The following are some non-English kosher terms that you may come across along with their explanations:

Bishul Yisroel (also spelled Bishul Yisrael): Certain foods require increased a Rabbi’s involvement in the cooking process.
The OU requires Bishul Yisroel on all of those products deemed to be included in the requirements for Bishul Yisroel under Jewish law.

Cholov Yisroel (also spelled Chalav Yisroel): Milk and milk products that was supervised by a Rabbi from the time of milking.
The OU does not require products to be Cholov Yisroel, but will certify a product that is Cholov Yisroel as such.

Glatt: Literally “smooth”. An animal whose lungs contained no questionable adhesions that could pose potential Kosher problems.
It is now commonly used to describe a higher level of Kosher supervision.

Kosher L’Pesach: Kosher for Passover; containing no leaven and no legumes and manufactured with Mashgiach Temidi.

Mashgiach Temidi: A manufacturing production with continuous supervision by a Rabbi. This is often called a “Special Production”.

Pareve: A food item that is neither meat or dairy (and can therefore be eaten with either) and was not manufactured on meat or dairy equipment.

Pas Yisroel (also spelled Pat Yisroel): Bakery products that were baked by a Rabbi. This can be fulfilled by having a Rabbi turn on the oven.
The OU does not require products to be Pas Yisroel, but will certify a product that is Pas Yisroel as such.

Yoshon: Grain products that are made from certain types of “winter” grains as defined by Jewish law.
The OU does not require products to be Yoshon, but will certify a product that is Yoshon as such.

OU Kosher Pas Yisroel List
as of Elul 5769

The Tur (Orach Chaim, Siman 603), based upon the Talmud Yerushalmi, cites the custom for Jews to be stringent during the Aseret Yimei Teshuva to eat exclusively ‘Pas Yisroel’ bread. Even those Jews who generally do not exclusively eat ‘Pas Yisroel’ are encouraged to accept this practice during the period between Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur.

We are therefore presenting the list of all OU Pas Yisroel products.

What is Pas Yisroel?

How do you certify Pas Yisroel products?

Please note:
1) All OU-P (Kosher for Passover) Matzah products (e.g. Matzah, Matzah Meal, Matzah Meal products) are Pas Yisroel, even if not listed below.

2) Not all products on this list are available in all countries or geographic regions.

3) The OU Poskim are of the position that breakfast cereal and wafers are considered a tavshil and not pas and, therefore, are not subject to the the laws of Pas Yisroel.

4) Products which are also cholov yisroel and/or yoshon are so indicated.

5) Items manufactured in Israel are noted with an asterisk(*) and are all yoshon.

6) Food service establishments such as restaurants and caterers are noted with a (FSE).

Company/Brand	Product Type
Abadi Bakery*	All items
Acme [Albertson’s] (FSE)	Clifton, NJ – all fresh baked products
Acme [Albertson’s] (FSE)	Milltown, NJ – all fresh baked products
Acme [Albertson’s] (FSE)	Narberth, PA – all fresh baked products
Albertson’s in-store Bakery (FSE)	Boca Raton and Del Ray Beach – all fresh baked products
Amnon's Kosher Pizza	Frozen Pizza (cholov yisroel)
Amnon's Kosher Pizza	Frozen Pizza (cholov yisroel)
Angel’s Bakery*	All products (when bearing an OU)
Awrey's	Microwaveable Sandwich Bagel Halves, Mini Bagels, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, Plain Bagels, Blueberry Bagels
Bag N’ Save	Bread, rolls, buns
Bagel City	Challah, challah rolls (yoshon)
Bagels-N-More	Challah, challah rolls (yoshon)
Barry’s Bakery	Café and French Twists (when Pas Yisrael is written on the label)(yoshon)
Barth*	Crackers
Bayit Vegan Guest House*	All baked items
Bell	Bialys (with special Hebrew packaging only) [Only available in Israel]
Betz Boys (Continental Food)	Pizza (cholov yisroel)
BJ's	Plain Sliced Mini Bagels,Cinnamon Raisin Mini Bagels
Block & Barrel	Plain Bagel, Classic Mini Plain Bagel
Brickfire Bakery	Plain Sliced Mini Bagels
Brooklyn Bagel	Frozen, Poppy, Sesame Bagels (With special Hebrew packaging only) [Only available in Israel]
Bubba’s and Novelty Kosher Pastries	All baked goods (yoshon)
Burry Foodservice	Mini Bagel Plain, Cinnamon Raisin Mini Bagels, Blueberry Mini Bagels, Wrapped Plain Bagel, Wrapped Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, Wrapped Blueberry Bagel
Canada Bread	Mini Bagel Plain, Mini Bagel Cinnamon Raisin, Mini Bagel Blueberry, Plain Bagel, Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, Blueberry Bagel
Circa-NY Midtown (FSE)	Pizza (cholov yisroel) and breads
Continental Bakery	Breads & Cakes
Continental Pastry, Inc.	Various cakes, pies & pastries
Copenhagen	Butter cookies & low cholesterol cookies
Cub Foods	Bakery Style Egg Bagels, Bakery Style Honey Wheat Bagels, Bakery Style Blueberry Bagels, Bakery Style Plain Bagels, Bakery Style Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
CVS	Butter cookies & low cholesterol cookies
Daily Pita	All pita bread
Dakota Brands	Bagels, rolls
Damascus	Must state pas yisroel on package
David’s Cookies	Hamentashen (only when labled as Pareve and Pas Yisroel)
Davidovitz*	All products (when bearing an OU symbol)
Delacre*	Cookies
Delancey Dessert	Exclusively pas yisroel rolls, cookies, cakes, breads
Dr. Praeger's	Fishies, fish sticks, and fish cakes, pizza bagels
Edwards & Sons*	Breadcrumbs, croutons
Einat*	Breadcrumbs, croutons
Elite*	Biscuits
Elsa's Story*	Cookies, crackers, pastries (not cholov yisroel)
Empire	Pizza (cholov yisroel);
Ener-G*	Gluten-free pretzels and crackers
Eskal	Gluten-free cakes
European Bakery	Breads
Everything Spelt	All baked products
Father Sam	All pita bread
Fischer Brothers & Leslie (FSE)	Challah, challah rolls
Flavorite	Bakery Style Plain Bagels, Bakery Style Blueberry Bagels, Bakery Style Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Friedman's	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Gefen	Crackers, cookies, matzoh (matzoh is yoshon)
Gefen*	Chocolate cake, honey cake, marble cake
Giant Eagle	Pocket breads (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Gold Star	Granola
Golden Star	Cookies and pastries (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Glutino*	Gluten free pretzels, crackers
Goodman, Goodman's (Joyce Food Products)	Cakes & cookies (yoshon)
Grandpa’s “Old Southern” Coffee Cake	All baked items
Grandpa's Coffee Cake	All coffee cakes
Grandpa's Gourmet Biscotti	Biscotti
Grandpa's International Bakery	Breads
Guiltless Gourmet	Wraps
Hadar*	Assorted biscuits
Hafners	Pastry shells w/ OU and Rabbi signature
Healthy Palate/Chef Martini	Eggplant parmesan (breadcrumbs are pas yisroel)
Hema*	Crackers
Hy-Vee	Egg Bagels, Plain Bagels, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, Blueberry Bagels, Onion Bagels, Bakery Style Onion Bagels, Apple Cinnamon Refrigerated Bagel, Honey Wheat Bakery Style Bagel
J & P	Pita bread
Jake's Bakes	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Jewel-Osco [Albertson’s] (FSE)	Evanston, IL – bread and kosher cakes
Jewel-Osco [Albertson’s] (FSE)	Highland Park, IL – bread and kosher cakes
Josef’s Organic	All products
Kedem	Cookies, Cereal bars, Biscuits, Crackers
Kedem*	Assorted crackers
Keefe Kitchen	Plain Bagels, Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Kem Kem	Crackers
Kemach Food Products	Cookies (yoshon when stated on package), crackers (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Kineret	Cakes, rugalach
Kitov	All products
L’Esti Desserts	Cakes and pastries (also yoshon)
Lakewood Kollel	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Lilly's	All products
M & M Kosher Bakery (FSE)	Pita, baklava and lady fingers
Maadanot*	Bourekas, malawah, pizza squares
Macabee	Pizza (cholov yisroel), Pizza Bagel (cholov yisroel), Breaded Eggplant (yoshon), Breaded Mushrooms (yoshon), Mozzarella Sticks (cholov yisroel, Yoshon)
Malon Shaarei Yerushalayim* (FSE)	All baked products
Mani's*	Cakes and tortes
Manischewitz Co.	Tam tams (yoshon), Italian coating crumbs (yoshon), Matzah and Matzah Meal (Year-round, non-Kosher for Passover)
Maple Leaf Bakery	Safeway Natures Blend Plain Mini Bagel, Mini Bagels
Maplehurst	Block & Barrell Classic Mini Plain Bagel
Marzipan*	Ruggelach
Matzot Carmel*	Matzah
Max and Harry	Cakes and cookies
Mehadrin Bakery	Breads, cookies, and pastries
Mendelson’s Pizza (FSE)	Pizza (cholov yisroel) and breads
Mezonos Maven	All products
Milk ‘N Honey NYC (FSE)	All baked products
Mishpacha	All products
Moishy’s	Exclusively pas yisroel rolls, cookies, cakes, breads
Mother's	Pie Crusts
Mount Sinai Hospital (FSE)	Products bearing an OU symbol
Mountain Fruit	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Mr. Baker*	Assorted crackers,
Nana Sylvia	Mandel bread
Naomi Caterers* (FSE)	All baked items
Neeman Bakery* (FSE )	All items
Neri’s	Breads and bagels
Novelty Bakery and Novelty Kosher Pastry	All products (cholov yisroel, yoshon)
Of Tov*	Chicken Breast Nuggets
Original Bagel Company	Plain Bagel, Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, Blueberry Bagel, Everything Bagel, Sesame Bagel, Plain Sandwich Bagel, Park Avenue Plain Mini Bagels, Park Avenue Cinnamon Raisin Mini Bagels, Park Avenue Blueberry Mini Bagels ,
Orion	Plain Par-Baked Hot Stuff Bagel, Cinnamon Raisin Par-Baked Hot Stuff Bagel
Osem*	All products
Ostreicher’s	Hamentashen (only when labled as Pareve and Pas Yisroel)
Pita Express (FSE)	Pita bread (also yoshon)
Pituyim Cafe* (FSE)	All items
Quality Food Industries*	Croutons
Raft Foods*	Croutons
Red Heifer Restaurant* (FSE)	All baked products
Reisman Bros. Bakery	Assorted cakes, cookies, rugalach
Renaissance Hotel Jerusalem * (FSE)	All products
Rokeach	Hamentashen (only when labled as Pareve and Pas Yisroel), snackers crackers, cookies, soup nuts
Roma	Bread, rolls, buns
Rottella’s	Bread, rolls, buns
Royal Bakery House	All breads
Royal Dansk	Low cholesterol cookies (when indicated on package) [Available only in Israel]
Sabba*	Biscuits
Savion	Croutons
Shapiro’s	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Shop'n Save	Bakery Style Plain bagel 12/5/3/ Oz., Bakery Style Cinnamon Raisin bagel 12/5/3 Oz., Bakery Style Blueberry Bagel 12/5/3 Oz., Bakery Style Honey Wheat Bagels 12/5/3 oz. Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, Onion Bagel, Egg Bagels, Plain Bagels, Blueberry Bagels
Shoprite	Challahs and assorted breads (only when labeled Pareve and Pas Yisroel)
Simply Bread	Challah (when stated on the label)
Smilowitz	Exclusively pas yisroel rolls, cookies, cakes, breads
Smunchies	All baked goods
Spring Valley-Milmar	Mini pizza bagels (cholov yisroel), food service
Sruli's	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Super 13	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Tavor*	Assorted cookies and cakes
Tel Aviv Kosher Bakery (Chicago) (FSE)	Breads & cakes (yoshon)
The Fillo Factory	Baklava and pastry shells/cups (when marked pas yisroel)
The Old City Café (Upscale Foods)	Pizza (cholov yisroel, yoshon); Burrito [cholov yisroel (where applicable), yoshon]; Macaroni and Cheese (cholov yisroel); Apple Strudel (yoshon)
Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars (FSE)	All baked items
Tova-Sovata	Exclusively pas yisroel rolls, cookies, cakes, breads
Village Crown Caterers (FSE)	All baked items
Velka Café* (FSE)	All baked items
V.I.P.	Bread crumbs
Wegman’s	Tortillas (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Wein's	All products (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Weiss Kosher Cuisine (FSE)	All baked items
Wholly Wholesome	Pocket breads (when Pas Yisroel is written on the label)
Yarden*	Assorted cookies
Yoni-Neptune Food Products*	Schnitzel coatings
Zaatar	Herb Pizza

ASK OU OUTREACH BRINGS ITS KASHRUS EXPERTS TO BROOKLYN,
APRIL 18, 25 DURING SEFIRAH, FOR SHIURIM; RAV BELSKY, RABBI ELEFANT
TO ANSWER HALACHA AND POLICY QUESTIONS

The Orthodox Union will present its popular OU Kosher program, ASK OU OUTREACH, in Brooklyn by holding a series of kashrus shiurim on two Sundays in April – April 18 and April 25. Both days fall during the period of sefirah, a perfect time for introspection and Jewish education. ASK OU OUTREACH is made possible by the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ. The ASK OU OUTREACH program has successfully presented well-attended programs in Lakewood, NJ; at Lander College in Queens; and for the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, among other locations. In fact, in Lakewood alone crowds of between 300 and 1,000 attended the various kashrus shiurim. Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education, declared, “After taking the Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH Program from Los Angeles to Boston and many communities in between, we are pleased to respond to numerous requests by Brooklyn residents to bring the OU’s Kashrus experts there. For the first time, the program will have OU posek Rav Yisroel Belsky, shlita, together with OU Kosher’s Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant answer questions on halacha and OU policy submitted by the public. Another first will be the participation of our highly qualified Mashgichim/Rabbinic Field Representatives from around the country sharing their expertise with the audience. These sessions, together with the ones on fish, birds and vegetable checking, should prove to be a fascinating kosher educational experience for all participants.” On Sunday, April 18, the shiur will take place at Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin, at 2913 Avenue L and the corner of Nostrand Avenue. The sessions are as follows: • 8:00 – 8:45 p.m., “Ask the OU Rabbonim,” with Rav Yisroel Belsky, OU halachic decisor and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, OU Chief Operating Officer and Executive Rabbinic Coordinator will answer questions on halacha and official OU policy. Priority will be given to questions sent by fax to 212.613.0621 or email ; • 8:45 – 9:30 p.m., “An Ex ‘salmon’ation of Kosher Fish,” by Rabbi Chaim Goldberg, Rabbinic Coordinator and fish expert; and • 9:30 – 10:30 p.m., “The Ongoing Struggle to Preserve the Mesoros of Kosher Birds,” by Rabbi Chaim Loike, Rabbinic Coordinator and bird/eggs expert, with a live viewing of exotic birds. (This lecture is sponsored by M.E. Korn and Family.) On Sunday, April 25, the shiur will take place at Agudath Israel Zichron Chaim Tzvi, 2122 Avenue S. The sessions are as follows: • 7:30 – 9:00 p.m., Meet and Hear From the OU’s Expert Mashgichim/Rabbinic Field Representatives from Around the Country, including: Rabbi Shraga Kaufman, of Chicago, on “How Pure is Pure?”; Rabbi Gershon Segal, of Newton Centre, MA, on “The Complexity of the Flavor Industry”; Rabbi Avrohom Stone, of West Orange, NJ, on “The Pasteurization of Beverages”; and Rabbi Benzion Twerski, of Milwaukee, on “The Kashrus Challenges and Opportunities from the Wisconsin Plains”; and • 9:00 – 10:30 p.m., “The Bedikas Toyloim of Fruits and Vegetables – A Live Demonstration” with Rabbi Yosef Eisen, former OU Rabbinic Coordinator of Food Services, and current rabbinic administrator of the Vaad of the Five Towns. There will be a separate ladies section available for all sessions. For more information, contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212 or . http://www.ou.org http://www.oukosher.org

What’s going on with the “bugs” in the fish?

By the time you see this article, you may have heard that there is serious discussion currently going on in the Torah world regarding “bugs” in many of your favorite fish. You may have heard snippets of the back and forth, seen a list of which rabbis permit and which rabbis forbid. I hope this article gives you a better understanding of the issues at hand, and provides a better understanding of where each side is coming from.

Question: What are these “bugs”?

Answer: Almost all species of fish, to a greater or lesser extent, suffer from attack by parasites (which are the “bugs” currently under discussion). What are parasites, and how do they differ from bugs? Parasites are small organisms that live at the expense of the host, off of whom they directly feed. While “bugs” eat various plants or decaying matter, parasites eat their host (talk about hakaras hatov!) There are two main types of parasites. Ectoparasites are those found on the external surfaces of a fish (i.e. the skin, fins and gills), while endoparasites are found in the flesh and organs. The issue under discussion is the infestation of endoparasites in several species of freshwater and salt water fishes.

Question: Is there a difference between parasites and bugs in halacha?

Answer: From a halachic perspective there is little or no appreciable difference between the two and both are referred to collectively as “tolayim”. One who consumes a visible parasite that has been separated from its fish host would likely violate the similar prohibitions to those found on consuming a similarly positioned “bug”.

Question: How big are these parasites?

Answer: At some times, they are as large as several millimeters in size. This is a size which is generally considered by poskim to be “nireh laynayim” (visible to the naked eye). Many fish have parasites which are not visible to the naked eye, and these parasites are halachically permitted, as are most things in halacha which cannot be detected with normal human senses.

Question: How often does parasite infestation occur in the effected species?

Answer: Many parasites are found in large enough frequency as to be considered at least a “miut ha mutsoy” (frequent enough in occurrence as to be considered halachically significant and thus require our attention). In the case of insects in vegetables, for example, a vegetable which is found to be infested to this extent needs to be washed in a way that removes the concern. Should the parasites be considered forbidden, one would be required to look for them (even if they were not immediately visible) and remove them (washing would not remove them from fish). Kashrus agencies would either have to stop certifying products made with these species of fish or advise consumers that they would need to check for and remove these parasites themselves.

Question: So far this doesn’t sound good. If a vegetable was similarly affected, all authorities would agree that one would be prohibited to eat the vegetable without removing the insects (though to what degree might be a matter of discussion). Why shouldn’t it be clear that the fish similarly infested should be forbidden until the parasites affecting them are removed?
Answer: The tolayim effecting fish may be mutar! The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah 84:16 states that worms found in the viscera of fish are forbidden, but those found in the flesh or between the skin and flesh are permissible.

Question: If so, what is the disagreement about?

Answer: Some have suggested that there are reasons why some of the parasites effecting our fish supply might not be the same as those permitted in the Gemara Chulin 67B and in Shulchan Aruch.

Here are some of the potential concerns:

• The Gemara may be discussing tolayim that spontaneously appear in the flesh, while modern day parasites migrate from the viscera.

• The Gemara may be discussing tolayim which enter the fish (i.e. the fish ate a smaller creature which was infected by a parasite) at a time when the tolayim are not visible to the naked eye, while these parasites may enter the fish at a time when they are visible.

• The Gemara may be discussing tolayim which migrated from the viscera to the flesh at a point when they were not visible, while these parasites may be visible at the time when they migrate from the viscera to the flesh. • The Gemara may be discussing tolayim which migrated from the viscera to the flesh while it was alive, while these parasites may migrate after the death of the fish.

Question: Specifically with regards to the one parasite everyone seems to be focused on, is it true that this is a new parasite which did not exist in the time of Chazal?

Answer: There is no indication that any parasite exists today that has not existed from the time of Matan Torah, even less possibility that something has “evolved” since the time of the Beis Yosef and that therefore new halachos would apply to it. For example, some have suggested that the nematode Anisakis is a new creature which poskim could not have discussed before and of which the the rabbanim of the last generation were unaware. This does not seem likely, as various mentions of Anisakis infestation have been documented by scientists since the early 1800s. It is true that the diagnosis of anisakiasis (the name of the condition when a human is infected with a live anisakis parasite) only came around in the 1950s, but that has to do with changes in medical technology used in diagnosis and not in the origin of the species.

Question: So in the end, is it mutar or assur?

Answer: Some rabbonim are recommending their mispallelim refrain from eating any species of fish which might be infected with any of the visible species of parasites. For the most part, this recommendation comes as a caution while the rabbonim wait for more thorough research to be done on the size of the parasite at both the stage when it enters the fish originally and again when it leaves the viscera for the flesh. Some rabbonim feel that if it were visible at either of these two stages, it might be cosidered a forbidden species of tolaas. It is worth noting that all rabbonim agree that tolayim found in the stomach are forbidden (as stated in the aforementioned citing of Shulchan Aruch). Some argue that if this parasite is in fact found in the stomach and the reason we find it in the flesh is because the primary processor did not eviscerate the fish quickly enough, one should ignore the fact that the parasite was found in the flesh and focus on the fact that it came from the stomach.

Other rabbonim (including Rav Yisroel Belsky, with whom I was granted generous audience to understand both the issues, and in more complete detail his opinion) feel strongly that the parasites currently affecting various species of freshwater and salt water fish are not appreciably different from those that existed in the time of Chazal, and the parasites found in the flesh of fish are still permitted. Rabbi Belsky understands that Chazal told us that the tolayim found in the flesh are mutar because of the severah of “minah gavli” (see Rashi’s understanding of the Gemara Chulin 67B, where the term is explained to mean that the parasite grows in the fish and becomes permitted as part of the fish regardless of its original size when entering the fish or migrating from the viscera), and that we are not commanded to become experts in the field of parasitology in order to know how a parasite got into the flesh in order to know which types are permitted. The rabbonim permitting the parasites also point out that Chazal did not differentiate between the permitted types of parasite in the flesh from the forbidden types, which might also lead one to believe there is no halachic distinction in how one found the parasite in the flesh.

Question: Practically speaking, do I have to be machmir on this issue or not?

Answer: As with all issues of halacha, one is advised to seek the educated council of a qualified halachic authority to advise on a practical mitzvah observance.

Previously the OU has not issued Hashgacha for retail Kitniyos products for Pesach, despite requests to do so. This was avoided over the concern that different Pesach symbols might confuse consumers.

The OU has this year, on a limited basis, authorized the attached certification to appear on Kitniyos products:

OU Kitniyot

With an explanatory message:
“Acceptable for those who consume kitniyot on Passover.”

The symbol is presented in such manner so as to avoid any confusion and the packages will not indicate Kosher for Passover except as indicated.

This decision was taken at the urging of our Poskim, to benefit many Kitniyos consumers who relied on various assumptions (rather than actual Hashgacha) for Kitniyos Pesach products.

