice in to give me a demonstration and I can assure you that what this machine pulled out of the rice one can never accomplish by hand. The only product entering the chef’s pot is whole clean grains of rice, nothing else. Even broken grains are discarded, thereby also raising the level of the food quality – a welcome benefit to the chefs.

Rabbi Lishner explained that he used an average of 60 kilograms (132lbs) of rice daily, so proper cleaning at an acceptable pace is critical.

Since we passed, Rabbi Lishner also took me to the laundry, and once again, the level of cleanliness is downright amazing. I met the man in charge, Ze’ev Natan, who explained that the current set up is small compared to what is being prepared for the opening of the new wing. Once again, as was all the members of the staff, cordial and nothing to hide. I spoke with a number of chefs and assistants, as well as pantry personnel and so-forth, all with a friendly word, all seemingly maintaining a good relationship with the rabbi.

The chief dairy baker, yes, the one whose name I forgot earlier, told me “Even when the rabbi is not here, he is here. That is the way it is. There is no playing around with the kosher in this hotel”.

Rabbi Lishner explained that even the flowers being used for the wedding tonight are flown in from France to remove any shmitah concerns.

The place is a city of its own, with a high standard. It appears that kashrut, cleanliness and hotel amenities are all striving to be above average, and there are no clashes in these areas.

Rabbi Lishner explained that the hotel’s sukka, located on the roof, will feed 1,200 guests in addition to the 21 private sukkot on hotel grounds. He stated the main sukka is undoubtedly the largest in the country, while maintaining the Citadel’s five-star level of service.

On Passover the hotel will maintain its mehadrin level, and there is no shrurya (gebrochs), no kitniot, and all matzot are shmura, machine and hand.

I can say with a modicum of certainty that few guests will be aware of the efforts of Rabbi Lishner and his staff, working tirelessly to maintain a high level of kashrut for the many visitors to one of Jerusalem’s most popular hotels.

If this is the hotel of your choice, enjoy, for from my perspective, it appears you will be pampered and well-fed, as well as finding yourself a comfortable walk to the Kotel (Western Wall).

To contact the hotel rabbi, one may call 972-2-621-2221.

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