The milling of grains has been going on for millennia, and in all that time, the process has not changed dramatically. Milling is still done by simply grinding kernels, albeit with rollers instead of stones. Sifting is still done with sifters, although by automated machines instead of by hand. There is another part of milling known as tempering. Tempering refers to spraying grain kernels with water before they are milled. This makes the bran tougher and less brittle. If the wheat kernel has not been tempered, the bran may shatter and leave brown flecks (“ash”) in the flour when the kernel is milled. This is undesirable in regular white flour. Tempering strengthens the bran so that it is removed from the endosperm easily and does not cause brown flecks in the flour. Tempering has several Halachic implications. First, all tempered grain and any flour made from the grain are possibly Chometz Gamur. Secondly, tempering makes the kernels “Muchshar Likabel Tumah”, capable of becoming tameh. This directly impacts Hafrashas Challah. When one makes a dough and takes off Challah, the Challah, which is considered Terumah, is normally burned. This is because it is considered to be Terumah Timayah, which must be burned. If it had been Terumah Tihorah, it would be forbidden to be burned, and would need to be given to a Cohen who is a minor, or be left to rot until it becomes inedible. The way dough acquires tumah is as follows: A person’s hands are considered tameh. Thus when one’s hands touch dough, the dough is rendered tameh. This is only possible if the dough had previously been Muchshar Likabel Tumah. In order for that to occur, the dough must have come in contact with one of seven liquids which include water. For example, when one is making bread, the water added to the flour makes the dough Muchshar Likabel Tumah. If however one is making a cake where no water is added, then the dough would not be Muchshar Likabel Tumah. Nonetheless, the common thinking is that since our wheat is tempered, the wheat will have become Muchshar Likabel Tumah while it was a kernel. Whether this is in fact true and whether it applies to all grains will be discussed later in this article.
The Gemara (Pesachim 40A) states that it is forbidden to be “Loseis”, which means to temper grain if it is to be used to make Matzos for Pesach. The Liseesah of Talmudic times involved pouring water on grains, mixing them together to help remove the bran, and then grinding it immediately. The Gemara goes on to say that if one was “Loseis” the kernels, they would only be forbidden bidieved if we saw that the wheat kernel had cracked. When a wheat kernel is about to germinate, the top part of it cracks open and soon begins to sprout. Once a kernel sprouts (“Mitzumachos”), it is considered Chometz Gamur. When the kernel has cracked but has not yet sprouted (“Bikuos”), the kernel is considered a Safek Chometz and is forbidden to be eaten on Pesach. If one did not sell it before Pesach and it was owned by a Jew, it would be forbidden even after Pesach as Chometz Shehavar alav haPesach. (The picture shows an uncracked wheat kernel next to a slightly sprouted kernel).
The question raised by the Rishonim is that the Gemara (Pesachim 40B) states that if wheat kernels were on a boat which drowned in a river and were subsequently retrieved, they would be forbidden to be eaten on Pesach. In contrast to the previously mentioned Gemara, there is no qualification here as to whether the kernels were cracked or not. Rabbeinu Ephraim, quoted by the Rosh (Pesachim 2:27) answers this apparent contradiction by suggesting that the reason kernels that have been subjected to Liseesah are only forbidden if they are cracked is that during the Liseesah process, the wheat is constantly worked with and is then milled immediately. In the case of the sunken kernels, they have simply been allowed to sit in water without being worked on. In such a case, the kernels are forbidden even if they did not crack. This view is accepted by The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 467:2). The Hagahos Maimonis (Hilchos Chometz Umatzah 5:6) suggests an alternate approach. According to him, the difference between the two cases is that Liseesah only involves a relatively small amount of water (“zileefah muetes”) whereas the kernels that drowned in the river were subjected to a very large soaking of water and are therefore forbidden even without any cracks. While, as mentioned, this is not the view of the Shulchan Aruch or Nosei Kaylim (see Taz 467:3), this view is cited by the Biur Halacha (467 D.H. Dagan Zeh). Quoting the Beis Meir, the Biur Halachah says that one could rely on this view to eat such kernels (i.e. non cracked kernels which were exposed to a small amount of water and not worked with) or the flour made from them on Pesach in a case of great loss.
We now need to describe the contemporary tempering process in slightly greater detail. When wheat kernels are received by the mills, they are cleaned with air, and then sent to a temper machine. The temper machine has rotating paddles which throw the kernels around while a nozzle sprays them with water. The paddles turn at great speed, allowing the water to penetrate the kernels as quickly and efficiently as possible. Any given kernel will stay in the machine for about 10 seconds. After it exits the machine, the kernel is damp, but barely so (I personally felt the kernels immediately following their exit from the tempering machine. They were damp but just barely. No moisture droplets were visible.) The wheat is then sent to empty temper bins where they simply sit for 8-32 hours to give the water time to evenly penetrate the endosperm. At this point in the process no water is added. The kernels do not generally crack as a result of tempering.
In light of the above, it would seem that these kernels should not be consumed on Pesach. They are, according to Rabbeinu Ephraim and the way the Shulchan Aruch has ruled, a question of Chometz even if they are not cracked since they had been exposed to water and had not been worked with but rather left to sit. However, for those who do not wish to sell chometz gamur, selling flour would still be permissible as the kernels do not crack, and are therefore just a safek chometz. Moreover, even if one did not sell their flour at all, there is room to permit using the flour after Pesach. This is because the water is only exposed to a “Zileefah Muetes” such as that done by liseesah. As such, according to the Hagahos Maimonis, it could even be consumed on Pesach. While we do not follow this view, the Biur Halachah allowed its use in a case of great loss on Pesach itself. As such, in regards to the Rabbinic penalty of Chametz Sheavar alav haPesach, it would seem that there would be room to permit use of the flour. Rabbi Belsky agreed that we could permit the flour after Pesach.
Our discussion until this point has focused on wheat kernels being milled for regular white flour. Whole wheat flour may also have been tempered to keep the bran from becoming brittle, although with less water and for a shorter period of time (this is because brown flecks are not as undesirable in whole wheat flour, though there are other benefits to tempering.) Rye and spelt kernels, however, are not tempered at all. In fact, they are not exposed to moisture of any kind. As such, they could be purchased after Pesach without question from someone who did not sell their chometz. (We generally require kernels to be milled with “shemira” if they are to be used for Pesach, so regular non shmura rye and spelt flour should not be consumed on Pesach itself.) The exception to this is flakes. Rye and spelt made into flakes (not flour) are exposed to moisture and must be sold for Pesach.
While the lack of moisture on rye and spelt is good for Pesach, it is more problematic for Challah. If one were to make a spelt cake where no water was used, the Challah taken from that would not be allowed to be burned since it was not Muchshar Likabel Tumah. In such cases, a small amount of water should be added to the dough to avoid this issue. As mentioned previously, wheat kernels are always tempered. The moisture applied during the tempering process is sufficient to render the wheat kernels and flour Muchshar Likabel Tumah.
Oats and barley are not tempered either (except when they are made into flakes). However, oats, and sometimes barley, are steamed before being milled. This process prevents the oats from going rancid due to their high fat content. It also effectively eliminates the possibility of germination. This process would render the oats Muchsar Likabel Tumah, and thus would not require the addition of water to be able to burn Challah taken from oat dough. Further, it would seem that this process would be similar to the process of Chalitah which renders wheat incapable of becoming chometz. While we normally do not allow Chalitah (Shulchan Arcuh 453:5), if Chalitah was done, the flour would be permissible after Pesach.However, upon further research, it was determined that although the steam temperature is 212F, the oats themselves only reach a temperature of 180F before they are dried. Consequently, Rabbi Belsky felt that even though the steaming itself negated any possibility of germination, it would not be considered a form of Chalitah and would not prevent the kernels from being considered Chometz.

Both a kli sheini and a kli rishon shelo al ha’aish are pots of hot water that will gradually cool down. Since it is difficult to distinguish between them, we require Tosafos’s help to properly understand the distinction. Although they look almost identical, a kli sheini has difanos mikareros (walls that cool down the product) while a kli rishon shelo al ha’aish has difanos michamemos (walls that maintain the heat of the product). An extended irui is none of the above, for the simple reason that the walls of this pot will not cool down. So long as the irui continues, there is a heat source that is preventing the kli from cooling. For this reason it is most similar to a kli rishon al ha’aish.
The Taz 92:30 says that a ladle placed into a pot of boiling water will also become a kli rishon, if left there until saturated with heat and the water in the ladle boils. Even though the ladle never came in direct contact with the fire, nevertheless it is considered a kli rishon al ha’aish since it is heated by a toldos ha’aish. In this same manner a pot which is constantly heated by an extended irui can be considered a kli rishon, and can be mivashel. By way of illustration, although the Gemara Shabbos says that beef does not cook unless it is placed in a kli rishon al ha’aish, one can easily cook beef, and this is regularly done, through the use of an extended irui. By circulating hot water around the jacket of a pot one can heat the pot. This pot will stay hot for as long as it takes to cook the meat.
The Taz’s chumra of many iruis (95:12) is referring to a platter that is used numerous times, but each time it is only used as a conventional kli sheini. Since each irui is only boleya a kdei klipa, without the chidush of the Taz, one would say that multiple uses do not cause a greater bliya. Obviously one cannot use this chumra to create a kula. However, this should not be confused with an extended irui which creates the equivalence of a kli rishon al ha’aish.

On Passover, we’re all looking for those new and different appetizers and entrees that aren’t the same old same old recycled boring ones. This year, shake up your Pesach menus with the following extra special and fun recipes by Eileen Goltz. Ms. Goltz, author of the cookbook Perfectly Pareve, presents original recipes comprising a treasure trove of selections, including chicken, muffins, kugel, desserts, and salads. She is a freelance kosher food writer who was born and raised in the Chicago area. She graduated from Indiana University and the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. She lectures on various food-related topics across the United States and Canada and writes weekly columns for the Chicago Jewish News, kosher.com and the OU Shabbat Shalom Web site. She is the author of the Perfectly Pareve Cookbook (Feldheim) and is a contributing writer for the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Group, Chicago Sun Times, Detroit Free Press and Woman’s World Magazine.

The following are some of her new, featured recipes, either dairy or pareve, that can be found on http://www.oupassover.org, the Passover website of the OU. Note: Pareve means the recipe contains neither meat nor milk products and can be consumed with either.

SWEET APPLE MATZAH MEAL PANCAKES (dairy or pareve)
1 cup matzah meal
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
8 oz. club soda
3 egg whites oil, for frying
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced in rounds
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a bowl combine the matzah meal, salt, sugar whole eggs and club soda. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the batter is resting, in a skillet melt the butter or margarine and sauté the apples with the sugar and cinnamon. Cook or 4 to 5 minutes until the apples are soft but not mushy. Place the slices in a bowl with the sauce. Do not clean out the pan but set it aside. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until they become stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the matzo meal mixture. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, drop the pancake batter by the spoonful into the pan. Brown lightly on both sides. Serve with the apple rounds on top and drizzle a little of the syrup on top. Serves 4.

HONEY GLAZED ROASTED VEGETABLES FOR PASSOVER (pareve)

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
8 to 10 red quartered red potatoes,
3 to 4 sliced zucchini,
2 thickly sliced red onions,
2 red peppers cut into chunks
4 carrots cut into chunks
1 large sweet potatoes cut into chunks
1 eggplant peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes, salted, placed in colander 20 minutes, rinsed in cold water
Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl combine the honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, and thyme and mix to combine. Grease a roasting pan and then combine the potatoes, zucchini, onions, red peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, and eggplant. Drizzle the honey mixture over the vegetables and then mix to make sure everything is coated. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes stirring every 10 minutes making sure nothing gets burnt. Serves 8

PASSOVER GRANOLA (pareve)
3 cups matzah farfel
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped apricots
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a spoon until well mixed. Grease a cookie sheet with sides and spread mixture evenly on it. Bake for 75 minutes or until the mixture browns. (Watch this carefully after 50 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Stir it occasionally. Can be made a week or two in advance. Store in an airtight container. Make 5 to 6 cups.

PASSOVER MATZAH CRUNCH CANDY (dairy)

6 to 7 matzahs
1/2 pound butter (margarine just doesn’t work here)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped almonds
2 cups (or enough to cover the matzos) semi sweet chocolate chips
2 cups mini kosher for Pesach marshmallows
1 cup white or dark chocolate cups

Preheat oven to 350. Cover a large cookie sheet with side with aluminum foil. Spray or grease well and then line it with parchment paper. Lay the matzah in the prepared cookie so that there is no space between the pieces of matzah, breaking the sheets if you need to. In a sauce pan combine the brown sugar and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Pour the mixture over the matzahs, making sure that the mixture covers all of the matzah. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until bubbly but not burning. Remove the matzah from the oven and then immediately sprinkle the 2 cups of chocolate chips on top. Let the chocolate melt and then spread it over the top with a knife. Top the still hot chocolate with the marshmallows and chopped nuts. Melt the remaining chips and then drizzle the chocolate over the marshmallows and nuts. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and then break into pieces. Break into pieces and serve. Serves 8 to 10.

SAVORY PASSOVER ROLLS (pareve)

2 cups boiling water
10 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (depending on how spicy you like them)
2 cups matzah cake meal
6 eggs

In a pan combine the water, oil, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the matzah meal, mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Let the mixture stand for about 5 to10 minutes. Preheat oven to Heat oven 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wet your hands with water and make 8 to 10 large balls from the batter. Place each ball on the paper (not too close to each other) and bake for a full 50 minutes or fully risen and golden. DO NOT open the oven door to check on these rolls – they might deflate. Makes 8 to 10.

PASSOVER PIZZA (dairy)

Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups fine matzah meal
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
5 large eggs

Topping:
1 to 2 large chopped and seeded tomatoes
1/2 to 1 cup chopped black olives
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Oregano, to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the water and oil in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat. Add all the matzah meal and oregano. Mix to combine and return to a medium heat stirring constantly for 4 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and continue cooking and stirring for 1 more minute. Let the dough cool for about 5 minutes. Beat in 1 egg at a time until all the eggs have been added. I use an electric mixer for this part. Spread the dough onto the parchment paper in a large circle or 2 smaller ones. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove the crust from the oven. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the pizza crust and sprinkle the chopped tomato, olives and oregano over the top of the sauce. Sprinkle the cheeses over the top of the tomatoes. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Serves 4 to 6.

http://www.ou.org

The number of kosher for Passover products increases every year. The Orthodox Union’s Daf Hakashrus, OU Kosher’s magazine, annually prints an updated list that includes new Kosher for Passover items. Following are several major highlights of that list. Wine • Kedem has two new items with OU-P certification for this year – pomegranate and sparkling pomogrape juices • Jelinek introduces OU-P pear brandy, in addition to its traditional slivovitz • Distillerie will have OU-P gin Matzah Products • The OU now certifies Aviv, Osem, Yehuda, and Rishon matzah products from Israel • The Yanovsky bakery in Argentina now has OU-P certified matzah, which is widely distributed in Latin America • Manischewitz now has OU-P whole wheat matzah meal and whole wheat matzah farfel, both made from Manischewitz OU-P whole wheat matzah Beverages • This year, OU-P Coca Cola will spear in 2 liter bottles, which will have the distinctive yellow caps along with the OU-P symbol • Many supermarkets will have OU-P flavored seltzers available this year. They include America’s Choice, Shoprite and Price Chopper • Cornell will have flavored sodas with an OU-P • Only coffee bearing an OU-P symbol or brands listed in the gray area of the OU Passover Directory should be used. Both Folger’s and Taster’s Choice instant coffee remain acceptable, while other brands should be checked in the OU Passover Guide. Ground coffee remains acceptable from any source as long as it is unflavored and not decaffeinated. • Regular tea bags, which are not flavored or decaffeinated, are acceptable for Pesach without special supervision. Shoprite also has specially marked OU-P plain tea bags on the market. In addition, Swee-Touch-Nee and Wissotsky will continue to have Pesach herbal teas. Nestea instant unflavored tea powder and instant unflavored decaffeinated tea powder are acceptable for Pesach without special supervision. Candy • The Bartons brand of candy, which was not available last year for Passover, will appear this year with an OU-P certification • The Barracini line of candy now has an OU-P • Haddar candy now has an OU-P Cake • Many products from the Willmark line of industrial baked goods will be available with an OU-P this year • Cookies from Gedilla and Gefen have an OU-P • Bernie’s Foods will have Frankels blintzes, waffles, and pizza, and LeTova kichel and bread sticks with an OU-P this year • Dayenu will have certified OU-P pizza, rolls, and pierogies Dairy • Best Moo and Kahal dairy products now have an OU-P • Norman’s Machmirim cholov yisroel milk and yogurt have a OU-P • Cabot Creamery has cheddar cheese that is not cholov yisroel but is OU-P Condiments • It is the OU’s position that extra virgin olive oil can be used for Passover without specific OU-P designation. However, Bartenura, Carmel, Gefen, and Mishpacha olive oil will be available with an OU-P symbol on their labels. Mother’s and Mishpacha’s cooking sprays will have an OU-P. Bartenura will be introducing an OU-P grapeseed oil this year • Savion has introduced a new OU-P line of sauces known as Fireman’s Frenzy, including spicy marinade, salsa, and ketchup For more information on these and other food and non-food items that are kosher for Passover, visit http://www.oupassover.org. http://www.ou.org http://www.oukosher.org

Those charged with cleaning the house for Passover, shopping for seders and eight days of bread-less meals and snacks, and cooking and baking those meals would be a lot more frantic and frazzled if not for the annual OU Guide to Passover. A special issue of Jewish Action, the family magazine of the Orthodox Union, this year’s Guide, for 5770/2010, is now available to help facilitate Passover preparation and observance. There are also many new and interesting features with beautiful photos accompanying them – and the heart of the Guide remains the same: listing food and other products that are certified kosher for Passover by the OU. The Guide has two basic lists: one with items that must have an OU-P appear on the label, such as baking mixes, baked products, beverages, candy, condiments, dairy products, matzah products, meat and poultry, olive oil, snack food, wine and liqueurs; and one with items that do not need a special Passover certification, such as aluminum foil, candles, cleansers, and paper goods, where the regular OU symbol is sufficient for year-round use. The Guide also discusses halachot (laws) of dealing with the sick, elderly, and small children; basic frequently asked questions on Passover; Passover recipe substitutes; and a primer on koshering common items around the house. Some of the new feature articles that appear in this year’s Guide are “Haggadah Insights,” an excerpt from OU Press’ new book, The Royal Table, an interpretation of the Passover Hagaddah based on Rabbi Norman Lamm’s teachings; “How Mechirat Chametz (selling your chametz) Works,” by Rabbi Dov Schreier; and “Gebrokts (matzah pieces mixed with water) – A Popular Minhag (tradition) Moves the Marketplace,” by Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz. Rabbis Schreier and Rabinowitz are both rabbinic coordinators at OU Kosher. Rabbi Rabinowitz declared, “This year’s OU Passover Guide is new and improved, with original articles appearing alongside the regular features that address Pesach- related topics: mechirat chametz, yashan (last year’s crop grains), and gebrokts. A graphically-enhanced and newly-indexed Passover Consumer Guide provides the list of Passover-approved and certified products. We are delighted to be a part of your Pesach preparation.” The Guide, with a press run of close to 75,000 copies, will be available at ShopRite at the customer service desk and at many smaller kosher supermarkets as well. Yeshiva/day schools and OU synagogues have also received copies of the Guide, and it will be directly available through the mail to all OU members and Jewish Action subscribers. View online at http://www.oukosher.org/pdf/Pesach_Guide2010.pdf. To order individual copies for $3 each, contact or 212-613-8125. http://www.ou.org http://www.oukosher.org http://www.oupassover.org

The laws regarding kashering glass are especially confusing, because the opinions range from one extreme to the other מקצה לקצה.
• Rashba (Teshuva 1:233), Ran (Pesachim 9a) – glass is smooth, hard and does not absorb (or absorbs very little) and therefore does not need to be kashered. דשיעי וקשים ובליעתם מעוטה מכל הכלים
• Ra’ah (Brought by Ritva Pesachim 30b) – Glass is boleya and is polet like metal, but may not be kashered with hagalah because we are concerned that it might crack, משום דחייס שמא פקעה.
• Mordechai – Glass has the status of cheres, הואיל ותחלת ברייתו מן החול.

Mechaber (O.C. 451:26) paskens like the Rashba that glass, even if used in a kli rishon, need not be kashered, since it does not absorb. However, Rama says that the minhag is to consider glass like cheres1. Still, Magen Avrohom (451:49) says that if hagalah was done, bidieved, it is acceptable2. Although at times there is room to say “Shas hadchak k’bidieved” and permit one to do hagalah, one should only kasher glass with a psak from the office.

Common examples of glass include crystal, Pyrex, Corelle, Duralex and porcelain enamel. Porcelain enamel is made from sheets of glass which are ground, returned to the kiln and fused to other utensils.

Mechaber (451:23) writes that cheres coated with glass has the status of cheres. Although ordinary glass does not absorb, thin glass coatings that are fired onto clay3 can absorb. Therefore, according to all opinions china is cheres, even though it has a thin film of glass on its surface.

Mishna Berurah (addendum to 451:23) writes that although the Chasam Sofer was against kashering metal pots that are coated with glass with hagalah, he has heard that many Gedolim are maikel to kasher these pots when they are aino ben yomo, and are only machmir not to kasher them for Pesach. Similarly, many are maikel to kasher enamel coated ovens, such as the type that are common in homes, with libun kal. However, for Pesach one should lichatchila be machmir to do libun gamur (self clean or torching), use an oven insert, or make sure to only place covered food in the oven. In cases of difficulty, some are maikel to allow libun kal, since the Magen Avrohom said that if one kashered glass it would help bidieved4.
Glass lined reactors (glass lined steel) accordingly may be kashered with hagalah. However, Rav Schachter has said that we should also do three hagalos, to incorporate the opinion of the Ba’al Ha’itar, who holds that one can do hagalah three times to kasher aino ben yomo cheres.

Although we do not kasher glass, we allow caterers to use hotel glasses. This is because the glasses are clean and are only used with cold drink. Rama (Y.D. 121:5) writes that one is permitted to use clean non-kashered kailim derech arai (temporary fashion), such as when visiting at the house on a non-Jew. However, one may not use non-kosher glasses at one’s own home, because this is considered derech kevah (permanent type use). Caterers may not wash their own glasses in a treif hotel dishwasher, since this will make their glasses treif, and continued use is considered derech kevah.

Some pipes have a sight glass for viewing product. If hot non-kosher product flows through this pipe, can it be kashered? Rav Belsky has said that we can allow kashering when aino ben yomo, since in addition to the opinion of the Magen Avrohom that hagalah works bidieved, we can be mitztaref the opinions that are maikel by a kli shemishtamshim bo b’shefa, since a large volume of liquid passes over that small piece of pipe. Although we do not rely on kli shemishtamshim b’shefa alone, since in this case hagalah works bidieved, we can be maikel.

If glass absorbed through kavush then it may be kashered lichatchila with milui v’irui, or irui kli rishon, provided that the bliya was heter, chametz or stam yayin. Heter includes chalav stam provided that the kli being kashered is aino ben yomo. If the bliya was from other issurim, it is subject to the machlokes the Mechaber and Rama, and our minhag is not to kasher lichatchila.

Fiberglass is a material made of thin strands of glass that are pressed together to form a board. Plain fiberglass is highly porous and cannot be kashered. Even if it only absorbed heter through kavush, it may not be kashered, since it is impossible to get out the b’en. However, fiberglass mixed with resin forms a solid non-porous surface. A holding tank made of this type of fiberglass may be kashered, just like ordinary glass, provided it was kavush with wine, chametz or heter.

Summary:
• Our minhag is to follow Rama that glass is like cheres
• Bidieved if one did hagalah on glass it is effective
• Cheres coated with glass (e.g. china) is considered cheres
• Metal coated with glass can be kashered, but preferably not for Pesach. It should be kashered with three hagalos
• One may use cold drinking glasses of a non-Jew (e.g. hotel), b’derech arai
• A caterer may not wash his glasses in a non-kosher dishwasher
• A sight glass on a pipe may be kashered when aino ben yomo
• Glass that was kavush with heter, wine or chametz can be kashered
• Fiberglass that is porous cannot be kashered because it cannot be cleaned

—————————————————————————-
1. Rama makes no distinction between kashering glass for Pesach or for other issurim. However, some Achronim, such as Kineses Hagdolah (brought by Pri Migadim (451:31), hold that one can be lenient to kasher other issurim, just not for Pesach. The OU does not rely on this leniency.
2. Although Taz is lenient even if hagalah was not done, Mishna Berurah says that we should follow Magen Avrohom. Presumably, we are being mitztaref the opinion of the Re’ah that hagalah works provided that there is no concern of cracking
3. Rosh says that it absorbs because it is fused onto clay. Tosfos (A.Z.) says that a thin layer of glass can absorb.
4. This assumes that since the food never directly touches the walls or racks of the oven, and we are only concerned with bliyos of zeiya, the proper way to kasher an oven is with libun kal. However, there are opinions that hold that even an all metal oven would require libun gamur, because of spills. Still, since rov tashmisho of the oven is bliyos of zeiya, in situations where libun gamur is not possible, Mishna Berurah (451:47) says that one can be maikel to kasher according to rov tashmisho.

Imagine being able to invite one of the most eloquent and insightful rabbis in the world to be a guest at your Passover seder. His presence would transform the event, adding words of wisdom that inform and inspire all who are there. With OU Press’ publication this year of The Royal Table: A Passover Haggadah by Rabbi Norman Lamm, everyone can have the distinguished Chancellor and Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva University at their home.
For decades, Rabbi Lamm has been mesmerizing audiences with his captivating language and compelling messages. He is a preacher par excellence, conveying a Torah message in a format that is enjoyable, edifying and uplifting. In this new Haggadah, Rabbi Lamm is true to form. His language soars and his ideas penetrate. His commentary defends Jewish faith and promotes greater fealty to the Torah’s laws, while also preaching inclusion and brotherly love. It takes eternal Torah truths and applies them to the spiritual needs of our time.
Rabbi Lamm is one of the most gifted and profound thinkers of the Orthodox community. In addition to serving as Chancellor of Yeshiva University and Rosh HaYeshiva of its affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, he was the founding editor of Tradition, the journal of Orthodox thought published by the Rabbinical Council of America, and to this day convenes the Orthodox Forum, a think tank of rabbis, academicians, and community leaders that meets annually to discuss topics of concern in the Orthodox community.
Before assuming the presidency of Yeshiva University, a position he held for 26 years, Rabbi Lamm served for many years as Rabbi of The Jewish Center, one of New York City’s most prominent and vibrant Orthodox synagogues. A prolific author in the field of Jewish philosophy and law, a distinguished academician, and a charismatic pulpit rabbi, Rabbi Lamm has made, and continues to make, an extraordinary impact on the Jewish community. With a rare combination of penetrating scholarship and eloquence of expression, he has successfully presented a Torah view of contemporary Jewish life that speaks movingly to all.
This volume was edited by Dr. Joel B. Wolowelsky, Dean of the Faculty at the Yeshivah of Flatbush and Associate Editor of Tradition and the series MeOtzar HoRav: Selected Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Dr. Wolowelsky carefully selected and edited the material from Rabbi Lamm’s archives, turning many years of sermons into a running commentary on the Haggadah. Rabbi Menachem Genack, General Editor of OU Press, wrote a preface for the book, praising Dr. Wolowelsky’s work and Rabbi Lamm’s seminal influence on the Jewish community.
This book is the latest offering from OU Press, the recently created publishing house of the Orthodox Union that last year published The Seder Night: An Exalted Evening, a haggadah commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The publication of two extraordinary haggadot in successive years offers readers the opportunity to prepare for the holiday with the insights of two great thinkers. Exciting future books include a moving commentary on the Tisha B’Av Kinot based on the teachings of Rabbi Soloveitchik, edited by Rabbi Simon Posner and incorporating a new translation of the Kinot by Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President Emeritus of the OU; and a new Siddur with a profound commentary based on the teachings of Rabbi Soloveitchik, accompanied by the eloquent translation of the prayers by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and the popular Koren layout.

Copies of this book, which cost $24.95 each, are available through http://www.OUPress.org. Those who wish to place a bulk order (at a discounted price) can contact OU Press at .
http://www.ou.org

Almost everyone knows the four questions that are read in the haggadah during the Passover seders, but for two OU Kosher poskim (halachic authorities) – Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter – multiple other questions are asked of them every year during the Orthodox Union’s Pre-Passover webcast, which this year will take place on Tuesday, March 23 at 2:30 p.m., EDT.

Those who wish to view the webcast should log on 15 minutes prior to that time. The link for the webcast is http://www.ou.org/ouradio/kosher_webcast.

“The webcast, coming a bit more than two weeks before the holiday, will provide ample time for men and women to ask the questions they need to prepare for the holiday and to observe its eight days properly,” declared Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing at OU Kosher. “As with all other kashrut webcasts, it will be archived so that it can be referred to again and again.”

This year, the OU poskim will focus on questions and answers relating to selling chametz, buying chametz after Pesach, and the proper observance of the seder and interpretation of the haggadah.

Rabbi Safran points out that the Rabbis Belsky and Schachter webcasts are part of OU Kosher’s continuing and ever-growing educational outreach to the community, which includes:

• “OU Kosher Coming to Schools and Communities” program;

• The highly informative and entertaining Kosher Tidbits The link for Kosher Tidbits is (http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/learn/koshertidbits) postings on OU Radio, which most recently include “Getting Schooled about Kosher Fish, with Rabbi Chaim Goldberg”; “The Turkey: Kashrut with All the Stuffings, with Rabbi Chaim Loike”; “Radishes and Onions: Proceed with Caution, with Rabbi Hershel Schachter; and

• the OU Kosher educational DVDs. The next OU Kosher DVD, to be released after Passover, will be “What’s Wrong With this Chicken?”

Prior to the program, email your questions to Rabbi Safran at . During the webcast, email them to Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell at .

Rabbi Safran, Rabbi Eli Gersten, who records the responses, Rabbi Belsky, and Rabbi Schachter during the most recent OU Kosher webcast.

Today one sees the proliferation of the word “Yashan” in association with many kosher baked goods. What does Yashan mean? How does it compare to “Chadash”? Is Yashan a kosher requirement? Did my grandparents also eat products that were Yashan?

The Torah Requirement

The requirement to eat Yoshon is of biblical origin. The Torah commands that upon our arrival in the land of Israel we are to bring a special bundled oat offering (Korbon Omer) on the second day of Pesach. Until this offering is brought the new crop (Chadash) of the five grains (wheat, barley, oats, spelt & rye) may not be consumed. Only once the Korban Omer if sacrificed or in its absence, the day of the Korban has passed, is the new crop no longer new (Yoshon) and permissible to consume.

Yoshon in the Diaspora

While all agree that the laws of chadash still apply for the grains grown in Israel, there is much discussion whether one may eat chadash from the Diaspora. Historically, it was very difficult for European Jewry to avoid eating chadash wheat. Although the Vilna Gaon wrote very strongly against being lenient even in chutz l’aretz, the minhag among Ashkenazi Jews has certainly been to be lenient.

There are three basic approaches taken by the commentators on Shulchan Aruch explaining why one may be lenient today:

1) The Rama considers that in general when purchasing a product that contains wheat (without knowing its origin), one is faced with a double doubt (sfek sfeika). One does not know if the grains that were used were from this year’s crop or from last year’s crop, and even if it was from this year’s crop, perhaps the grain was planted before the Omer. Because of the existence of this double doubt, one may eat the product.

2) The Poskim exclude the diaspora from the Chadash prohibition because: a) land belonging to non-Jews is exempt from the rules of chadash, b) although chutz la’aretz is included in the prohibition of chadash, lands that are very far from Eretz Israel are exempt. Europe and certainly America are considered to be distant lands and are thereby exempt from the prohibition of chadash, or c) the Mishna records a dispute as to whether chadash applies outside of Israel, the Gemara does not state explicitly which opinion to follow. The Taz explains that the Gemara intentionally left the matter unresolved so that if future generations find themselves in lands where there is great difficulty in avoiding chadash, one can be lenient.

3) Some people follow a third approach which is in essence a compromise position. They are stringent when it comes to consuming products which might infringe on a torah prohibition of chadash, but they are lenient regarding products for which the violation would be at most Rabbinic. An example of this would be those who would only eat yoshon bread, since it is made primarily with spring wheat, which might be chadash, but would eat any pretzels since they are made primarily from winter wheat which is yoshon. Although pretzels contain some spring wheat, nonetheless the Torah prohibition is removed due to the rules of bitul (nullification).

The OU and Yoshon

The OU does not enforce a Yashan status of products under its supervision in Chutz L’Aretz, basing itself on the prevalent custom as explained above. Nonetheless, the OU does assist, wherever possible, those who wish to avoid Chadash. The OU works with various flour mills that we certify to monitor Yoshon product in a limited basis.

Yoshon monitoring starts at the harvest. The OU monitors the earliest harvest of spring wheat and works with OU certified flour mills to verify which production lots of flour are produced using wheat from the previous year’s crop.

Using Yoshon flour can sometimes provide ancillary kashruth challenges. Although domestic flour undergoes a series of procedures that eliminate most concerns of infestation, when milled flour is stored for long periods of time in less than ideal conditions (unsealed, warm, moist) infestation is a very real concern.

The OU is often called-upon to comment on various OU certified products. Where feasible, we will provide a cut-off on production dates before which the consumer can safely know that the product is in fact Yoshon.

Why Yoshon?

Sefer HaChinuch explains that just as one may not partake from a food until a beracha is recited, so too we must wait to eat from the new crop of grains until the korban Omer is brought, to show that we recognize that Hashem is the source of all of our sustenance. May we merit a heightened awareness of our Provider through the bringing of the korban Omer and the proper fulfillment of all the laws of yoshon, speedily in our days.

On Friday October 16th the OU presented the first of a two-part webinar (Internet seminar) on dairy hashgacha. The second session took place one week later on Friday, October 23. Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson, Senior Dairy RC, moderated the sessions and presented e-mail questions sent in advance and on-the-spot by RFRs; Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer and Rabbi Avrohom Juravel responded verbally and live to the questions.

RFRs were encouraged to e-mail questions about any and all topics relating to dairy kashrus supervision and policy to .

RFRs were sent a detailed dairy kashrus information packet for use during and after the webinar.

There was very positive feedback from Senior Management and RFRs on the success of this webinar in terms of ongoing RFR education and training. We look forward to more such excellent webinars in other industries as well.

The topics that were covered in the webinar were
1. Fluid milk
2. Powdered milk
3. Fresh cream
4. Whey cream
5. Butter
6. Hard cheese
7. Soft cheese
8. Whey
9. Sour cream
10. Yogurt
11. Ice cream

In the following RFR’s were given guidance concerning each topic as to what Kashrus issues they should be aware of as they do their inspections.

Webinar Dairy Issues
By Rabbi Avrohom Juravel and Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

Fluid milk.
When going to a fluid milk plant, it is important to ascertain what else is processed there. While fluid milk is intrinsically kosher, it goes through various processes that could have kashrus problems. These include, but are not limited to: separators, pasteurizers, and storage tanks. Chocolate milk, egg nog, and even chicken soup have been found to be processed on the same equipment as fluid milk. Due diligence is not only a virtue, it is a requirement. Note: In ultra-high pasteurization (UHT) dairies, which make long shelf-life product in boxes or pouches, the likelihood of shared equipment issues is very great.

Powdered milk.
This product starts off as fluid milk, goes through a separator where the cream (fatty part of milk) is removed. From there it goes through a series of evaporators, mixing/holding tanks, and from there to a spray dryer. It is imperative to keep track what the equipment is used for. It can easily be used to dry other materials besides milk, which may not be kosher.

Fresh cream
Fresh cream (also called “sweet cream”) is taken from the milk by putting the whole milk into a separator, which is really a centrifuge. Cream is lighter than milk, so it floats to the top when put through a centrifuge. The optimum temperature for separating the milk from the cream is about 140F. Therefore, the milk is put through a heat exchanger before it gets separated. An RFR must have a thorough knowledge of the workings of the plant and keep track of what else is going through the heat exchanger that heats the cream. He must also keep track of where and into which tanks the fresh cream is going, and ascertain that the tanks are not used for anything non-kosher.

Whey cream
Whey is a by-product of cheese making. There are plants where both the cheese and the whey are non-kosher. Just like milk has a cream content, whey also has a cream content. (As with milk, whey’s cream is its fat component.) By putting whey through a separator just like milk, you will end up with whey cream. Most factories keep the whey cream and the fresh cream separate. These are two very different commodities with very different values. However, in a plant where the whey is not kosher, one must keep track of where the whey cream is separated, stored, heated, etc. to make sure the kashrus of the fresh cream is not compromised. For this very reason, we do not accept fresh cream from any plant that also deals or produces whey cream, unless it is properly kosher-certified.

Butter
Butter is made by taking cream and churning it. The churning process smashes the fat molecule and inverts it, thus yielding a very smooth, uniform, and almost solid product. The water that does not go along with the butter is called classic buttermilk (not to be confused with cultured buttermilk). Butter can be made both from fresh cream and from whey cream (See Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah s. 79). Even USDA grade AA butter can contain significant amounts of whey cream. The certification program at a butter plant revolves around checking the cream sources. The cream will be coming in bulk by tanker truck. Each load has paperwork as to where it was picked up and produced. The RFR must meticulously check ALL the cream deliveries. He must also check what other ingredients they add to the butter against the schedule A.

Hard cheese
This product is made by starting with milk (whole, skim, powdered, or combinations of the above), adding cream and/or skim milk when called for. All these are put into a cheese vat, cultures are added, and when the pH changes, rennet is added. The vat is left alone for anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, the cheese is cut, and the whey is drained out. The OU is machmir like the Poskim who say that the cultures and the rennet must be put into the vat by a YID. After the whey is drained out, the cheese is pumped into molds and sometimes it goes into brine. For kosher cheese productions, the brine must be fresh brine, not having been used previously for any non-kosher cheese, and the brine tank must be new and kosher-dedicated or kashered or lined in accordance with OU policy .

Soft cheese
Milk, non-fat dry milk (“NFDM”), whey and cream are put into a vat. Various acid cultures, possibly other acids (such as vinegar) and stabilizers are put in, and in these temperature-controlled vats the mixture is allowed to separate. The whey is drained off, and we are left with soft cheese. The cultures and the temperatures will determine what type of cheese it will become. Since there is no rennet, what is making the cheese here is the acid. Therefore this is known as acid- set cheese. The whey, which is a by-product of this cheese production, is always going to be an acid whey. The RFR must check the schedule A very carefully to see that the cultures match schedule A. He must also be aware that since acid set cheese is very often made at high temperatures, the equipment used in this type of cheese making must be dedicated for kosher use or be kashered before a production.

Whey
Whenever there is cheese production (or casein production), there will be whey. Whey is the uncoagulated part of the milk that is the by-product of cheese production. When the whey is coming from hard cheese, the RFR must check that the temperature of the cheese vat does not reach or exceed 120 F. If the temperature reaches or exceeds that, we have whey cooking with GEVINAS AKUM. He must also see that all the rennet and cultures are kosher. If they are using animal-derived rennet to set the cheese, then the whey is not acceptable to the OU. Usually, the whey comes off the cheese vat after the cheese coagulates. In some instances, the coagulated cheese is washed with hot water in order to get it to expel more whey. This process is known as scalding the cheese. The whey that comes out of this process is not considered kosher.

Mozzarella cheese goes through an additional process called stretching. This is accomplished by immersing the cheese in a very hot bath which will soften it, and then through a mixer/molder which stretches it. The water from the hot bath (“cooker” in industrial terms) is generally between 150 F-175 F. Sometimes, this water is returned to the rest of the whey. When this happens, not only is the whey non-kosher, but the whey cream which comes off the whey will also become non-kosher.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the RFR at a whey plant must be totally familiar with every part of the process, and evaluate whether there are any pieces of machinery (separator, pasteurizer, heat exchangers, evaporators, tanks, etc.) that can become kosher-contaminated along the way. Please remember that we are certifying the whey which is the by-product of non-kosher cheese (GEVINAS AKUM). Total segregation of kosher and non-kosher is imperative.

Sour cream
Cream, milk, cultures, stabilizers, and emulsifiers are standard ingredients in sour cream. Cream, not like its closely-related cousin butter, is a liquid, not a solid. In order to solidify cream, cultures are put in which will change the taste and have some effect on the texture. This is still not enough to solidify it. Starch, stabilizers, and emulsifiers will accomplish this task. The problem we encounter is that a lot of sour cream stabilizers have non-kosher GELATIN in them. This is especially relevant in light sour creams. The less the cream content, the more the gelatin. The stabilizer itself can have high amounts of gelatin, even though the final sour cream product has only a small amount. We will not certify the product even with a minimal amount of gelatin in it.

The gelatin problem rears its ugly head when a plants adds gelatin or stabilizer that contains gelatin to a small amount of cream in a liquefier, creating a “pre-mix” A liquefier is a very-high speed mixer which will mix and blend the gelatin into a small amount of cream, and then send it to the big vat of sour cream mix. This is done with other stabilizers also, even the kosher ones. Oftentimes, the liquefier is heated, rendering it non-kosher because of the large amount of gelatin in the pre-mix. Although the total amount of gelatin in the final product is botel, in the liquefier it is not botul. When the same liquefier is used for a kosher stabilizer, it can be rendered non-kosher because the liquefier was not kashered. Similarly, if the liquefier processed a pre-mix which contained gelatin that was not botel therein, and that pre-mix gets mixed into the rest of the product (which it surely does – that is the whole idea of a pre-mix), the rest of the product will become non-kosher, as we view the entire pre-mix as non-kosher (ChaNaN), and the pasteurization equipment will thus also need to be kashered. It is necessary to verify that a pre-mix which contains gelatin is not made, or that the entire line is kashered if such a pre-mix is made.

Again, unless the RFR understands the complete workings of the plant, he may check the formula of the non-kosher gelatin and decide it is always botul, and he will ignore the fact that the liquefier (and subsequently the pasteurizer) is TRAIF!

Yogurt
Yogurt starts with milk (fresh or NFDM) and cultures. The milk is inoculated with the culture, it is kept in a thermostatically-controlled holding tank, and after many hours, the whole thing turns into yogurt. After we have yogurt, flavors, sweeteners, starch, fruit fillings, and stabilizers are added. The best way to keep the fruit in suspension is by adding a stabilizer called gelatin. An RFR must carefully monitor the stabilizer systems they use and ascertain which products contain gelatin and which do not. He should also be checking all the other ingredients (stabilizers, fruit preparations, flavors, cultures, etc.) and compare them to the labels of the finished products. The same exact issue of pre-mixes with gelatin that was detailed in the case of sour cream applies equally to yogurt plants, where it is quite common. RFR beware!

Ice cream
Cream (fresh cream or whey cream), milk powder, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavors make up ice cream. When a product like ice cream freezes, small ice crystals form. This is not what the customer wants to taste. He wants the smooth mouthfeel of a creamy product. We all know that oil and water do not mix very well. In order to get the components of ice cream to mix, stabilizers and emulsifiers are used. When the right ones are used in the right proportions, a smooth creamy product will be the result, even when frozen, and it will not form minute ice crystals in the product. The RFR must be very vigilant in checking the stabilizer systems.

Ice cream comes in many flavors and varieties. Some may be kosher, while some may not be kosher. Rocky road is usually not kosher because of the non-kosher marshmallows it contains. Often, other ice cream varieties contain non-kosher marshmallows and are called by different names (e.g. Heavenly Hash, etc.). While the flavors are usually put into the ice cream mix after the ice cream is made, rework and remelt is an issue that must be very closely monitored.

In the times of Chazal, cheres was made from various baked clays. In modern times common examples of cheres include earthenware and stoneware. The Gemara Pesachim (30b) tells us that a cheres utensil cannot be kashered with hagalah התורה העידה על כלי חרס שאינו יוצא מידי דופיו לעולם. Even libun gamur is not permitted in situations where there is a concern that one might not be milaben properly for fear of cracking. Therefore, one may not kasher china by putting it through a self cleaning cycle of the oven. In such cases, the only permissible kashering is to place the utensil into a potter’s kiln which gets much hotter than libun chamur. This demonstrates that one is not concerned about potential damage.

There has been much written on the subject of porcelain as to whether it is cheres. Porcelain is a material made from super-heated clay (over 2,000 °F) that takes on qualities of glass, including hardness and translucence. Most importantly, it seemingly does not absorb. Rav Yaakov Emden (Shailos Yayvetz I:67) contends that porcelain should be categorized as glass. However, Rav Moshe Feinstein Zt”l writes that the predominant minhag is to treat porcelain as cheres and this is the position of the OU as well.
In recent times, scientists have created new forms of materials such as alumina and zirconia. These high-tech materials have a near 100% density, are very smooth and seemingly do not absorb. Though aluminum and zirconium are metals, alumina and zirconia are non-metals. One common source for alumina is bauxite stone, from which alumina is extracted and powdered. The Yad Yehuda says that a stone which is powdered and then reconfigured by mixing with water and firing in a kiln has the status of cheres. Therefore, these new materials should also be considered cheres. However, it is the position of Rav Belsky and Rav Schachter that these materials can be kashered with hagalah. Rav Belsky explains that the Gemara (Pesachim 30b) refers to several types of cheres, and not all of their cheres exhibited the same characteristics.
ירוקא לא תיבעי לך – דודאי אסירי. כי תיבעי לך – אוכמי וחיורי מאי? והיכא דאית בהו קרטופני – לא תיבעי לך, דודאי אסירי. כי תיבעי לך – דשיעי מאי? אמר ליה: חזינא להו דמידייתי, אלמא בלעי ואסירי.
The Gemara never states as a rule that cheres must absorb. Rather, the Gemara says that we see that our cheres sweats, which is an indication that it has absorbed. The Torah testifies that once cheres absorbs, it can never be fully purged. However, Chazal leave open the possibility for the existence of a type of cheres that does not absorb. Since these new materials are less porous than porcelain and are not made from clay, they are not included in the minhag to consider porcelain as cheres. If one comes across other high tech materials, and is uncertain whether they can be kashered, the shailah should be presented to our poskim for a ruling.

One particularly sensitive piece of equipment that often contains cheres is the homogenizer. Because of their durability, piston heads are often made of cheres. If these pistons are made from alumina or zirconia, then as we just explained, they can be kashered. If they are made from materials that we consider like regular cheres, can we kasher such a homogenizer?

The Baal Ha’Itur says that cheres can be kashered when it is aino ben yomo with three hagalos. The Rashba says that we follow this leniency of the Baal Ha’Itur only regarding kashering after an issur dirabbanan she’ain lo ikar min Hatorah, and Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 113:16) brings this l’halacha regarding kashering after bishul akum. There is a machlokes Achronim2 as to whether we can extend this leniency to other issurim d’rabbanon she’ain lo ikar min Hatorah such as chalav akum and gevinas akum. Although it is difficult to resolve this machlokes, Rav Schachter and Rav Belsky have agreed that a homogenizer that is aino ben yomo that was used with chalav akum or gevinas akum can be kashered with three hagalos even for use with kosher pareve. This is due to the additional consideration that there is always more than sixty times the pistons in the flow of product through the pipes. It is therefore comparable to a kli she’mishtamshim bo b’shefa3. This combined with aino ben yomo and the lenient opinion of the Achronim is the basis for our leniency. We also allow kashering these pistons from dairy to pareve. Other issurim, and certainly issurim d’oraisah, will require replacing the piston heads.

In summary:
• We cannot kasher cheres except by returning it to a kiln.
• We consider all clay based materials such as porcelain to be types of cheres
• Alumina and zirconia materials can be kashered with hagalah
• cheres used for bishul akum can be kashered with 3 hagalos
• cheres pistons used for chalav or gevinas akum can be kashered with 3 hagalos when they are aino ben yomo and we can then produce kosher pareve.
• cheres pistons used for other issurim should be replaced

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
1. Igros Moshe (Y.D. II:46, E.H.IV:7, O.C.III,58)
2. Darchei Teshuva 121:74 brings this as a machlokes the Yad Yehuda (99:28) who is machmir and the Beis Shlomo (Y.D. 186) and others who are maikel.
3. Shulchan Aruch (99:7) holds that a kli she’mishtamshim bo b’shefa need not be kashered. However, Shach 122:3 and Taz Y.D. 99:15 disagree. Pri Migadim S.D. 99:23 says that one may not be lenient even when the kli is aino ben yomo. However, Kaf Hachaim and Yad Avrohom are lenient when kli is aino ben yomo. We are maikel to allow aino ben yomo, when there are other mitigating factors, such as here.

When a cold item is placed onto a hot surface, Halacha tells us to view the cold item as though it were hot, even though the item remains cold. Conversely, if a hot item is placed on a cold surface, we view the hot item as becoming cooled down. However, in this case we say that until it cools down, there is a kdei klipa transfer of ta’am. This concept is brought in the Gemara Pesachim (76a) and referred to as ta’tah gavar (the bottom surface overpowers).
The Shach (92:36) brings two criteria for deciding which surface is considered the “ta’tah”.
• The bottom surface because heat rises or because the top item weighs down upon the bottom.
• The stationary surface because the item that remains in its place is considered dominant.

Hot cans exit a retort and are dropped into a cooling bath. Because the cans are heated in a retort they have the status of a kli rishon. Although, the cans become submerged in the bath, the water is considered the ta’tah because the can is considered transitory and the bath the stationary surface. Therefore, so long as the bathwater remains below yad soledes, we say that only a kdei klipa of water is heated by each can. Even if tens of thousands of non-kosher cans pass through this bath, it will not make the water non-kosher, since even thousands of kdei klipa are still a small amount, and are batel b’shishim in the bath. If the water gets above yad soledes, we should view the water as non-kosher.

Hot cans exit a retort and are cooled down by cascading cold water. In this case the cans would be the ta’tah and the water would become non-kosher. The water would need to be replaced for the kosher production, even if it never gets to be yad soledes.

When discussing ta’tah gavar we are discussing only kli rishon heat. If a cold item falls on a kli sheini we do not say ta’tah gavar and there is no transfer of ta’am until the above item becomes hot.

Bottles and cans which are hot-filled, but are not retorted, could be considered like a kli rishon or a kli sheini depending on the temperature. If the temperature of the container is above yad nichves bo (180 F), we consider this to be a kli rishon. If it cools to below yad nichves bo, it is a kli sheini. If kli sheini bottles are cooled with cascading water, even though the bottles are hot (i.e. above yad soledes) the water will not become non-kosher.

Poskim1 say that if there is a heat source that prevents the upper item from cooling down, even if the ta’tah is cold, it does not overpower, but rather the hot item will make the ta’tah surface as though it is also hot.

In a steam jacketed kettle, the hot water is considered the ta’tah even though the kettle remains in place and the hot water circulates. Since the steam has a heat source (i.e. the boiler) it is always considered dominant. Therefore, the kettle will be boleya from the steam even if the kettle remains cold. However, the Chavas Daas 91:5 says that the product inside the kettle will not be boleya from the kettle so long as the inside wall that touches the food remains below yad soledes. Ta’tah gavar says that we should view the kettle as being hot only regarding being boleya from below. There will not be a transfer of ta’am with the product above, until the kettle actually becomes hot.

This is important in whey production. Although whey is a byproduct of gevinas akum, it remains kosher so long as the whey is not cooked together with the cheese2. Often companies are interested in heating slightly their cheese to help extract the whey. Kettles that contain both whey and cheese are heated to 115 F (slightly below yad soledes). Although these kettles are steam jacketed and the inside jacket of the kettle gets hot, we do not say ta’tah gavar and consider everything in the kettle as being cooked, so long as the inside wall that touches the whey remains below yad soledes. These kettles have agitators that keep the temperature uniform throughout the kettle. Therefore, we can be confidant that so long as the product temperature remains below 115 F, the inside wall will remain below 120 F3.
___________________________________________________

1. Yam Shel Shlomo (Chulin 7:38) brought by Shach 92:33 and Taz 92:25
2. Igeros Moshe Y.D. III:17 is maikel even if the whey is cooked together with the cheese, but the OU has adopted the position to be machmir not to accept whey that is cooked together with gevinas akum.
3. I spoke with a respected engineer who told me that the closest approximation for the temperature of the inside wall of the kettle is the temperature of the product right next to it. So long as the agitation produces uniform temperature, we can expect the inside wall to remain within a degree or two of the product.

Irui can only kasher the outer layer of a kli. Hot water poured against a cold kli is an example of חם לתוך צונן (hot onto cold) of which we say (Pesachim 76a) תתאה גבר ואדמיקר ליה בלע. The bottom surface succeeds in cooling down the water but not before the water succeeds in kashering the topmost layer.

A kli rishon has the ability to be boleya and to be polet throughout its entire thickness. Therefore, one cannot kasher a kli that was used as a kli rishon with irui, even if the irui is performed with water that is significantly hotter than the temperature of the non-kosher product.

The appropriate way to kasher a kli rishon is according to the manner that it was used.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon al ha’aish – must be kashered in a kli rishon that is on the fire.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon that was off the fire – must be kashered in a kli rishon, but the kli rishon need not be on the fire.

In industry today kettles are most often heated by means of circulating steam or hot water. Yet these kettles are considered to be like a kli rishon even though they are heated with an irui of hot water. Rav Belsky explains that an extended irui of hot water can also create a kli rishon. Because circulating hot water/steam heats the walls of the kettle such that there aren’t any דפנות מקררות (quite the contrary the walls of the kettle heat the inside product), this too can be considered a kli rishon and the entire thickness of the walls requires kashering. The source for this idea comes from Tosfos (Shabbos 40b) who explains the distinction between a kli rishon and a kli sheini. The walls of a kli sheini are cold and cause the contents of the kli to immediately cool down. However, a kli rishon has hot walls that retain the heat and cause bishul. Additionally, the Rashba (Shabbos 42a) says that an אמבטי (bathtub) can be mivashel even if it is a kli sheini, because the water in it is much hotter. Rav Belsky explains that because a bathtub contains a great quantity of water and a relatively small amount of surface area it can retain its heat even though it is a kli sheini. Similarly, a continuous irui of large quantities of hot water although technically a kli sheini, can also be viewed as a kli rishon.

While the appropriate method for kashering a jacketed kettle is by turning on the hot water/steam and boiling up the kettle, in cases of need, one can rely on an extended irui on the inside of the kettle, through the use of spray balls. Roschim water should be sprayed until the walls become saturated with heat and the exiting water does not differ in temperature from the entering water. Typically this process takes about 15-20 minutes. This method is employed for kashering tanker trucks.

Other common applications for which we rely on kashering with spray balls are holding tanks that have no independent heat source but were filled with hot non-kosher product or held cold non-kosher product for 24 hours. Lichatchila, these tanks should be sprayed with roschim water for 15-20 minutes. In cases of need there is room to be more lenient and allow for slightly lower temperatures since the tanks have no independent heat source.

Viewing an extended irui as a kli rishon leads to a stringency regarding kashering pipes. When hot non-kosher product flowed through the pipes for an extended period of time, the walls of the pipe became saturated with heat and bliyos were able to be absorbed into the entire thickness of the pipe. It is therefore insufficient to kasher the pipes by merely passing boiling water through them for one minute. Rather, boiling water must be circulated until once again the walls of the pipe become saturated and there cease to be דפנות מקררות. While there is no exact way to tell how long this will take, other than to manually check the outside of the pipe with a thermometer for the point at which the temperature ceases to increase, typically we can assume that this takes about 15 minutes.

Another issue that has recently been raised concerns the use of CIP systems for both kosher and non-kosher lines. Even if a plant has completely separate lines for kosher and non-kosher, if they share a CIP system in which the waters are circulated back to the CIP tank, then the CIP tank can become non-kosher. Future use of the CIP system on the kosher line can potentially compromise its kosher status. Typically a CIP consists of three or four stages; an initial flush which is usually done below yad soledes, a caustic wash and acid wash which are done above yad soledes and a fresh water rinse which can also be done hot. Although the caustic and acid cycles are typically pagum and do not present an issue, if the final rinse is above yad soledes, and is circulated through the CIP tank this can present a problem. Since every CIP system is built and performs differently, it is important for Mashgichim to be aware of how the systems in their plants operate and report to the office any situations of concern.

In the early twentieth century, Belgian colonists in the Congo noticed that the Congolese were careful to store elephant meat in papaya leaves. Intrigued, they found that the papaya leaves, besides protecting the meat, tenderized it. Laboratory analysis demonstrated that a particular enzyme, called papain, was the agent of the process.

Belgian companies were later built around processing and selling papain from Congolese papaya plantations. New applications were discovered and papain is now also used as a clarifying agent in beer, as a softener in biscuits, and as a digestive aid (dietary supplement companies sell encapsulated papain). Processed papain now comes not from the papaya leaves but from the peel of the papaya.

All of this would seem pretty innocuous from a kosher perspective except for the remarkable fact that the great majority of papaya is harvested from the first three years of the papaya tree’s lifetime (the tree grows astoundingly quickly – up to eight feet in its first year – and bears fruit within 10-12 months. It trebles its height in the next two years and, although it can eke out one or two more seasons of fruit, is typically abandoned or cut down after three years). The Torah (Vayikra, 19, 23) prohibits fruits borne to a tree in the first three years of its existence. Although the prohibition, as recorded in Chumash, is limited to Eretz Yisroel, Moshe Rabbenu also taught, orally, that Orlah applies outside of Eretz Yisroel as well. The Talmud (Kiddushin 39a) cites this teaching as a halacha l’Moshe m’sinai, which means that Moshe learned this also at Har Sinai, but was not instructed to write it down (see Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 294, 8).

The Torah prohibition recorded in Chumash, and applicable to Eretz Yisroel, is not simply duplicated, or extended, to chutz l’aretz. The Talmud notes a fundamental distinction between the two halachos: in Eretz Yisroel, safek orlah is prohibited. In chutz l’aretz, a safek is permitted.

There are two basic ways to define a safek in this case, and the distinction between them has ramifications for the kashrus status of papain.

One kind of safek is based on probability. Was a given papaya taken from the first three years of the tree’s existence, or not? The halacha in chutz L’aretz is that if there is any possibility that a given fruit came from a tree that was not orlah – that is, had matured beyond three years — then it is permitted. This is true even if, in any given crop, most of the trees are still within the first three years of their existence. Unless it’s certainly from a (halachically) immature tree – that is, one whose fruits are orlah — then we assume it’s from a mature one (Shulchan Aruch 294, 9; see also Teshuvos Shivos Tzion 49, cited in Pischei Teshuva, 294, 10).

A second kind of safek turns on whether a fruit is indeed a fruit. The prohibition of orlah is limited to fruits, and does not apply to vegetables. Even if a specimen was borne from a tree that we know for certain had been planted only two years ago, if we are not certain that it is really a fruit then the halacha is also that, in chutz l’aretz, it would be acceptable (see Teshuvos v’hanhagos, Rav Moshe Sternbuch, 3, 333, based on Berachos, 36a).

Let us assume, for the moment, that papaya is, halachically, a fruit. Operating with an understanding that 1. The economic life of the plant is 36 months 2. Trees are planted throughout the year and 3. A third of a crop is replanted every year (to sustain consistent income)

any given papaya sold from this field will nevertheless be acceptable. That is because a halachic “year” is not always 12 months. If a tree is planted before 16 Av, the first “year” is considered to have elapsed already on the first of Tishrei. Fruits grown after the 15th of Shevat two calendar years, or about thirty months, later (Y.D. 294, 5) are considered mature, and acceptable. Thus, a percentage of fruits, if only a minority, emerging from this crop can be assumed to have been picked after the trees have matured.

This line of reasoning permits a given papaya from such a crop, since any safek is already sufficient. Rabbi Eli Gersten pointed out however, that this safek may not apply to papain, which is a blend of the papaya in a crop. When papain is harvested, farmers methodically recover enzymes from all the papayas in a crop. The papain is collected and sent to a processing site to become blended and liquefied. Dr. Avraham Meyer, who visited the Congo several years ago, described the process as follows:
A bib is tied around the middle of a papaya tree. The outer skin of the papaya is lightly scratched (if too big a cut is made it will penetrate the skin and the fruit will rot). The process can be repeated 5 to 6 times before the fruit begins to over-ripen and needs picking. The liquid falls into the bib, dries and is collected and sent to the factory. Each “garden” so they call them) is scratched approximately every ten days to two weeks.

At the plant the latex is dumped into a mixer where the various latexes are reliquified and blended and then passed through a rough filter. The product is placed on trays stacked in wooden frames and dried in the wood fired air drier.

Thus papain creates a complexity not encountered with papaya: it is not a specific sample, but an aggregate, a lach b’lach taruvos of extracts. Chazal required that for such a taruvos to be acceptable, there must be 200 parts hetter to one part orlah (Rambam, Hil. Ma’achalos Asuros, 15, 13; Shach, Y.D. 98, 6).

Shulchan Aruch (294, 17) rules that wine prepared from grapes farmed and harvested in chutz l’aretz by gentiles is permitted, despite the fact that invariably there will be a fraction of immature vines in a crop, based on the notion that safek orlah in chutz l’aretz is acceptable. However, in that case the mixture, or wine production, is only taking place after the grapes have been brought to the Jewish vintner. Each grape, evaluated on its own, can be assumed to be acceptable. Here, the blend, or liquefaction, has already taken place before a p’sak is rendered on each individual extract of papain.

Radvaz (3, 551) rules that short of actually seeing a fruit removed from an immature tree, the fruit, in chutz l’aretz, would always be permitted. Thus, even if someone is selling fruit outside of a field which is completely immature, one can still assume that the fruit seller took the fruit from some other field. However if, by deduction, we still must assume that the fruit is orlah –even if we did not actually see it the picking – then we must resign ourselves to the presumption that the fruit is orlah.
The second type of safek addresses not only papaya, but papain as well.

How do we define a fruit? There is some discussion in poskim as to whether the parameters defined in hilchos berachos are exactly coterminous with that of orlah (Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, Techumin) in any event, they certainly provide a starting point. When does one make a borei pri ha’eitz – as opposed to a borei pri ha’adamah? The Talmud (Berachos 40a) defines a tree as something that does not shed its trunk from year to year.

היכא מברכינן בורא פרי העץ היכא דכי שקלת ליה לפרי אתי גווזא והדר מפיק אבל היכא דכי שקלת ליה פירי ליתיה לגווזא דהדר מפיק לא מברכינן עליה בורא פרי העץ אלא בפה“א

If a tree trunk degenerates every year, or if it requires planting again, then halachically it is not a tree, and its “fruit” requires a borei pri ha’adamah. The papaya tree certainly meets this criterion. However, gedolei acharonim have cited various attributes that disqualify a specimen from being a tree. It cannot be a tree

• If it gives fruit within its first year, it cannot be a tree (Radvaz ad loc; also cited in Birchei Yosef, 294) • If the fruit deteriorates after three years (Birchei Yosef) • If the trunk is hollow (see Leket Kemach, 294) • If the fruit comes from the trunk, and not branches (see Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, Techumim X)

Among the poskim who rule that papaya is a “vegetable”, even in Eretz Yisroel, are Ben Ish Chai (Rav Pa’aim, 2, 30) and Rav Ovadiah Yosef (Ye’chavah Da’as, 4,52).

However, Shevat Halevi (S”T, 6, 165) raises questions on their proofs. Rav Shternbuch also concludes that papaya seems to be, halachically, a tree fruit. If grown in Eretz Yisroel, he rules that one should prohibit papaya as orlah. However, in chutz L’aretz he is lenient, based on the fact that, ultimately, there is an authentic safek as to its status; also, whenever there is a difference of opinion about opinion, we are lenient in chutz l’aretz. Thus, if a person grew a papaya tree in his backyard in Be’er Sheva, the papaya from, say, the first year would be prohibited. But if the tree grew in Brooklyn, the papaya would be permitted. Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz is also lenient in chutz l’aretz (x).

Rav Belsky concurred with this ruling.

Kosher Tidbits, an initiative of OU Kosher which presents audio and visual learning sessions regarding contemporary kashrut issues, is nearing the 150 mark with the announcement of its 143rd production last week, “Onions and Radishes: Proceed with Caution,” with Rabbi Hershel Schachter, OU Kosher Senior Halachic Consultant. Available on http://www.ouradio.org and geared toward the general Kosher-observant community across the globe, Kosher Tidbits are an informal and enjoyable means of developing substantial kashrut knowledge. New Tidbits are added to provide insights into aspects of kashrut in today’s world and to show how centuries old halacha is applied to modern technology processes.
In a series which began in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran, Vice President for Communications and Marketing of OU Kosher, Orthodox Union halachic consultants, rabbinic coordinators and rabbinic field representatives provide detailed yet understandable explanations on a plethora of subjects in their specialized fields. The topics are enticingly clever and presented with witty titles to capture all audiences – from those with minimal knowledge of the law who are seeking to learn more; to long-time observers brushing up on the latest kashrut innovations; as well as rabbinic teachers and authorities seeking to learn from specialists in the various areas of kashrut.
New segments will be added regularly, Rabbi Safran promises. “We will never run out of topics because as long as people eat, there will be issues to discuss and explain,” he said. “All the experience our OU rabbis gain in the field and from their learning will continue to be available to an ever-increasing audience around the globe. Kosher Tidbits is more than just a series; it is thorough explanation of how a basic human need, eating, is raised to the level of the sacred with each bite we take.”
Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher declared, “The extraordinary range of knowledge and experience of OU Kosher rabbis is available worldwide, and not only to the companies they serve, through Kosher Tidbits. I congratulate the staff and Rabbis Safran and Eliyahu Ferrell on this extraordinary series, a source of great pride to all of us with any connection to OU Kosher.”
Some of the most recent Kosher Tidbits include; “A Peek at the Peacock,” with Rabbi Chaim Loike; “Oil’s Well that Ends Well,” with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld; “A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Th’OU,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; “Kosher Cheese: Overcoming the Hurdles for the Milk that Curdles,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer; “Let’s Ex ‘Salmon’ Kosher Fish,” with Rabbi Chaim Goldberg; “Trix Of The Trade: The Production Of Kosher Cereals,” with Rabbi David Gorelik; “ Yours, Mine, and Hours: Waiting Between Milk and Meat,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; and “As the World Churns: Aspects of Kosher Butter Production,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer.
Only a click away, these bite-size educational blurbs will have audiences learning and appreciating the complexity and sanctity of the halachic kashrut system.

http://www.ou.org
http://www.oukosher.org

Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH presents Kashrut and You: A Kosher Consumer Education Seminar on Sunday, February 14th 9:30-5:00. The event will take place at Lander College, 75-31 150th Street, Kew Gardens Hills.

The event is sponsored by the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ.

“Kashrut and You seminar is unique in that it is the OU’s first full day Kosher consumer education seminar. The focus is on practical knowledge that the educated Kosher consumer should be aware of as opposed to the theoretical underpinnings of OU Kosher policies,” declared Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education. “This is part of our efforts to broaden the mandate of ASK OU OUTREACH to not only bring quality Kosher education to the Yeshivos, Kollelim and semicha programs but also to the various Jewish communities and educated Kosher consumers as well.”

Presentations include:

• Shmaltz is Us – A Discussion of Oils and Salad Dressings with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld and Gerry Kean-Ventura Foods;

• Current Consumer Dairy Issues with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer;

• In-Town Kashrut versus Out-of-Town Kashrut – The Maalos and Chesronos of Each with Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff;

• Eating Foods that are a Sakonoh (dangerous) with Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum;

• Basar B’Cholov – The Isur Bishul and the Isur Hano’oh with Rabbi Menachem Genack;

• Safeguarding the Chain of the Current OU Meat Supply with Rabbi Moshe Elefant;

• The Baking Industry with Rabbi Yisroel Paretzky;

• The Making of OU Kosher Wine and Grapejuice – an Audio/Video Presentation with Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz.

The seminar is free of charge and is open to men and women. Pre-registration is required. For more information call Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Director of OU Kosher Education at 914-391-9470. To register call 212-613-8279, email or register online at www.ou.org.

When a cold item is placed onto a hot surface, Halacha tells us to view the cold item as though it were hot, even though the item remains cold. Conversely, if a hot item is placed on a cold surface, we view the hot item as becoming cooled down. However, in this case we say that until it cools down, there is a kdei klipa transfer of ta’am. This concept is brought in the Gemara Pesachim (76a) and referred to as ta’tah gavar (the bottom surface overpowers).
The Shach (92:36) brings two criteria for deciding which surface is considered the “ta’tah”.
• The bottom surface because heat rises or because the top item weighs down upon the bottom.
• The stationary surface because the item that remains in its place is considered dominant.

Hot cans exit a retort and are dropped into a cooling bath. Because the cans are heated in a retort they have the status of a kli rishon. Although, the cans become submerged in the bath, the water is considered the ta’tah because the can is considered transitory and the bath the stationary surface. Therefore, so long as the bathwater remains below yad soledes, we say that only a kdei klipa of water is heated by each can. Even if tens of thousands of non-kosher cans pass through this bath, it will not make the water non-kosher, since even thousands of kdei klipa are still a small amount, and are batel b’shishim in the bath. If the water gets above yad soledes, we should view the water as non-kosher.

Hot cans exit a retort and are cooled down by cascading cold water. In this case the cans would be the ta’tah and the water would become non-kosher. The water would need to be replaced for the kosher production, even if it never gets to be yad soledes.

When discussing ta’tah gavar we are discussing only kli rishon heat. If a cold item falls on a kli sheini we do not say ta’tah gavar and there is no transfer of ta’am until the above item becomes hot.

Bottles and cans which are hot-filled, but are not retorted, could be considered like a kli rishon or a kli sheini depending on the temperature. If the temperature of the container is above yad nichves bo (180 F), we consider this to be a kli rishon. If it cools to below yad nichves bo, it is a kli sheini. If kli sheini bottles are cooled with cascading water, even though the bottles are hot (i.e. above yad soledes) the water will not become non-kosher.

Poskim1 say that if there is a heat source that prevents the upper item from cooling down, even if the ta’tah is cold, it does not overpower, but rather the hot item will make the ta’tah surface as though it is also hot.

In a steam jacketed kettle, the hot water is considered the ta’tah even though the kettle remains in place and the hot water circulates. Since the steam has a heat source (i.e. the boiler) it is always considered dominant. Therefore, the kettle will be boleya from the steam even if the kettle remains cold. However, the Chavas Daas 91:5 says that the product inside the kettle will not be boleya from the kettle so long as the inside wall that touches the food remains below yad soledes. Ta’tah gavar says that we should view the kettle as being hot only regarding being boleya from below. There will not be a transfer of ta’am with the product above, until the kettle actually becomes hot.

This is important in whey production. Although whey is a byproduct of gevinas akum, it remains kosher so long as the whey is not cooked together with the cheese2. Often companies are interested in heating slightly their cheese to help extract the whey. Kettles that contain both whey and cheese are heated to 115 F (slightly below yad soledes). Although these kettles are steam jacketed and the inside jacket of the kettle gets hot, we do not say ta’tah gavar and consider everything in the kettle as being cooked, so long as the inside wall that touches the whey remains below yad soledes. These kettles have agitators that keep the temperature uniform throughout the kettle. Therefore, we can be confidant that so long as the product temperature remains below 115 F, the inside wall will remain below 120 F3.
___________________________________________________

1. Yam Shel Shlomo (Chulin 7:38) brought by Shach 92:33 and Taz 92:25
2. Igeros Moshe Y.D. III:17 is maikel even if the whey is cooked together with the cheese, but the OU has adopted the position to be machmir not to accept whey that is cooked together with gevinas akum.
3. I spoke with a respected engineer who told me that the closest approximation for the temperature of the inside wall of the kettle is the temperature of the product right next to it. So long as the agitation produces uniform temperature, we can expect the inside wall to remain within a degree or two of the product.

Jody’s, a Virginia Beach confectionary specializing in popcorn, fudge and caramel apples, started 2010 off right. On January 4, 2010, Jody’s became Orthodox Union, OU Kosher certified.

Orthodox Union certification is given only to those companies that have passed all food manufacturing laws that conform to the Jewish dietary laws.

Jody Wagner, President of Jody’s Inc., said “We are proud to add the OU symbol to our label, proving that our standards are of the highest integrity available in food production. As our Virginia Beach-based company grows, the OU symbol will enhance our sales worldwide.”

Jody’s of Virginia Beach, Virginia has been creating and serving gourmet popcorn and confections since Jody and Alan Wagner opened their first fanciful store in 2005. They opened a second store in 2008.

Jody’s is best known for its gourmet small batch, hand-made “Secret Recipe 53 Caramel Corn,” and the award winning “Chocolate Drizzle,” dark and white chocolate drizzled “Secret Recipe 53 Caramel Corn,” that was featured as “Snack Of The Day” on Rachael Ray. Jody’s has created many other delicious varieties of popcorn, incredibly smooth fudges, and 13 types of delicious “over-the top” caramel, chocolate, and fudge-dipped apples.

In addition to its retail stores, Jody’s products can be purchased on the web at http://www.jodyspopcorn.com, as well as at many specialty stores and selected Farm Fresh and Ukrops grocery stores and commissaries in the Hampton Roads area. The corporate headquarters is located at 1160 Millers Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 .

For more information, visit our website at http://www.jodyspopcorn.com or call 866-797-JODY (5369).

Nestled in Enosburg Falls, Vermont, the state’s dairy capital, Franklin Foods began producing cheese in 1899 using fresh cream and milk from nearby farms. Today, the Franklin Foods mission is simple — reinventing cream cheese for today’s consumer and culinary professional.
Since 1899, Hahn’s Finest Bakers Cheese has been crafted in the Old World tradition, which maintains the integrity of the milk proteins during production, resulting in a cheese that is all natural, fat free, and cholesterol free. Hahn’s Finest Bakers Cheese has been the secret ingredient for generations of New York bakers as they have created authentic New York-style cheesecakes and pastries.
Today, Hahn’s Finest Bakers Cheese helps chefs and bakers reinvent their menus and products to appeal to today’s consumer who is searching for naturally healthier foods that are delicious. As the “Perfect Protein,” Hahn’s helps chefs and bakers satisfy this consumer need. This unique cheese absorbs its own weight in liquid, providing higher yields, and adding richness to sweet and savory recipes without added fat and cholesterol.
The OU Dairy certification and symbol is widely recognized and requested by both domestic and international customers. The OU symbol is a highly respected quality stamp that supports Franklin Foods’ commitment to sourcing premium ingredients and producing products with the highest level of integrity. Bakers Cheese was the first Hahn’s product to be awarded the OU Dairy certification. Subsequently the entire Hahn’s brand, which includes cultured and direct-set cream cheese, was granted OU Dairy certification. In addition to following the guidelines and protocol of OU Dairy, Franklin Foods maintains a full HACCP program and is gold rated by Silliker Laboratories.
Franklin Foods’ products consist of cultured cream cheese, mascarpone, direct-set cream cheese, bakers cheese, flavored dips and spreads, and organic cream cheese. Products are OU Dairy certified and rBST (as permitted); reduced fat; and the patent-approved and award-winning yogurt & cream cheese is at the forefront of modern probiotic dairy technology and on trend with emerging “better-for-you” food products.
Franklin Foods is the fourth-largest cream cheese manufacturer in the United States and its award-winning products are distributed to industrial, institutional, foodservice, private label, supermarket, and club store accounts across the United States and in select international markets.
Rabbi Andrew Gordimer is Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Franklin Foods.

In the bustling Norwegian town of Aalesund, with its wide range of businesses specializing in marine aquaculture, fisheries and other maritime activities, Anita and Anders Pedersen founded Fjordlaks in 1973, to produce and sell smoked wild salmon.
Aalesund grew over the course of the 19th century thanks to the flourishing fish trade, a tradition that Fjordlaks is continuing. The company’s first salmon and trout farm began operating in Storfjord in 1976. In the following years, the company established several other farms in the same area. Today all of the farms are located in Storfjord, a fjord close to Geiranger and Geirangerfjord, roughly a two-hour drive through some of Norway’s most pristine terrain.

Beginning in 1990 Fjordlaks established a speciality in farmed trout, oncohuncus mykiss. Ten years later it built a new slaughter and production plant for the processing of trout, at the same time processing crude trout fish oil. In 2002 the company started small-scale cod and saithe (a kosher member of the cod family) farming, supplying Fjordlaks with raw materials for the production of crude liver oil.

All of the farms are located in sparsely populated locations without any pollution from industry in a fjord that is up to 600 meters deep with good conditions for fish farming. Our locations provide the very best biological and environmental conditions for the fish; they are fed with a special high-quality fish feed. As a result, we offer the best fish and oil products.

Every day live farmed fish are brought by boat to the slaughter facility where within a few hours they are slaughtered and the raw material for oil production is pumped directly into the factory for further processing. There our crude oils are produced by a specialized staff from the fresh raw materials. The oils all have a very fresh quality and contain a high percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids. The products are mainly refined at Denomega Nutritional Oils in Aalesund, and sold to the functional food market.
Fjordlaks’ OU certified products include crude cod liver oil, crude trout oil and crude saithe liver oil. OU certification provides us with the opportunity to sell our products in a wider market. Fjordlaks’ success is owed both to the quality of its products and increased opportunities for sales made possible by OU certification.

Judaism teaches that we are to enjoy the beauty, benefits, and bounty of creation. However, when it comes to overeating, Judaism is clear that too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

Gluttony – let’s call our reckless overeating by its proper name! – is dangerous and damaging. Sadly, it is also at epidemic proportions in the world today. In the United States alone, there are nearly four million individuals who weigh more than three hundred pounds! There are nearly one-half a million (mostly men) who weigh in at a nearly gargantuan four hundred pounds. The average adult female now weighs more than one hundred and sixty pounds!
These are astonishing numbers. And frightening. Of even greater concern are the trend lines when it comes to obesity – the necessary consequence of overeating.

 Between 1962 and the year 2000, the number of obese Americans grew from 13% to an alarming 31% of the population;
 63% of Americans are overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25.0;
 31% are obese with a BMI in excess of 30.0;
 Childhood obesity in the United States has more than tripled in the past two decades, and;
 According to the U.S. Surgeon General report obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.

These frightening trends towards more and more obese Americans are growing, as are the negative consequences of obesity. As more and more doctors and nutritionists have “weighed in” on the overeating crisis, they have contributed to a debate about whether overeating is a “disease” or “willful behavior.”
Most people, when confronted by the question whether overeating is a disease or a behavior, answer reflexively – and with a sense of certainty that comes from such a reflexive answer. The question though, deserves more thoughtful consideration. It is not as simple a question as it first appears. And our response to it has a number of direct implications. Some argue that that other eating disorders – like anorexia and bulimia – are considered a disease. Why not overeating? And if obesity is a disease, then much of the stigma of being severely overweight disappears; it becomes easier to get treatment, and could open the door for insurance providers to cover treatments for people grappling with weight problems.

Others reject the argument that obesity is a disease. They consider obesity and overeating solely a failure of self-control. After all, they would argue, we each have total control of the calories we ingest and of the time that we spend exercising.

“If you’re fat, you’ve made a choice.”

Disease or choice?

As it does on other questions of behavior, on this question Judaism assigns responsibility to the individual.

We should never forget that Judaism considers the enjoyment of physical things, including food, to be a very good thing. This is why God created the world, after all. Raavad advises us that we should not avoid tasty food… it is enough to avoid what is already forbidden by Torah. The reasoning is clear. God has taught us what we are to avoid. What we are not instructed to avoid, we can – and should – embrace. If God has not instructed us to avoid something, then it is to be enjoyed. However, even when enjoying the beauty of creation, it is possible to overdo it. Raavad tells us that when one is eating and has had enough to feel full, yet he still wants more, he should hold himself back to honor God, and not surrender to his desires.

This understanding suggests that eating – like any kind of enjoyment of God’s creation – is really a kind of prayer, a kind of devotion. We should enjoy it. But to overindulge is to give in to extreme desire which dishonors God and His creation. Therefore, so one does not accidentally show a lack of honor to the Creator, he should leave over a little food before the last morsel is gone. This practice is known as Taanis HaRaavad – the Raavaad’s fast.

Just as on Yom Kippur, when Jews fast to focus their minds and thoughts on God, each day it is possible to engage in a “small fast” that accomplishes the same purpose!

The overindulgent one, the gluttonous one, is often the object of condemnation in the Bible. The Torah depicts Esau’s eating habits as a key element to his degradation and corruption. He gruffly demands that Jacob pour the food into his mouth, and then the Torah states, “He ate, he drank, he got up, and he left; thus Esau spurned the birthright.”

Esau’s downfall is tied to his gluttony. The Torah’s damning description of the wayward son, the ben sorer u’moreh, is one who is “a glutton and a drunkard.”

In the Torah portion Ha’azinu, in Deuteronomy, the next to the last portion in the annual Torah cycle, God warns of the terrible spiritual slide the people might experience. The portion begins by warning the people that if they become overly involved in physicality, they will remove Godliness from themselves – that there is a direct connection between how we are physically in the world and how we are spiritually. “…you became fat, thick and rotund and deserted God…” the Torah says of Israel.

Sin is the necessary consequence of overeating.

One of the sad ironies of overeaters is that they no longer even enjoy the food being eaten. Too often, they finish their meal without ever having taken note of the pleasure of the food or the eating. Their eating is purely carnal.

This is, of course, one of the major causes of overeating – eating without thinking. We should eat slowly and savor the taste of each bite, taking time to recognize God’s gifts. In this way we will feel full before we overeat. We will be sated. Satisfied.

One would think that someone who overeats does so because he or she completely enjoys eating. But, ironically, enjoyment and satisfaction are the first “losers” when it comes to overeating.

People do not overeat because they love food and take great pleasure in eating it. As we have seen, in a Jewish context, overeating is tied to sinfulness. However, even the secular world recognizes that overeating and obesity is “bad.” Go into any bookstore and you will find shelf after shelf of dieting books.
People eat to excess. This is not a disease. It is a moral problem.

What drives someone to overeat? While there may be as many answers to that question as there are overeaters, but there are a number of broad areas that we might consider.

Despite our 24/7 culture, in which stimuli are thrust at people – on television, the Internet, Smartphones – constantly and incessantly, many overeaters do so because they are bored. People eat when they don’t have anything “interesting” to do or look forward to. Even worse, when people find themselves watching television, they are bombarded by commercial after commercial celebrating food – usually junk food and soda.

Those images conspire with the boredom and drive many people to eat, and not just eat but to eat empty calories.

For others, the reason they overeat is deeper. Our world is profoundly isolating. People reach out to friends but they are “virtual” friends, friends they “twitter” or visit on Facebook, or email. But people need more than “interaction.” We all need contact. We need community. We need the support of others. Too many people turn to food when they need love and comfort.

Reaching out to people is hard to do at the end of a long, stressful day at work. Food is so much more accessible. Gratification is immediate – gratification and not satisfaction! Relationships take work and work takes energy. If you are already tired and feeling burnt out; if you feel it is near impossible to muster the energy to reach out to others… well, food is an attractive alternative.

Some people overeat because they have “given up.”

“Why shouldn’t I just keep eating? I’m already fat…”

“I’m so fat, no one’s going to ever love me anyway…”

Our society breeds such self-contempt for our bodies! We have created a culture in which young women (and men) are confronted with impossible body ideals and so are left feeling that they are “ugly” and “fat” even if they are perfectly normal. Already feeling that they are fat and ugly, they overeat because “what difference does it make anyway?”

They are sad and lonely. And because of their negative body images, they don’t believe they deserve to feel any different.

There are those who overeat in reaction to an emotional hurt. When someone says or does something to hurt another, they eat to make themselves feel better. They eat in response to anxiety and emotional stress.

God has created a world that is good. Jewish teaching holds that we are to engage and enjoy the world. This is certainly true when it comes to eating – our celebration of the most joyous event in our calendar, the Exodus from Egypt, takes place around the dinner table! Our holidays are associated with food – blintzes on Shavuot, apples on Simchat Torah, jelly donuts and latkes on Hanukah. To eat is to live.

But to overeat is to cross over from the enjoyment of God’s creation to the dishonoring of it.

Clearbrook Farms has been in the business of making the finest fruit-based products for 85 years. At Clearbrook Farms we believe in only using Grade A fruit to make our preserves and fruit butters. Our fruits are grown by small, family-owned farms in the premium growing regions of the United States. Oregon Black Raspberries are one of the smallest and most unique berries grown in the United States. We use Michigan Red Tart Montmorency Cherries and hand-picked Wild Maine Blueberries. These fruits exemplify the types of regional fruits found in Clearbrook Farms preserves. Clearbrook Farms follows a four-generation family tradition of using the highest-quality ingredients combined with time-honored production methods.
The company started with Jacob Liscow and his father Abraham in 1924 making red raspberry fillings for Dolly Madison Bakeries. From there, the family expanded into making various fruit fillings for pastries, doughnuts, cookies and turnovers. The next generation made special batches of the family’s favorite preserves once a year during the holidays as gifts for family, friends and business associates. So prized were these gifts of old-fashioned preserves that their recipients would find a way to make them last throughout the year until the next batches were made! After more than 25 years the next generation of the family launched a full line of retail products at the International Fancy Food and Confection Show in 1979.
Today, the production is still carefully tended by family members. Each batch of Clearbrook Farms’ preserves and fruit butters has fruit as the Number 1 ingredient and is made with only pure cane sugar. We do not use high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. “We use our family’s technique of cooking our preserves under vacuum at low temperatures to maintain the fruits’ identity, naturally intense flavors and brilliant colors,” says Dan Cohen, vice president of Clearbrook Farms and grandson of Jacob Liscow.
For the past 25 years, OU Kosher certification has enhanced the quality perception of Clearbrook’s products. “The OU symbol is a perfect fit for our products because it is the universal sign for purity and is recognized throughout the world,” Mr. Cohen continues. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re Jewish, Muslim or in Japan, the OU certification mark is a sign of purity in our industry,” he says.
Available to consumers in grocery and specialty stores as well as through mail and on line catalogs, the Clearbrook Farms line features 13 preserves, seven fruit butters, and five flavors of Fruit.Tart fruit fillings. A special reusable canning jar is available for many of the products, creating attractive packaging that is also an environmentally- friendly container to reuse. Clearbrook Farms has always identified on its labels the origin of the fruit in its preserves and fruit butters. Clearbrook Farms has been covered in numerous national magazines and newspapers and has received numerous industry awards.
Private labeling and selling ingredients to foodservice clients remain a tradition and a large part of the business. “If you want to do business with large companies like Krogers and Krispy Kreme, you have to be certified. It’s critical to them,” Dan Cohen says. Clearbrook Farms also sells its preserves in food service sizes to bakeries, hotels, restaurants and caterers.
“The OU symbol goes hand-in-hand with the high quality perception of specialty foods,” notes Cohen. Four generations of family expertise and an ongoing commitment to crafting the finest quality products — combined with kosher certification — guarantees consumers the purest product on the market. The company’s family adage still holds true: “Taste them once, be spoiled for life.”
Rabbi Chaim Loike serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Clearbrook Farms.

City Winery in Manhattan, the borough’s first winery in 40 years, includes a kosher wine facility under the supervision of the Orthodox Union. At the same location, separate from the winery, City Winery is also a special events venue with live music and private event space. Billed as “New York’s innovative winery and seated concert venue,” it’s a 21,000 square-foot space filled with an eclectic range of music and wine-related activities, many with Jewish themes.

“It combines a lot of my interests,” City Winery’s founder and CEO, Michael Dorf, said with a smile. “It’s probably the most self-indulgent, selfish project I could ever come up with. I’m a Jew. I try to incorporate Jewish identity in everything I do.” And the haimish (friendly) touch is evident throughout City Winery, from the weekly Sunday klezmer brunch, featuring artists from all over the world, to the kosher winemaking classes. (Please note that only the kosher winemaking unit is under the OU’s supervision.)

The Soho-based establishment is now Manhattan’s only kosher winemaking facility since the Schapiro Wine Company closed its doors on the Lower East Side. “I love the fact that we’re making kosher wine,” Mr. Dorf said. “It’s giving people who drink kosher wine the opportunity to have the winemaking experience.”

That experience is all-encompassing. Grapes are imported to and crushed at the Tribeca facility under the able guidance of the Head Winemaker David Lecomte, and in the case of the kosher barrels, handled exclusively by Orthodox Union kashrut supervisors. A native of the Rhone Valley in France, Mr. Lecomte most likely has grape vines entwined into his genetic code. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in viticulture and winemaking from universities in France and began his wine career at the age of 22. His past experience includes work for Herzog Wine Cellars in California. As a result, he has an in-depth knowledge of the winemaking process and its particular kosher permutations. That experience comes in handy every day.

“It’s very easy to mess it up. It’s really easy to make kosher wine unkosher,” Mr. Lecomte said about the difficulties, logistically and in Jewish law, associated with the process (timing the winemaking and fruit delivery around the Sabbath and around Jewish holidays is only the tip of the kosher iceberg). “But if you have that in mind, it’s just mental gymnastics. You have to think about it constantly.” The mental gymnastics of the kosher winemaking process, plus the logistical calisthenics of getting grapes from thousands of miles away, make Mr. Lecomte’s job a veritable intellectual Olympics.

If consuming and enjoying wine is not enough, City Winery presents connoisseurs (known as members) with the opportunity to make their own private-label product. “City Winery offers the opportunity for its members to see (but not touch) first-hand the kosher wine process – in Manhattan! Processing areas are carefully cordoned off to ensure an unviolated kosher control area,” reports Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz, Orthodox Union’s Senior Rabbinic Coordinator who oversees kosher wine production.

The ability to make your own barrel of wine at City Winery — everything from choosing grape varieties to working with Mr. Lecomte on decisions of barrel selection and blending — costs in the range of $6,000 – $10,000 (as little as $30 a bottle), depending on the member’s grape and oak selections. Mr. Dorf pointed out that all the kosher barrels sold out in 2008, and Mr. Lecomte said that he hopes to make some more kosher varietals for the upcoming harvest.
The wine being made at City Winery is from grapes that are sourced at some of the most premiere vineyards in California and Oregon, making the kosher production some of the most exclusive and limited batch premium kosher wines around. Check out City Winery today and become a kosher barrel member to be able to serve your own private label wine for Shabbat guests, holidays or your next celebration!

Leaf through any cookbook and you will be convinced that baker’s cheese is crucial for gourmet dining. I have heard it said that a cheesecake made with anything other than baker’s cheese is just simply not worth the calories. With its soft, spongy consistency, baker’s cheese fills the gap between rennet cheeses (such as mozzarella and cheddar) and acid set cheeses (such as cottage cheese and cream cheese). As its name implies, it is often the baker’s cheese of choice for creating real cheese fillings for pies and cakes. Although fundamentally an acid set cheese, because baker’s cheese is made with a touch of rennet, it has the proper degree of firmness that gives cheese cake its proper texture. Baker’s cheese lies on the crossroads between acid cheese and rennet cheese, and as we will see, exactly how it is classified will have important ramifications on its kosher status.
From a kosher perspective, rennet is one of the most sensitive ingredients. Although microbial rennet is inherently kosher, because it mimics the effect of animal rennet, there are many restrictions placed on its use. However, it is relatively easy to maintain a kosher program for acid set cheeses, such as cream cheese, which do not require the inclusion of rennet. Baker’s cheese is principally similar to cream cheese in that it is essentially an acid set cheese that is set with a culture; however in dairies today it is made with the inclusion of a small amount of microbial rennet. If baker’s cheese were classified as a rennet cheese, then it would require full time rabbinic supervision, but if it is considered an acid set cheese then periodic reviews of the factory would be all that is necessary.
What is important to note in making this determination is the exact amount of rennet that is added. While the amount of rennet in a rennet set cheese will range from 70 milliliters to over 100 milliliters of rennet per 1000 pounds of milk, baker’s cheese will typically have about 4 milliliters of rennet. Without the addition of the culture, this amount of rennet would have very little effect on the milk. It is for this reason that it is the position of the OU as well as most major kosher certifying agencies to consider baker’s cheese an acid- set cheese.
For those who wish to be extra careful in this area, the OU also certifies chalav Yisrael baker’s cheese which is made with full time rabbinic supervision and all of the stringencies as though it were a rennet set cheese.
Rabbi Eli Gersten serves as OU rabbinic coordinator – recorder of OU policy. In that important capacity, he works closely with the OU’s senior rabbinic team that reviews and formulates OU Kosher policy. Rabbi Gersten’s article,“The Fascinating Story of Kosher Gelatin,” appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of BTUS.

Dear Rabbi:
While visiting the Summer 2009 Fancy Food Show in New York it was indeed impressive to see more OU certified companies than ever before featuring baked goods, chocolates, olive oils from all around the globe, condiments from Turkey, rice from India, tea from Australia and the list goes on. But I did not notice too many exhibits featuring OU certified cheeses, soft or hard cheeses produced in Italy, Spain, Chile… Why is that? Are there special kosher laws for cheeses? Someone told me that it was more difficult to kosher certify cheeses than chocolate chip cookies. Is that true?
Awaiting your response, with thanks.
Dear _______________:

In truth, there are some top-quality kosher cheeses from Italy and other European countries which bear the OUD symbol. However, as you noted, the number of such cheeses is quite limited – and for good reason.

Although acid-set cheeses such as cottage cheese and cream cheese are not difficult to certify — for like chocolate chip cookies these cheeses are kosher so long as their ingredients and equipment are kosher— rennet-set cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, edam, feta and so forth have special requirements which must be met in order to qualify as kosher.

Kosher rennet-set cheeses need full-time, on-site rabbinic supervision, similar to kosher meat and wine. Unless a company has rabbis conveniently living nearby who are interested in spending many days at the plants without compensation for their time, the cost of kosher rennet-set cheese making is quite considerable. Aside from the travel (and often lodging) costs associated, manufacturers must be able and willing to invest in the hightened supervision requirements.

These cheeses, in order to qualify as kosher, also necessitate that the supervising rabbis personally add the rennet (or activate its automated entry) to each vat of milk. This means that the rabbi(s) must be present and very involved in the cheese making process.

The rennet used in many international (and organic) cheeses is often animal-based. Kosher cheeses cannot use animal-derived ingredients. This has resulted in the OU’s rejection of some cheeses for kosher certification.
Since “regular” (unsupervised) rennet-set cheeses are deemed non-kosher, cheese plants must often have their equipment kosherized and their brine replaced for kosher productions. These are delicate and sometimes costly processes.
Don’t give up, though. The number of international cheese companies which seek to enter the kosher market is steadily growing. All good things take time…

Rabbi Andrew Gordimer

Rabbinic Coordinator OU Kosher – Dairy Specialist

Kosher dining definitely ain’t what it used to be. “Will it be French, prime rib or sushi tonight?” is not a question kosher diners would have ever imagined asking before the last quarter of the twentieth century. Yet, it looks like the growing attraction to the more exotic kosher fare has joined the classic craving for pastrami on rye with a side of pickles.

Despite the fact that restaurant businesses constantly face hefty competition and a high risk of failure, a growing number of kosher dining enterprises are defying the dismal statistics. Whether offering an elegant ambiance or fast-food flurry, they’re breezing the critical five-year trial period and booming way beyond it.

“Today’s OU kosher restaurants seek to provide upscale cuisine,” says Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher, “with a tasteful milieu to match.” And the kosher public is savoring each opportunity.

As the kosher consumer’s palate yearns for a more elaborate, worldlier cuisine, the OU’s impeccable supervision required increasingly more sophisticated programs. “The amount and range of ingredients used in restaurants is much broader today and the availability of kosher components is fantastic,” says Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator. “The kosher supervising agency has to determine whether certain ingredients can be used; it is the role of the Rabbinic Field Representative (RFR) to make sure those standards are implemented.”

Meet the “Rabino” in the Kitchen

A phone call comes in to OU headquarters from a Manhattan restaurateur interested in opening up a kosher eatery. As with every applicant, Rabbi Leonard Steinberg, rabbinic coordinator in the new company department for fourteen years, informs him that the OU requires that he employ a full-time onsite kosher supervisor called a mashgiach temidi (Hebrew for a continuous RFR). The OU supplies the professional, but the owner pays for his services. “That’s usually the biggest hump to get over,” says Rabbi Steinberg. “Since a restaurant needs constant supervision, a mashgiach temidi is necessary. Aside from all the ingredients going into the myriad dishes on any given menu, what makes an OU certified restaurant 100 percent kosher is the vigilance and acuity of ‘the rabbi in the kitchen.’”

If the restaurant agrees to a full-time RFR, the OU conducts an initial inspection of the establishment in order to determine what equipment, dishes, cutlery, etc. need kosherizing. After the details of the contract are finalized, the owner receives a letter of certification and the OU appoints an RFR, the sole keeper of the keys to the refrigerators, freezers, ovens, cabinets, as well as every other kosher-sensitive area in the place. In every sense, he is an OU-certified restaurant’s key man.

By accepting the position as OU Kosher restaurant supervisor, the OU-trained RFR takes on one of the most demanding jobs in the kosher world. He is not only a kosher connoisseur; he’s a manager, sleuth, diplomat, teacher, scientist, inventory control expert, vegetable-checker, with a knack for foreign languages and, according to Rabbi Yermia Indich, Rabbinic Coordinator (RC) for twenty-five years, “has eyes in the back of his head.”

“The RFR has to be on top of everything,” says Rabbi Indich, “from the moment he opens the doors until he locks up at night.” In between, he turns on the ovens (Kosher law mandates that a Jew participate in the cooking of foods); checks deliveries to confirm each product has proper kosher certification; meticulously cleans and checks vegetables – making sure they are free of bugs; cracks the eggs – checking them for forbidden blood spots, all the while monitoring the kitchen crew to ensure that all is running according to strictly kosher guidelines.

“Unlike big manufacturing companies, in a food service environment, things can go wrong in the snap of a finger,” says Rabbi Steinberg. “In a factory, they use 55 gallon drums of ingredients and get deliveries far less frequently (than restaurants.) We obligate them to have only what’s in their schedule and produce according to what we’ve outlined in the contract, whereas a restaurant could receive orders throughout the day and at any time decide to put something new on the menu. It requires a lot of supervision.”

Apparently, OU-certified restaurants welcome the rigorous oversight. “We wanted a nationally recognized certification known for having a clear and solid set of rules and standards,” says Steven Traube, managing partner of two popular restaurants on Manhattan’s east side, The Prime Grill steakhouse and Solo, which offers “Mediterranean with an Asian rub.”

“The OU has a corporate structure; they offer a standardized system, complete with training and updated handbooks for the food service RFRs, and always-available RC’s. I barely know any cell phone numbers by heart, but I know Rabbi Dov Schreier’s (one of the RC’s responsible for OU food services).” The Prime Grill actually requires two kosher supervisors, one for each of its two operating kitchens. “Our RFR’s are dedicated and hardworking, and the staff appreciates and respects it,” says Mr. Traube. “The employees see them washing vegetables, packing orders, ordering produce, fish, and groceries. They understand that ‘rabino’ (Spanish for rabbi) is management and that we are here to work together to churn out food while remaining under strictly kosher standards.”

According to Rabbi Zvi Zinstein, RFR for five years at Mike’s Bistro on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, establishing this sense of teamwork with the kitchen crew is critical to the success of his job. “The most challenging part is helping them realize that I’m not a barrier for them,” he says. “You have a chef who has been working in a kitchen his entire life and now he’s not allowed to even turn on his stove or oven; that’s hard for him to understand. If they see that I’m going the extra mile, they’ll go the extra mile for me.”

Rabbi Zinstein, who’s been working in food service since the summer of his fourteenth year, not only goes the extra mile, he racks up plenty of reward miles every workday. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. In between, he cleans 25 pounds of vegetables (plus an array of herbs), keeps close track of the restaurant’s daily order inventory; he’s on top of orders that go out and deliveries that come in (consulting with the chef and bartender to make sure they have everything they need), and oversees the kitchen throughout the six-hour dinner service stretch. By 11:30 p.m., he’s locked up the refrigerators, dry goods, wine and front door and calls it another successful OU-Kosher restaurant day.

“I’m gratified that kosher diners can eat high-end food, something that wasn’t available to them before,” says Rabbi Zinstein. “At the same time, it comes with a major responsibility; the OU puts its name on the line. As the RFR, I’m the one making sure it’s kosher. I can’t let anything slip by and deem it not a big deal.”

But he never feels he’s shouldering the task alone. Thanks to the OU’s abundant at-the-ready RC’s and resources, the RFR’s find their job a lot less daunting. “If something comes in with a dubious kosher certification, I call Rabbi Indich,” says Rabbi Tzvi Margo, RFR at Eden Wok, a kosher Chinese and sushi establishment in Midtown, Manhattan. “He will tell me yes or no or ask that I fax over the label. Rabbi Indich allows me to call him at his own home if need be. The RC’s are always available.”

To ensure that the OU’s policies are operating up to par, a designated outside RFR conducts unannounced visits to the over 30 OU-certified restaurants across Manhattan. “I don’t want to give the impression that I’m there to catch anyone,” says Rabbi Issar Mordechai Fuchs, RFR. “I’m not there to police them; I try to be there for them.”

Rabbi Fuchs helps keep the RFR’s on top of their innumerable tasks, while keeping himself apprised of all the duties covered; he supplies each with a protocol list, as well as logs and checklists to fill out regularly. His schedule includes visits to an average of ten restaurants per week. “I’ve developed a good relationship with the RFR’s, as well as the restaurant owners,” he says. Save, maybe, one innocent grumble. “There’s a restaurant where they complain that the RFR is in the kitchen too much,” says Rabbi Fuchs. “I like those kinds of complaints.”

Habla-ing Español, Taking the Heat and Dodging Curve Balls

With Manhattan’s constant influx of immigrants filling food-service positions, the RFR’s have had to ensure that the kitchen crew knows exactly what is expected of them in a strictly kosher environment. They’ve peppered the workplace walls with signs in appropriate native tongues, stating: No outside food or beverage permitted in the kitchen; All deliveries must be checked by rabbi; Do not turn equipment on; and All vegetables must be checked by rabbi.

“I’ve learned to deal with people of different nationalities,” says Rabbi Margo. “I speak a form of ‘Chinglish.’” He’s also learned to apply his vegetable-checking skills to Chinese cabbage (ten heads per day) and nori seaweed. In his four years at Eden Wok, he has developed a discerning Chinese-food palate “Lately I’ve been running around the kitchen trying to figure out what to eat,” he says. “I’ve tried them all.” (Sesame chicken remains his favorite.)
Just as employees are expected to keep up with the rigors of maintaining a kosher kitchen, the RFR’s quickly learn to adjust to the difficulties that come with working in a continuous cooking environment, especially in the summer, when the kitchen temperature can exceed 100 degrees. “At the height of the morning, nine or ten fires are burning simultaneously,” says Rabbi Margo. “It can feel like a sweat bath!”

Despite the hot summers and the long hours, Rabbi Margo takes pride in his work and never underestimates its importance. “Kosher customers are relying on me,” he says. “They are putting their (religious) observance in my hands. Employees ask me why I spend so much time looking at broccoli. (Truth is), they see that this person who appears a little different from them is taking so much care in doing his best for the customers.”

Since every step of every day’s food preparation demands a flawless “live performance,” the pressure behind the scenes runs high from opening to closing. “In a catering facility or hospital, you know what to expect,” says Rabbi Zinstein. “You know exactly how many guests are coming and how much vegetables you need to wash. In a restaurant, you never know how many people will be walking in each day. There are always curve balls – a change in the menu that day or the chef wants a certain product that needs to be checked out. It’s a lot more intense.”

The surprises are not always food-related. While interviewing Steven Katchen, manager of Mendy’s Kosher Delicatessen, a popular high-end deli with five locations across Midtown Manhattan, his chef interrupted our conversation with some urgent news. Mr. Katchen promptly informed me that he had to go. “I have a refrigerator to fix.”

“The most challenging part of the job is maintaining one’s cool,” says Rabbi Schreier. “It happens that, due to extenuating circumstances, an RFR can’t come in to work. We keep a list of potential RFR backups, (just in case). It’s a 24/6 job.”

Some restaurateurs welcome the drama. “There’s always disasters that have to be dealt with,” says Mr. Traube. “A hood broke down; our main drain is clogged. It’s the nature of the restaurant business; that’s what keeps it exciting.”

Others view the constant contact with the public as a character-building experience. “It’s my favorite part (of the job),” says Bracha Silverstein, owner and operator of Dougie’s in Brooklyn, NY. “I get to meet a lot of people. Because they (also) come with a lot of expectations, it can get challenging. One has to swallow one’s pride.” She makes sure not to take it to heart. “You can’t take care of all of their problems in a dinner.”

Nonetheless, many are discovering that going out to a first-rate kosher restaurant certainly couldn’t hurt. According to Rabbi Steinberg, OU Kosher upscale eateries are here to stay. “They’ve proven to have longevity,” he says. “They are great places to take clients and wine and dine them.” He attributes these triumphs to the winning working relationship these establishments and the OU consistently enjoy. “Communication is our strong point,” he stresses. “They realize that we are partners. We want their businesses to succeed and we want kashrut to succeed.”

Jose Meirelles, owner of Le Marais, an acclaimed Midtown Manhattan kosher steakhouse and Clubhouse Café, a Portuguese wine bar (across the street), concurs. “The OU explains the kosher issues in a straightforward way that (even) a layperson can understand,” he says. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, Meirelles says he managed to overcome what he calls his “biggest (kosher) hurdle,” – preparing traditional French dishes without butter. “So, we make our sauces without the extra fat,” he says, “which (in the end) turns out to be more healthful.”

Die-hard deli lovers don’t fret! Pastrami on rye still satisfies. The OU Kosher restaurant “menu” and its devoted service have simply (and scrumptiously) expanded. Go enjoy!

To Help Whet Your Appetite:
The above mentioned restaurant owners’ and RFR’s’ favorite dishes:

Steven Traube: managing partner of The Prime Grill and Solo – Porcinni Mushroom Soup.
Steven Katchen: manager of Mendy’s Delicatessen – A tie between Skirt Steak and Burger Deluxe, medium rare
Bracha Silverstein: owner and operator of Dougie’s, Brooklyn – Steak Caesar Salad
Rabbi Zvi Zinstein: RFR at Mike’s Bistro – Gnocchi, fried potato dumpling
Rabbi Tzvi Margo: RFR at Eden Wok – Sesame Chicken
Jose Meirelles: owner of Le Marais and Clubhouse Café – Le Marais’ Prime Rib for Two and Clubhouse Café’s burgers

People have enjoyed the sweet taste of processed fruit for ages. Jams and jellies were originally produced many centuries ago in Middle Eastern countries where sugar cane grew naturally. The returning crusaders introduced these products to Europe and they became quite popular by the late Middle Ages. When the Spanish arrived in the West Indies in the 16th century, they preserved the fruit using domestic sugar cane. It is interesting to note that the word jelly can be traced to the French word “gelée” which means “to congeal.” Some claim that marmalade was created in 1561 by the physician to Mary, Queen of Scots. He mixed orange and crushed sugar and this product was able to contain her seasickness.
Throughout the years, marmalade has been a king’s delicacy. Many different types were served to royal families. Louis XIV had magnificent feasts which concluded with marmalade and jellies served on silver dishes. Some of the fruit was grown in his own garden.
The early settlers in the United States preserved fruits with honey, molasses or maple sugar. Pectin was extracted from apple parings in order to thicken jellies. In 1897, Jerome Smucker first pressed apple cider at a mill in Orrville, OH. (The corporate office of Smucker is still located here.) Subsequently, Mr. Smucker started producing apple butter. Paul Welch received the first grape jam patent for the puréeing of grapes in 1917. The product was named grapelade and the entire production was purchased by the United States Army and went to the troops during World War I. This product was made in large quantities because the soldiers enjoyed it so much.
In 1940 the Food and Drug Administration established the Standards of Identity to define jam, jelly, preserves and fruit butter. The FDA decided that jelly is compiled of fruit, whether concentrated or unconcentrated and it lacks pieces of fruit. Jam is made from crushed or chopped fruit; it does not contain chunks of fruit. Preserves consist of large or whole pieces of fruit; the fruit is suspended in the syrup base. Preserves are not as smooth as jam or jelly. These items usually contain sugar, pectin, corn starch and lemon juice.
Marmalade is another type of preserved fruit. This is a soft jelly, usually citrus based, which contains the peel of the fruit or its flesh. The sweetness of the jelly is offset by the bitterness of the peel. Fruit butter is fruit purée or pulp containing sugar, lemon juice and spices. It is cooked slowly in order to obtain a smooth consistency, but does not contain any butter. Fruit spread is a reduced calorie product that has fruit juice concentrate and low calorie sweeteners replacing some or all of the sugar.
There are a number of issues pertaining to the kosher status of these products. Grape juice can be an important ingredient for preserved fruit. Grape juice is a kosher sensitive item and it requires special rabbinic certification. Therefore, if grape juice is used one must be careful about its kosher status. Flavors are also of concern. Since flavors can be created from many different sources, then proper certification is a must. Another ingredient which must be monitored is the defoamer. Since it is a fatty acid product, it therefore requires proper certification. In addition, processed fruit that are Kosher for Passover may not contain any corn syrup. There is a tradition not to consume any legume products on Passover and thus corn syrup may not be utilized during the holiday.
Presently, the most popular products are grape jelly and strawberry jam. Other favorites include grape jam, red raspberry jam, orange marmalade, apple jelly, apricot jam, peach jam and blackberry jam. These products account for approximately 80 percent of United States product. Another 28 flavors include the remaining 20 percent.
Research has shown that children prefer jelly while adults usually consume preserves. It has also indicated that the average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by high school graduation.
Jams and jellies are quick energy foods. They contain half the calories of butter or mayonnaise. An added bonus is that they lack fat. OU certified companies include J.M. Smucker Co., as noted above, of Orrville, OH; Roseland Manufacturing, whose brand name is Polaner, of Roseland, NJ; Clearbrook Farms of Sharonville, OH; Hero of Latham, NY; Clements Foods of Oklahoma City; Amazing Fruit Products Ltd. of Toronto; Meduri Farms, Inc. of Dallas; and SkylarHaley LP of Alamo, CA.

Rabbi David Gorelik joined the Orthodox Union as an OU Kosher rabbinic coordinator in 1995. Born in Holyoke, MA, he pursued his post-high school studies at Yeshiva University, where he received his B.A. degree as well as his rabbinic ordination and a Masters degree from its Bernard Revel Graduate School specializing in Medieval Jewish History. Rabbi Gorelik also spent time studying at the renowned Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel.

Prior to joining the OU, he served on the rabbinic staff at the Park East Synagogue in New York City, and as rabbi in Richmond, VA from 1991-1995.

Married and father of three children, Rabbi Gorelik resides in Passaic, NJ where he assists the communal board with kashrut administration. At OU Kosher, Rabbi Gorelik is rabbinic coordinator for General Mills, as well as companies producing cereals, jams and jellies, dried fruits and nuts, and snacks. He also administers the OU’s yoshon flour program.

Ever cook or bake something only to have it not emerge from the pan in one piece? Imagine this same issue as it confronts a restaurant or commercial bakery, cooking or baking on a large scale. In Los Angeles in 1948, H. Wayne Hanson, the founder of Par-Way Tryson, had just this problem in mind when he invented an oil-based release coating for cooking surfaces. He owned a bakery and was looking for something to substitute for mineral oil, the release agent commonly used at the time. He had a friend who was performing experiments mixing different oils in order to create a blend that could be put on airplane wings to stop ice from forming on them. This gave Mr. Hanson the idea of mixing different oils for baking purposes. His original cake pan oil was a blend of soybean oil, mineral oil, and lecithin, a highly refined soybean oil product. The cake pan oil proved to work so well that eventually Mr. Hanson left the baking business and decided to devote himself to making oil-based products.
Around 1963, Vegalene, Par-Way’s signature product, was developed. Again, Mr. Hanson was looking for a substitute for something commonly used at the time, in this case butter and shortening for frying foods, such as eggs, in pans. If you have ever been in a hotel or restaurant kitchen you have probably seen the orange, red, and white aerosol spray cans which, as one writer put it, “are to professional chefs and bakers what Pam is to housewives—timesavers in a can.”
Kosher supervision has played a significant role in the history of the company. Vegalene was OU certified within a few years of its appearance on the market. One of Par-Way’s early marketing representatives, Marvin Chazin, successfully sought to expand the company’s business by selling the product to hospitals in the Los Angeles area. When he approached a hospital with a kosher kitchen he was asked if the product was kosher. Par-Way immediately pursued kosher supervision, and the multi-decade partnership between the OU and Par-Way was born.
Further products invented by Par-Way were a “trough grease” to line the sides of dough troughs or bins, produced using a thickening process similar to the one used to make margarine, and a cake grease for cake pans, containing wheat starch and also produced with the same process. Henceforth bakers would not need to apply oil to a pan and then dust with flour in separate steps.
Vegalene’s bottle evolved over the years. It was originally poured from a simple glass bottle. Later it was sold in a soft, squeezable bottle, and then a bottle with a trigger-sprayer. In the early 70’s, Par-Way began to sell it in the now-familiar aerosol can. Perhaps just after whipped cream, it was one of the first food products to be combined with aerosol technology. The company eventually held patents on many of the oil products themselves and also on different sprayers and related processes and equipment. At one time, the company also had a division called Spray Dynamics, now an independent company, which manufactured equipment to apply oil to surfaces and foods.
Although the company was founded in Los Angeles, its main plant, producing its aerosol products, is now in St. Clair, Missouri. It still maintains a secondary plant in Los Angeles, producing oil-based products in drums and pails.
Par-Way products have endless, sometimes surprising, applications. The products are used for anything that needs to pop out in one piece from a pan or mold, such as candy, and Vegalene was even once used to de-mold windshields for fighter jets!
According to Gary Sherman, Plant Manager for the City of Commerce Plant in California, “Our decision to go OU required us to focus on higher quality ingredients, which helped make ours a superior product. Our company is convinced that being OU Kosher and pareve has always been a benefit in increased sales and will continue to be an important part of our marketing.”
Par-Way Tryson has remained a relatively small company, perhaps best described as a family business, but it can forthrightly state that it invented all its products, which have had a transformative impact on many sectors of the food-processing industry.
Par-Way Tryson Company, the makers of Vegalene, is located at 107 Bolte Lane, St. Clair, MO 63077, 636-629-4545 or 800-844-4554. Visit us at http://www.parway.com and http://www.vegalene.com.
Rabbi Menachem Adler is Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Par-Way Tryson.

Fredrikstadt, Norway-based Denomega Nutritional Oils is a leading pioneer of premium taste and odor free Omega-3 ingredients and tailor-made solutions. Denomega focuses exclusively on premium Omega-3 and launched the first ever taste and odor-free Omega-3 ingredients for functional foods.
The demand for Omega-3 enriched products continues to grow in the marketplace and Denomega continues to grow ahead of the market. The company has doubled its sales in the functional food segment since last year and has around 20 percent market share in the Omega-3 market for functional foods.
Creating Omega-360TM is not a skill that is learned overnight. Denomega has been a pioneer in the refining of marine-based oils since 1912. With nearly a century of experience, Denomega now facilitates easier application of Omega-360TM into many foods, supplements and beverages.
Omega-360TM may be called the world’s only “extra virgin marine oil” because it so pure, fresh and natural. Omega-360TM contains the natural broad spectrum Omega-3 profile to provide the full health benefits of Omega-3. Omega-360TM is not made from concentrates, nor has it been artificially, chemically or genetically modified. The goal for all production is to keep the processing to an absolute minimum, because Denomega has a strong belief that this will ultimately benefit the consumers’ health.
Omega-360TM is therefore a perfect Omega-3 product for the kosher home. The OU certification and symbol on our products let the market and consumer know that we are dedicated to the kosher standard. The extra credibility the OU symbol offers for Omega-360TM products has enhanced our reputation in the marketplace and we are proud to have our products certified by the OU. We will continue ensuring that our Omega-360TM product line maintains the highest quality and food safety standard and the OU symbol further strengthens this claim,” says Dr. Elin Kubberød, Marketing Manager of Denomega.
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg is Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Denomega Nutritional Oils.

It is natural for most Americans to associate Norway with clean, pristine waters. Many Norwegians themselves take pride in how well the country controls pollution and preserves its fjords and glaciers. Ferry service connecting two sides of the same major highway is considered a normal form of transportation (though I was captivated by the views along the way!).
For the OU, Norway’s beauty extends past the shorelines, though sometimes not that far! Norway is the home of many fish and fish oil suppliers, and this past March, I got the chance to break in my new digital camera on the sights of Norway, accompanied by the head of the Jewish community in Oslo, Rabbi Joav Melchior.
My flight into the country on Icelandair from New York to Oslo (with a stopover in Reykjavik) made clear the strong relationship between Iceland and Norway. Having been to Iceland a few years back, for me a certain similarity between the two was immediately striking. While many people note the closeness in sound between the languages, the political systems and even the history shared by the two from the time of the Vikings, my first observation of both was the tremendous physical shape the vast majority of the population apparently enjoys. I even asked Rabbi Melchior if there is any obesity in his country at all! Apparently, the abundance of water sports, forests through which to hike and play, and the easy access to quality fresh fish are just what the doctor ordered!
Spending a night on an airplane flying to Europe might not be the best way to prepare for a day’s work, but when you have a limited amount of time on the ground, every second counts. With Rabbi Melchior behind the wheel, it seemed like our first stops (Denomega’s pilot plants in Fredrikstadt and Sarpsborg) were right next door!
The next day, we flew out to Kristiansund (not to be confused with Kristiansand, though if you accidentally confuse the two, the difference between the cities is a mere 900 km) where Norway exhibits some of its most panoramic views. Here we dropped by GC Rieber, one of Norway’s finest refineries of fish oils.
Following our visit, we were treated to a two-and-a-half hour drive to Alesund through what has to be one of the longest Kodak moments anywhere. From snow-crested mountains in the background to Rockwell-esque fishing villages in the foreground, whatever I was able to catch between naps was quite the treat! Here in Alesund, we were introduced to one of the finest fish oil extraction facilities to be found anywhere in Fjordlaks, as well as the most state-of-the-art refinery at Denomega’s plant just across the parking lot.
With our work day finished, what better way to relax than a midnight flight to frozen (and difficult to find a hotel room in because of a government conference the same day) Bodø? We thought so too!
Figuring that the good folks at Bodø Sildoliiefabrik probably were not available at 1:00 a.m. when we made it into town, we decided to come back in the morning to see their brand new kosher-dedicated herring silage manufacturing plant. (Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to cud-chewing animals like cattle and sheep, or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters.)
Next it was time to drive back to the airport for a trip to Stokmarknes (at 68° 34’ 51” North of the Equator – more than four degrees farther north than Reykjavik). It was here that we took a 40-minute cab ride to Maritex, home to some of the highest quality cod liver oil in Norway.
After our visit, the next stop was…the airport, of course! Arriving at Oslo in the early evening, the chance to eat dinner at the usual time was a treat indeed (and the salami I brought from New York had been waiting for me for days!)
The next morning before my flight home, Rabbi Melchior took me to see the beautiful main synagogue in Oslo, which was visited the past June for the first time in the more than 100 years of the community’s history by Norway’s King, Harald V. Here the community presented the king with a framed Hebrew and Norwegian print of the blessing recited every week during Sabbath services for the well-being of the country and the royal family.
Our last stop was the one to which I was most looking forward, a trip to a local supermarket before my flight home. (Did you think I would leave such beautiful fish behind?) The size of the seafood section was astounding. Though kosher supervision clearly has room to expand here in Norway, the offerings to be found in the seafood section would leave any pescetarian with a lifetime of viable options. The average American supermarket might have a door or two in the freezer section devoted to seafood and maybe a small fresh case. In the supermarket I visited in Oslo, there were thousands of square feet in the corner of the store covering everything which could possibly emerge from the depths.
After filling my cart with a full checked bag worth of frozen trout and smoked salmon (I brought along an extra suitcase just for such an emergency), it was time to head back to New York and start my (now well-stocked) seafood diet.

For a fish fancier, a fish beats a fjord anytime. Norway has plenty of both.
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg has been chasing both wild and farmed fish around the globe while managing the OU Fish Desk for the past seven years. A fan of thrills and adventure, Rabbi Goldberg frequently educates and amuses kosher fish customers from ages 6-99 both in scheduled lectures and through viewings of his critically acclaimed OU educational video, “The Kosher Fish Primer.” Rabbi Goldberg lives with his wife and three children in Brooklyn, NY.

Since Jelly Belly Candy Company converted its entire 190 confectionery delights to become OU kosher certified in 2008, the company has seen whole new markets open. “It’s a sweet world,” reports Herman Rowland, Sr., chairman of the board and fourth generation candy man.
New distributors have signed on and new points of distribution have opened to Jelly Belly Candy Company’s flagship product line, Jelly Belly® jelly beans. The company, headquartered in Fairfield, CA, has enjoyed sales increases in the U.S. and international markets among large populations of vegetarians who seek out kosher products, as well as among consumers around the world who are committed to religious dietary laws.
“OU certification has opened doors for us. It is an extremely well-recognized sign and consumers seem to feel safer eating products that carry the mark,” Mr. Rowland said.
The company has increased distribution by opening new channels previously unavailable, such as kosher grocery stores. Jelly Belly signed on kosher distributor Klein’s Naturals of Brooklyn to carry the entire line of confections made by the company.
In addition, retailers in the general marketplace where large ethnic populations reside look for OU products to add to their production selection, Mr. Rowland said.
Jelly Belly has supported its outreach to the kosher marketplace with advertising and promotions. The company recently announced plans to participate in a program with the Jewish Children’s Museum of New York that helps educate children on shopping for kosher products.
“OU certification has opened new international channels of distribution in new markets for us and within markets where Jelly Belly was already doing business,” Mr. Rowland declared. “We’ve had great response in Australia, France and the United Kingdom.”
Being OU certified allowed Jelly Belly to distribute in Israel since last year, an option that was not available before. As soon as the OU mark was cleared a new distributor placed an order for the first shipment.
The company operates three manufacturing facilities in California, Illinois and the newest plant in Thailand. The international marketplace is serviced with products made in the Thailand plant which is also OU kosher certified.
“It was very challenging to convert thousands of ingredients in three plants to kosher. We’ve had terrific cooperation in solving the challenges from the Orthodox Union and we look forward to continuing that excellent relationship,” Mr. Rowland said.
The company also reports the licensed Sunkist® Fruit Gems® and Fruit Slices manufactured and distributed by the company are phenomenally successful with the OU certification. The pectin jells with real fruit juices are particularly popular for celebrations from bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, and weddings.
Among the other candies made by Jelly Belly Candy Company, the iconic fall sweet Candy Corn is a tradition. The company has made Candy Corn since 1900 as well as other “mellocreme” type confections. Those made by Jelly Belly are among the few brands of mellocremes on the market certified OU Kosher, a fact that has brought success to one Los Angeles area candy purveyor.
An online store called The Sweet Spot located in southern California is dedicated to candy catering. The husband and wife team of Jay and Shana Sokol cater all sorts of events from corporate parties, to bar mitzvahs, birthdays, baby showers, retirement parties, and weddings with custom designed candy buffets.
Each event is special and unique. Some clients want candy in a color theme, particularly brides planning their reception. Others want a collection of nostalgia candies or kids’ favorites.
The Sweet Spot provides containers, scoops, design and a custom selection of candy. Take-out boxes, printed with the date and name of the event, are provided for guests to choose their favorite candy to go.
“Jelly Belly is one of our favorite brands, particularly because it is kosher. We’ve developed quite a bit of business because Jelly Belly is one of the few companies with kosher certification for mellocremes and all their confections,” Jay Sokol said.

Sidebar
Herman G. Rowland Sr.
Herman G. Rowland Sr. is Chairman of the Board of Jelly Belly Candy Company, makers of Jelly Belly® jelly beans and 100 Confections® by Jelly Belly gourmet candies.
Mr. Rowland is the great-grandson of Gustav Goelitz, a German immigrant who launched the family’s candy making tradition in this country in 1869. Herman Rowland went to work in the business at the age of thirteen. Weekends and holidays were devoted to doing anything that needed to be done, from sweeping floors to candy making.
His personal admiration for Ronald Reagan had a profound impact on the company when Reagan ran for President and the Jelly Belly bean name became renowned worldwide. In the years since, Mr. Rowland has been an innovator for many “firsts” in candy making, such as the nine-inch long Pet Rat®, Prehistoric Eggs™ and the biggest gummi candy ever brought to market, a two-and-a-half-foot gummi snake.
He was honored for lifetime achievement in 1988, was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards.
His story is told in Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul and he was invited to write the introduction to Reagan The Hollywood Years by Caroline McGivern. Rowland’s children and grandchildren have positions in the company and are learning the candy business from the ground up, just as he did.

OCALA, FL – Hero Preserves, a part of Hero/Beech-Nut Nutrition, is introducing a new line of Premium Fruit Spreads that are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, a highly recognized and valued symbol of kosher certification.
Established in the quaint Swiss village of Lenzburg in 1886, Hero has become the gold standard of gourmet fruit spreads around the world. The vision of the original founders was to preserve fruits as gently and carefully as possible, and today that vision still provides Hero with the finest quality fruit products in the world. Hero is the best selling premium fruit spread in Europe. Served in luxury hotels and fine restaurants across the globe, Hero fruit spreads are also the preferred choice of top bakery chefs for complementing artisan breads, pastries, and desserts. First introduced in the United States in 1951, the Hero Group produces more jars of premium jams than any other company in the world.
Hero premium fruit spreads are available in 14 flavors which include the new line of blended flavors. In July 2009, Hero launched three new blended fruit spread varieties, blending fruits with rich natural flavors such as vanilla, to bring a whole new taste sensation to the category. These blends have been a huge success in Europe. Now we are bringing them to North America. There is nothing else like it in the category. Our top-two box scores in consumer research (with close to 80 percent), and our consumer taste panels say our new blended products have extraordinary taste. Hero only uses premium selected fruits from around the world in order to give our consumers the ultimate in quality and taste. We use all natural ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. While we cannot tell you the secret manufacturing techniques that are contained under every colorful lid, we can share that Hero uses a slow-cook method which preserves the original taste and color of the fruits. Perfected over Hero’s 123 year history, the esteemed Swiss method of making jams can be equated to the quality of Swiss watches and Swiss chocolates. Kosher certification is very important to Hero, which is available nationwide and in over 50 countries. Both of our European production facilities are OU certified to satisfy the majority of our consumers who call for the approval of the Orthodox Union. Hero Premium Fruit Spreads are used not only for the daily indulgence of your breakfast, but also for baking. Our plum fruit spread can be found in the fillings of hamantaschen on Purim and our apricot can be used as a glaze on your next baked chicken. When choosing a kosher certification, Hero chose OU certification because of the prestige it carries in North America and all over the world.
Hero Premium Fruit Spreads are distributed with the OU logo outside of North America and are even found on store shelves in Israel where they have been increasing in market share over the last few years. The Israeli army and police purchase Hero products and have them on their official plan-o-gram.
To view all of Hero’s OU certified preserves visit http://www.herousa.com

Rabbi Chaim Loike serves as Orthodox Union rabbinical coordinator for Hero Preserves.

Many people think that to see the real beauty of the United States one must travel to the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, the national parks, Alaska or Hawaii. Let me tell you, there is a great deal of beauty and excitement in our own back yard (if you live in Cleveland, as I do), in Western New York and Pennsylvania. It is my job as OU RFR in those areas to travel the highways, and above all, the byways, enjoying the spectacular scenery while at the same time visiting a host of plants that are OU Kosher. Let’s take a trip together on one of my typical monthly routes.

We start in the small town of Northeast, PA. Please don’t be misled by the name. This town is actually in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania. (Go figure.) Northeast has banks on every corner. Why so many? This town has an extremely high percentage of millionaires. What is the basis of their wealth? Vineyards — tens of thousands of acres of Concord grapes! Northeast is the home of Bay Valley Foods condiment division, which, by the way, has nothing to do with grapes.

Now we drive from Northeast 30 miles to Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY. All we see on both sides of the highway are vineyards. This stretch is along Lake Erie, which provides specific winds, keeping the vineyards at the exact temperature required for their growth.

The Clarion Hotel in Dunkirk is my second home. I actually registered on their computer 134 nights in three years. This hotel overlooks Lake Erie. In winter, the lake is covered with ice. In summer, it is dotted with boats. Within walking distance of this hotel are five OU plants. The aroma of peanut butter produced by Carriage House can be smelled a block away. Carriage House, a division of Ralcorp, is the behemoth condiment producer. The world headquarters of Cliffstar, the world’s largest private labeler of juices is here as well. Of course, the location of these two plants is no coincidence, as they are near the grapes, which they press.

Finally, we get to a huge yellow building. Don’t enter without a coat! This building is the 20-degree below zero freezer for Fieldbrook Farms, the huge private labeler of ice creams with a mouth-watering array of flavors.

Let’s get back into the car and drive east along the Thomas A. Dewey (New York) Thruway. Our next stop will be Perry’s Ice Cream of Akron, NY. This plant is an ice cream lover’s dream. From Perry’s we drive to downtown Rochester NY, home of many kosher plants, and of course, Kodak. Upstate Farms’ fluid milk plant is here, as is Van Lab, the flavor company. Additionally, Pennant Foods, the bakery supplier, has two plants here. Coke has a plant, which is 200 yards from High Falls Brewery, with the beautiful Genesee River running between them, including three sets of waterfalls.

Near Rochester is the home of Fleischer’s Bagels, one of the largest private labelers of bagels in the world. This very high tech company is extremely fascinating. Down the road in Avon is the huge (and I mean huge!) Barilla pasta plant. This plant is so amazingly clean one can eat off of the floor!

We mentioned Lake Erie. Now it’s Lake Ontario’s turn. From Rochester to Oswego within close proximity to Lake Ontario is the very picturesque Route 104: a nightmare in the winter due to lake effect snow; magnificent the rest of the year. In this 50-mile stretch, I have seven plants, including fruit and vegetable processors. Many of the fruits and vegetables are grown close by. Among them is Victor Packing, the sauerkraut producer. Further down we have Mizkan and Fleischmann Vinegar companies. Cahoon Farms produces all kinds of fruit pie fillings. Anyone is invited to taste my chocolate blueberry cake made with blueberry pie filling from Cahoon Farms. No, it’s not dietetic! Helluva Good Horseradish is next. A division of HP Hood, the company produces boatloads of horseradish both for Passover and all year round.

We now switch from the Great Lakes to the Finger Lakes. New York State is famous for the Finger Lakes, which are a series of long narrow lakes, sometimes extending for 30-40 miles. The drive along these lakes is exceptionally beautiful, especially in the Fall, with magnificent colored foliage.
The northern end of Seneca Lake is home to three fruit and vegetable processors. Cherry Pharm and Red Jacket Orchards are premium juice processors. Seneca Foods is the world’s largest vegetable canning company. An interesting anecdote: Red Jacket Orchards (RJO) became OU certified when some Hasidic women in Williamsburg, Brooklyn told a distributor that they would buy the product if it were kosher. RJO chose the Lexus of the kosher industry: the OU! Its sales have skyrocketed ever since becoming certified. RJO premium juices are full of fiber so they are healthy and delicious.

Thirty miles from Geneva is the town of Watkins Glen, the famous home of a racing car track and a state park with gorges and magnificent waterfalls. Under Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen is salt! Cargill and US Salt mine the product from under the lake.

About five miles west of Seneca Lake is the town of Penn Yan. This fascinating town is amazing as it is the home of many Amish families and is also a resort area. Penn Yan is the home of two very unique companies. First is Birkett Mills, a specialty grain miller. Part of the building and some of the equipment is over 100 years old; it is amazing that certain processes haven’t changed in a century. Down the road is CASP, a specialty dairy products packer. Its claim to fame is extended shelf life coffee and cream type products. From July through November my next stop is an Amish farm. My wife loves when I bring home 20 pounds of butternut squash or 30 pounds of peaches to cook.

Also in the Finger Lakes region are two dry mix packers where lots of cake and pancake mixes are produced. They are the Raymond Hadley Company of Spencer, NY and New Hope Mills of Auburn.

Over the hill from Watkins Glen lies Route 17, now called 86, which is the Southern Tier Expressway. Let us drive from Cuba, NY to Binghamton. This remote area of New York State has beautiful rolling hills and much snow in the winter. Probably because cows outnumber people, I have six dairy plants in this area.

Between Pollio’s ricotta cheese in Campbell and Leprino in Waverly is the city of Corning. Known for its glass, here is the home of the internationally known glass museum. And what do you think is made in Corning? You guessed it – not glass. Corning glass is no longer produced here. In fact, exotic fiber optics are produced here.

A few miles from Corning is the large Corning/Elmira airport. There are very few flights here; however, this airport has extremely long runways in case it is needed as an emergency landing strip for diverted planes. There is also an aviation museum in town.

From Binghamton we will proceed northeast towards Norwich, NY, home for as far back as 100 years ago of Norwich aspirins. This area also has many exotic dairy plants, including HP Hood in Oneida and Agro Pharma in South Edmonston. Agro Pharma produces a delicious Greek yogurt, Chobani. Sales are booming and the OU on the label has been a great help. This area is very close to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and many other tourist attractions. It is a great summer trip even for the non-baseball enthusiast.

Now we swing way north to the edge of the Adirondacks — stunningly beautiful in the summer and treacherous in the winter. Great Lakes Cheese in Adams is only a few miles from the internationally known tourist area, “Thousand Islands.” These thousand islands are in the St. Lawrence Seaway, not in salad dressing. The St. Lawrence Seaway separates the United States from Canada.

Far south from here is the Binghamton area. Frito Lay has a massive plant here. The building is so huge there are actually train tracks through the building dropping off oils for the fryer. Crowley has a fluid plant here as well as Black and White Cookie company, the all natural premium cookie company. Walton is the home of Breakstone Cottage Cheese, the Kraft division, which produces for both year round and Passover. Ultra Dairy in Delhi is where organic milk is produced, fat free but still delicious chocolate milk, and aerosol whipped cream.

Let us now back track all the way back to Dunkirk/ Fredonia, NY. Due south is the city of Jamestown, and continuing south one enters Pennsylvania and the Allegany National Forest area. This area is awesomely beautiful and very historic. Approximately 150 years ago this area of Bradford and Warren, PA is where the first oil wells were discovered in the United States; this area really greased the wheels of invention.

In Western Pennsylvania, not far from the Ohio line, are three plants in the Sharon area. Sharon was known in 1979 as the town where there was a new flag raised every day of the Iranian hostage crisis. Today one still sees the “Boulevard of 400 Flags.”

Charlie’s Specialties, the gourmet pastry company is here, with a product that is high taste, high calorie and high fat. Down the road in another Amish area is a Dairy Farmers (DFA) whey plant. Finally in Sharpsville we find the huge fluid milk plant of Dean Dairy.

We finally end up in the town of Dubois, PA the home of Fresh Harvest River Foods, a specialty condiments packer. Northwest of here, the town of Lake City, PA is the home of Maple Donuts. Finally, west of Dubois is State College, PA, a booming area, home of the main campus of Pennsylvania State University with close to 50,000 students. Don’t even try to get a hotel room when the Penn State Nittany Lions are playing a home game. Outside of State College is the small town of Centre Hall, the home of Hanover Foods, a massive vegetable processor.

You probably wonder if it gets lonely being away from home two to four nights a week. Sometimes it does. However, I find my route extremely fascinating, which keeps life interesting. All the New York State Thruway collectors know me on a first name basis!

I am proud of my relationship with the people in my plants. One plant actually said that they wait for my visit. Another said that I bring energy to their company. I feel that a great working relationship has helped me deal with issues that arise, as some of my plants are quite complicated in a kosher sense.
Altogether, I drive about 45,000 miles a year on behalf of OU Kosher. The road is long, the winters are freezing, the warm months are beautiful, and at the end of each byway is a plant that is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. In the words of a famous advertising jingle, “I love New York.” I might add, “I love Pennsylvania” as well.

Kosher Tidbits, an initiative of OU Kosher which presents audio and visual learning sessions regarding contemporary kashrut issues, is nearing the 150 mark with the announcement of its 143rd production last week, “Onions and Radishes: Proceed with Caution,” with Rabbi Hershel Schachter, OU Kosher Senior Halachic Consultant. Available on http://www.ouradio.org and geared toward the general Kosher-observant community across the globe, Kosher Tidbits are an informal and enjoyable means of developing substantial kashrut knowledge. New Tidbits are added to provide insights into aspects of kashrut in today’s world and to show how centuries old halacha is applied to modern technology processes.

In a series which began in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran, Vice President for Communications and Marketing of OU Kosher, Orthodox Union halachic consultants, rabbinic coordinators and rabbinic field representatives provide detailed yet understandable explanations on a plethora of subjects in their specialized fields. The topics are enticingly clever and presented with witty titles to capture all audiences – from those with minimal knowledge of the law who are seeking to learn more; to long-time observers brushing up on the latest kashrut innovations; as well as rabbinic teachers and authorities seeking to learn from specialists in the various areas of kashrut.

New segments will be added regularly, Rabbi Safran promises. “We will never run out of topics because as long as people eat, there will be issues to discuss and explain,” he said. “All the experience our OU rabbis gain in the field and from their learning will continue to be available to an ever-increasing audience around the globe. Kosher Tidbits is more than just a series; it is thorough explanation of how a basic human need, eating, is raised to the level of the sacred with each bite we take.”

Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher declared, “The extraordinary range of knowledge and experience of OU Kosher rabbis is available worldwide, and not only to the companies they serve, through Kosher Tidbits. I congratulate the staff and Rabbis Safran and Eliyahu Ferrell on this extraordinary series, a source of great pride to all of us with any connection to OU Kosher.”

Some of the most recent Kosher Tidbits include; “A Peek at the Peacock,” with Rabbi Chaim Loike; “Oil’s Well that Ends Well,” with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld; “A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Th’OU,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; “Kosher Cheese: Overcoming the Hurdles for the Milk that Curdles,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer; “Let’s Ex ‘Salmon’ Kosher Fish,” with Rabbi Chaim Goldberg; “Trix Of The Trade: The Production Of Kosher Cereals,” with Rabbi David Gorelik; “ Yours, Mine, and Hours: Waiting Between Milk and Meat,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; and “As the World Churns: Aspects of Kosher Butter Production,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer.

Only a click away, these bite-size educational blurbs will have audiences learning and appreciating the complexity and sanctity of the halachic kashrut system.

Irui can only kasher the outer layer of a kli. Hot water poured against a cold kli is an example of חם לתוך צונן (hot onto cold) of which we say (Pesachim 76a) תתאה גבר ואדמיקר ליה בלע. The bottom surface succeeds in cooling down the water but not before the water succeeds in kashering the topmost layer.

A kli rishon has the ability to be boleya and to be polet throughout its entire thickness. Therefore, one cannot kasher a kli that was used as a kli rishon with irui, even if the irui is performed with water that is significantly hotter than the temperature of the non-kosher product.

The appropriate way to kasher a kli rishon is according to the manner that it was used.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon al ha’aish – must be kashered in a kli rishon that is on the fire.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon that was off the fire – must be kashered in a kli rishon, but the kli rishon need not be on the fire.

In industry today kettles are most often heated by means of circulating steam or hot water. Yet these kettles are considered to be like a kli rishon even though they are heated with an irui of hot water. Rav Belsky explains that an extended irui of hot water can also create a kli rishon. Because circulating hot water/steam heats the walls of the kettle such that there aren’t any דפנות מקררות (quite the contrary the walls of the kettle heat the inside product), this too can be considered a kli rishon and the entire thickness of the walls requires kashering. The source for this idea comes from Tosfos (Shabbos 40b) who explains the distinction between a kli rishon and a kli sheini. The walls of a kli sheini are cold and cause the contents of the kli to immediately cool down. However, a kli rishon has hot walls that retain the heat and cause bishul. Additionally, the Rashba (Shabbos 42a) says that an אמבטי (bathtub) can be mivashel even if it is a kli sheini, because the water in it is much hotter. Rav Belsky explains that because a bathtub contains a great quantity of water and a relatively small amount of surface area it can retain its heat even though it is a kli sheini. Similarly, a continuous irui of large quantities of hot water although technically a kli sheini, can also be viewed as a kli rishon.

While the appropriate method for kashering a jacketed kettle is by turning on the hot water/steam and boiling up the kettle, in cases of need, one can rely on an extended irui on the inside of the kettle, through the use of spray balls. Roschim water should be sprayed until the walls become saturated with heat and the exiting water does not differ in temperature from the entering water. Typically this process takes about 15-20 minutes. This method is employed for kashering tanker trucks.

Other common applications for which we rely on kashering with spray balls are holding tanks that have no independent heat source but were filled with hot non-kosher product or held cold non-kosher product for 24 hours. Lichatchila, these tanks should be sprayed with roschim water for 15-20 minutes. In cases of need there is room to be more lenient and allow for slightly lower temperatures since the tanks have no independent heat source.

Viewing an extended irui as a kli rishon leads to a stringency regarding kashering pipes. When hot non-kosher product flowed through the pipes for an extended period of time, the walls of the pipe became saturated with heat and bliyos were able to be absorbed into the entire thickness of the pipe. It is therefore insufficient to kasher the pipes by merely passing boiling water through them for one minute. Rather, boiling water must be circulated until once again the walls of the pipe become saturated and there cease to be דפנות מקררות. While there is no exact way to tell how long this will take, other than to manually check the outside of the pipe with a thermometer for the point at which the temperature ceases to increase, typically we can assume that this takes about 15 minutes.

Another issue that has recently been raised concerns the use of CIP systems for both kosher and non-kosher lines. Even if a plant has completely separate lines for kosher and non-kosher, if they share a CIP system in which the waters are circulated back to the CIP tank, then the CIP tank can become non-kosher. Future use of the CIP system on the kosher line can potentially compromise its kosher status. Typically a CIP consists of three or four stages; an initial flush which is usually done below yad soledes, a caustic wash and acid wash which are done above yad soledes and a fresh water rinse which can also be done hot. Although the caustic and acid cycles are typically pagum and do not present an issue, if the final rinse is above yad soledes, and is circulated through the CIP tank this can present a problem. Since every CIP system is built and performs differently, it is important for Mashgichim to be aware of how the systems in their plants operate and report to the office any situations of concern.

Leaf through any cookbook and you will be convinced that baker’s cheese is crucial for gourmet dining. I have heard it said that a cheesecake made with anything other than baker’s cheese is just simply not worth the calories. With its soft, spongy consistency, baker’s cheese fills the gap between rennet cheeses (such as mozzarella and cheddar) and acid set cheeses (such as cottage cheese and cream cheese). As its name implies, it is often the baker’s cheese of choice for creating real cheese fillings for pies and cakes. Although fundamentally an acid set cheese, because baker’s cheese is made with a touch of rennet, it has the proper degree of firmness that gives cheese cake its proper texture. Baker’s cheese lies on the crossroads between acid cheese and rennet cheese, and as we will see, exactly how it is classified will have important ramifications on its kosher status.

From a kosher perspective, rennet is one of the most sensitive ingredients. Although microbial rennet is inherently kosher, because it mimics the effect of animal rennet, there are many restrictions placed on its use. However, it is relatively easy to maintain a kosher program for acid set cheeses, such as cream cheese, which do not require the inclusion of rennet. Baker’s cheese is principally similar to cream cheese in that it is essentially an acid set cheese that is set with a culture; however in dairies today it is made with the inclusion of a small amount of microbial rennet. If baker’s cheese were classified as a rennet cheese, then it would require full time rabbinic supervision, but if it is considered an acid set cheese then periodic reviews of the factory would be all that is necessary.

What is important to note in making this determination is the exact amount of rennet that is added. While the amount of rennet in a rennet set cheese will range from 70 milliliters to over 100 milliliters of rennet per 1000 pounds of milk, baker’s cheese will typically have about 4 milliliters of rennet. Without the addition of the culture, this amount of rennet would have very little effect on the milk. It is for this reason that it is the position of the OU as well as most major kosher certifying agencies to consider baker’s cheese an acid- set cheese.

For those who wish to be extra careful in this area, the OU also certifies chalav Yisrael baker’s cheese which is made with full time rabbinic supervision and all of the stringencies as though it were a rennet set cheese.

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. today announced that Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties and DOTS have become kosher-certified by the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certification agency. New packaging bearing the “OU” symbol will be distributed nationwide beginning in the next few weeks.

“We take great pride in producing wholesome confectionery products with fresh ingredients of the highest quality. This will bring our iconic brands to an entirely new consumer base that can now enjoy our products,” said Ellen Gordon, President, Tootsie Roll Industries.

The OU rigorously monitors of all aspects of production. It supervises the process by which the food is prepared, examines the ingredients used to make the food, and regularly inspects the processing facilities to make sure that its standards are met.

“We are very pleased to have Tootsie Roll join with other leading confectionery producers who have attained OU certification in recent years. It was also gratifying for OU to guide Tootsie Roll through the certification process and bring these famous candies to the growing kosher market place,” said Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “It was rewarding for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbis Dovid Jenkins and Abraham Juravel, as well as Phyllis Koegel, OU Marketing Associate, to corroborate with Tootsie Roll’s team and bring the much sought after Tootsie Roll products to an ever-growing kosher market place.”

###
About Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. is one of the country’s largest candy companies, headquartered in Chicago with operations in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Mexico and Toronto. In its 112th year, the company produces more than sixty-four million Tootsie Rolls per day and is considered the world’s largest lollipop supplier. The company sells many well-known branded products including Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Pop Drops, Caramel Apple Pops, Child’s Play, Charms, Blow Pop, Blue Razz, Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, Cry Baby, Nik-L-Nip and EI Bubble. For more information about the Company, see the Company’s website on the Internet at: http://www.tootsie.com.

As he was constructing the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon labored to establish extensive and far-reaching trade routes to bring the very best for the service of God. A series of maritime expeditions were launched to the most distant lands; the expeditions returned to Jerusalem carrying an array of goods which the inhabitants had never before seen.

The lands which were visited are named and vaguely described in both Kings and Chronicles, although few of these lands can now be identified. What is known are the items which were brought back to Jerusalem. The Bible records regarding one of the expeditions (Kings 1: Ch. 10 v. 22 similar to Chronicles 2: Ch. 9 v. 21), “For the boat of Tarshish was for the king in the sea with the boats of Hiram; once in three years the boat of Tarshish would come carrying gold, silver, ivory, monkeys and peacocks.” The people of the Phoenician city of Tarshish were the preeminent mariners of biblical times. It was they who traveled to the most distant lands, returning with the most impressive items to display to the people of Jerusalem.

While Tarshish was a city-state located on the shores of the Mediterranean, the domain of King Solomon stretched from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Thus, by allying themselves with the ancient Israelites, the mariners of Tarshish gained access to the Far East. Although peacock could have been procured in many places along the coast of the Indian subcontinent, there is linguistic evidence that it was specifically the island of Sri Lanka that was visited. The Hebrew word used in the Bible to identify the peacock is tuki, which is almost identical to the ancient Tamil word for peacock, toka.

Four hundred years after the death of Solomon, the peacock is once again mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Ezekiel; when the prophet bemoans the destruction of Tyre he mentions the ivory and peacocks in which they traded. (Ez. 27:15). In the Book of Ezekiel the birds are no longer referred to as tuki but rather as havonim. This word is similar to the word pavo which is still the name by which peacocks are called in many European languages.

As a result of the civil war which followed the death of King Solomon, Israel’s nautical exploration was put on hold. The Israelites were only periodically able to access the Port of Eilat on the Red Sea and there were only sporadic attempts to renew trade from this area. Despite the decline of the Israelite state, the Phoenicians continued to maintain their trade routes with the Far East, although it is not clear which ports were used to access the Indian Ocean.
When the Babylonians exiled the Jewish people and subjugated the Phoenician city-states, the maritime explorations in the Far East ceased. Two hundred years later, Alexander the Great marched into India and once again began trading with the Far East, this time opening the silk route which was over land. It was only a matter of time until peacocks were once again imported into Israel as well as the other parts of the Greek empire. The birds are discussed in the Talmud, where they are identified as kosher.

The size of the peacock set it apart from the other fowl which was raised in ancient times. Osteological evidence indicates that the chicken which was kept two thousand years ago was only slightly larger than a pigeon. Comparatively the peacock would have been a mammoth centerpiece at any ancient feast. It remained so in Western Europe, until the 16th century when it was replaced by the larger and perhaps tastier turkey. Prior to the arrival of the turkey, period cookbooks often focus on the drama of a dish with peacock. John Baptist Porta (in a work which was written in the 1600’s) recommends cooking the peacock and then adding gold leaf before reattaching the skin and feathers to make the bird look alive. No such attention is lavished on the bird in the 1723 Cook’s and Confectioner’s Dictionary. Two recipes for the peacock are included, none of which involved any gold. In more recent times, the peacock has vanished from even the most elegant restaurants.

Five years ago, I saw live peacocks being sold in a New York meat market for about double the price of a large turkey. I haven’t seen them since. The last recorded listing of the bird among kosher meat was from Italy in the mid-1800s. The OU does not certify the peacock, and there has never been any local demand for the meat of this bird. Perhaps, for a bird as beautiful and graceful as the peacock, it is best to know it is kosher, and leave the actual taste a mystery.

On Friday October 16th the OU presented the first of a two-part webinar (Internet seminar) on dairy hashgacha. The second session took place one week later on Friday, October 23. Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson, Senior Dairy RC, moderated the sessions and presented e-mail questions sent in advance and on-the-spot by RFRs; Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer and Rabbi Avrohom Juravel responded verbally and live to the questions.

RFRs were encouraged to e-mail questions about any and all topics relating to dairy kashrus supervision and policy to .

RFRs were sent a detailed dairy kashrus information packet for use during and after the webinar.

There was very positive feedback from Senior Management and RFRs on the success of this webinar in terms of ongoing RFR education and training. We look forward to more such excellent webinars in other industries as well.

The topics that were covered in the webinar were
1. Fluid milk
2. Powdered milk
3. Fresh cream
4. Whey cream
5. Butter
6. Hard cheese
7. Soft cheese
8. Whey
9. Sour cream
10. Yogurt
11. Ice cream

In the following RFR’s were given guidance concerning each topic as to what Kashrus issues they should be aware of as they do their inspections.

Webinar Dairy Issues
By Rabbi Avrohom Juravel and Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

Fluid milk.
When going to a fluid milk plant, it is important to ascertain what else is processed there. While fluid milk is intrinsically kosher, it goes through various processes that could have kashrus problems. These include, but are not limited to: separators, pasteurizers, and storage tanks. Chocolate milk, egg nog, and even chicken soup have been found to be processed on the same equipment as fluid milk. Due diligence is not only a virtue, it is a requirement. Note: In ultra-high pasteurization (UHT) dairies, which make long shelf-life product in boxes or pouches, the likelihood of shared equipment issues is very great.

Powdered milk.
This product starts off as fluid milk, goes through a separator where the cream (fatty part of milk) is removed. From there it goes through a series of evaporators, mixing/holding tanks, and from there to a spray dryer. It is imperative to keep track what the equipment is used for. It can easily be used to dry other materials besides milk, which may not be kosher.

Fresh cream
Fresh cream (also called “sweet cream”) is taken from the milk by putting the whole milk into a separator, which is really a centrifuge. Cream is lighter than milk, so it floats to the top when put through a centrifuge. The optimum temperature for separating the milk from the cream is about 140F. Therefore, the milk is put through a heat exchanger before it gets separated. An RFR must have a thorough knowledge of the workings of the plant and keep track of what else is going through the heat exchanger that heats the cream. He must also keep track of where and into which tanks the fresh cream is going, and ascertain that the tanks are not used for anything non-kosher.

Whey cream
Whey is a by-product of cheese making. There are plants where both the cheese and the whey are non-kosher. Just like milk has a cream content, whey also has a cream content. (As with milk, whey’s cream is its fat component.) By putting whey through a separator just like milk, you will end up with whey cream. Most factories keep the whey cream and the fresh cream separate. These are two very different commodities with very different values. However, in a plant where the whey is not kosher, one must keep track of where the whey cream is separated, stored, heated, etc. to make sure the kashrus of the fresh cream is not compromised. For this very reason, we do not accept fresh cream from any plant that also deals or produces whey cream, unless it is properly kosher-certified.

Butter
Butter is made by taking cream and churning it. The churning process smashes the fat molecule and inverts it, thus yielding a very smooth, uniform, and almost solid product. The water that does not go along with the butter is called classic buttermilk (not to be confused with cultured buttermilk). Butter can be made both from fresh cream and from whey cream (See Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah s. 79). Even USDA grade AA butter can contain significant amounts of whey cream. The certification program at a butter plant revolves around checking the cream sources. The cream will be coming in bulk by tanker truck. Each load has paperwork as to where it was picked up and produced. The RFR must meticulously check ALL the cream deliveries. He must also check what other ingredients they add to the butter against the schedule A.

Hard cheese
This product is made by starting with milk (whole, skim, powdered, or combinations of the above), adding cream and/or skim milk when called for. All these are put into a cheese vat, cultures are added, and when the pH changes, rennet is added. The vat is left alone for anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, the cheese is cut, and the whey is drained out. The OU is machmir like the Poskim who say that the cultures and the rennet must be put into the vat by a YID. After the whey is drained out, the cheese is pumped into molds and sometimes it goes into brine. For kosher cheese productions, the brine must be fresh brine, not having been used previously for any non-kosher cheese, and the brine tank must be new and kosher-dedicated or kashered or lined in accordance with OU policy .

Soft cheese
Milk, non-fat dry milk (“NFDM”), whey and cream are put into a vat. Various acid cultures, possibly other acids (such as vinegar) and stabilizers are put in, and in these temperature-controlled vats the mixture is allowed to separate. The whey is drained off, and we are left with soft cheese. The cultures and the temperatures will determine what type of cheese it will become. Since there is no rennet, what is making the cheese here is the acid. Therefore this is known as acid- set cheese. The whey, which is a by-product of this cheese production, is always going to be an acid whey. The RFR must check the schedule A very carefully to see that the cultures match schedule A. He must also be aware that since acid set cheese is very often made at high temperatures, the equipment used in this type of cheese making must be dedicated for kosher use or be kashered before a production.

Whey
Whenever there is cheese production (or casein production), there will be whey. Whey is the uncoagulated part of the milk that is the by-product of cheese production. When the whey is coming from hard cheese, the RFR must check that the temperature of the cheese vat does not reach or exceed 120 F. If the temperature reaches or exceeds that, we have whey cooking with GEVINAS AKUM. He must also see that all the rennet and cultures are kosher. If they are using animal-derived rennet to set the cheese, then the whey is not acceptable to the OU. Usually, the whey comes off the cheese vat after the cheese coagulates. In some instances, the coagulated cheese is washed with hot water in order to get it to expel more whey. This process is known as scalding the cheese. The whey that comes out of this process is not considered kosher.

Mozzarella cheese goes through an additional process called stretching. This is accomplished by immersing the cheese in a very hot bath which will soften it, and then through a mixer/molder which stretches it. The water from the hot bath (“cooker” in industrial terms) is generally between 150 F-175 F. Sometimes, this water is returned to the rest of the whey. When this happens, not only is the whey non-kosher, but the whey cream which comes off the whey will also become non-kosher.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the RFR at a whey plant must be totally familiar with every part of the process, and evaluate whether there are any pieces of machinery (separator, pasteurizer, heat exchangers, evaporators, tanks, etc.) that can become kosher-contaminated along the way. Please remember that we are certifying the whey which is the by-product of non-kosher cheese (GEVINAS AKUM). Total segregation of kosher and non-kosher is imperative.

Sour cream
Cream, milk, cultures, stabilizers, and emulsifiers are standard ingredients in sour cream. Cream, not like its closely-related cousin butter, is a liquid, not a solid. In order to solidify cream, cultures are put in which will change the taste and have some effect on the texture. This is still not enough to solidify it. Starch, stabilizers, and emulsifiers will accomplish this task. The problem we encounter is that a lot of sour cream stabilizers have non-kosher GELATIN in them. This is especially relevant in light sour creams. The less the cream content, the more the gelatin. The stabilizer itself can have high amounts of gelatin, even though the final sour cream product has only a small amount. We will not certify the product even with a minimal amount of gelatin in it.

The gelatin problem rears its ugly head when a plants adds gelatin or stabilizer that contains gelatin to a small amount of cream in a liquefier, creating a “pre-mix” A liquefier is a very-high speed mixer which will mix and blend the gelatin into a small amount of cream, and then send it to the big vat of sour cream mix. This is done with other stabilizers also, even the kosher ones. Oftentimes, the liquefier is heated, rendering it non-kosher because of the large amount of gelatin in the pre-mix. Although the total amount of gelatin in the final product is botel, in the liquefier it is not botul. When the same liquefier is used for a kosher stabilizer, it can be rendered non-kosher because the liquefier was not kashered. Similarly, if the liquefier processed a pre-mix which contained gelatin that was not botel therein, and that pre-mix gets mixed into the rest of the product (which it surely does – that is the whole idea of a pre-mix), the rest of the product will become non-kosher, as we view the entire pre-mix as non-kosher (ChaNaN), and the pasteurization equipment will thus also need to be kashered. It is necessary to verify that a pre-mix which contains gelatin is not made, or that the entire line is kashered if such a pre-mix is made.

Again, unless the RFR understands the complete workings of the plant, he may check the formula of the non-kosher gelatin and decide it is always botul, and he will ignore the fact that the liquefier (and subsequently the pasteurizer) is TRAIF!

Yogurt
Yogurt starts with milk (fresh or NFDM) and cultures. The milk is inoculated with the culture, it is kept in a thermostatically-controlled holding tank, and after many hours, the whole thing turns into yogurt. After we have yogurt, flavors, sweeteners, starch, fruit fillings, and stabilizers are added. The best way to keep the fruit in suspension is by adding a stabilizer called gelatin. An RFR must carefully monitor the stabilizer systems they use and ascertain which products contain gelatin and which do not. He should also be checking all the other ingredients (stabilizers, fruit preparations, flavors, cultures, etc.) and compare them to the labels of the finished products. The same exact issue of pre-mixes with gelatin that was detailed in the case of sour cream applies equally to yogurt plants, where it is quite common. RFR beware!

Ice cream
Cream (fresh cream or whey cream), milk powder, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavors make up ice cream. When a product like ice cream freezes, small ice crystals form. This is not what the customer wants to taste. He wants the smooth mouthfeel of a creamy product. We all know that oil and water do not mix very well. In order to get the components of ice cream to mix, stabilizers and emulsifiers are used. When the right ones are used in the right proportions, a smooth creamy product will be the result, even when frozen, and it will not form minute ice crystals in the product. The RFR must be very vigilant in checking the stabilizer systems.

Ice cream comes in many flavors and varieties. Some may be kosher, while some may not be kosher. Rocky road is usually not kosher because of the non-kosher marshmallows it contains. Often, other ice cream varieties contain non-kosher marshmallows and are called by different names (e.g. Heavenly Hash, etc.). While the flavors are usually put into the ice cream mix after the ice cream is made, rework and remelt is an issue that must be very closely monitored.

If one does not understand the process involved in creating a granola bar, one could study the ingredient panel a hundred times and still not be able to answer the above question. However, through our access to the companies that produce these bars we are privy to information that is important in resolving this issue.

In the late nineteenth century “Granola” was a trademark for foods consisting of whole grains that were crumbled and baked until crispy. Today, granola bars are made from whole grain oats that are first cooked until softened and then rolled into flat flakes. They are then combined with sugars, oils and syrups and baked. The Mishna Berura (Orach Chaim 208:3) states that if grains are reduced and broken down in the cooking process, even if they were introduced whole, one should recite Mezonos. The granola bar grains appear to remain whole. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 208:4) says that on whole toasted grains the proper Beracha is Borei Pri Hoadoma. In many granola bars the oats actually comprise less than fifty percent of the volume of the bar. The majority of the ingredients are those on which one would recite a Shehakol. Never the less, Rabbi Belsky and Rabbi Schachter have said that the proper Beracha Rishona to be recited when eating a granola bar is Borei Pri Haodoma. The oats (granola) are clearly considered the ikar, and all the other ingredients are considered tofel. We should therefore follow the regular rules of ikar vitofel and recite Hoadoma. Some poskim, however, consider the cooking process together with the subsequent baking to be a maiseh kideira. They posit that through all the cooking and baking, the grains must be partially broken down, and the proper beracha to be recited, as per the above mentioned Mishna Berura, would be Mezonos. Whether one recites Haodoma or Mezonos either way one would be yotzai bidieved. The disagreement is as to which beracha should be recited lichatchila.

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 208:4) quotes the opinion of the Rambam that the beracha achrona for toasted grains is Borei Nifashos. However, the Shulchan Aruch also brings that Tosfos was uncertain as to whether a special Beracha achrona, Al Haodoma V’al Pri Haodama, should be recited. Since there is no mention of such a beracha in the Gemara, Tosfos leaves the matter unresolved, and suggests that one who wishes to eat these foods should do so only in the context of a meal. This way it will be covered by Birchas Hamazon. If one already ate toasted whole grains, one has no choice but to say a Borei Nifashos. Ideally, one should not bring oneself into such a situation. Accordingly, if one wishes to eat a granola bar, one should first wash nitilas yadayim, eat a slice of bread, and then eat the granola bar. Don’t forget to bentch at the end. This sounds like a long way to have to go to enjoy a quick snack. Perhaps there is an easier solution.

If one eats an amount equal to the volume of a zayis (an olive), toch kdai achilas pras (in the time it takes to eat 8 kezaisim) then one is required to say a beracha achrona. If one eats slower than this pace, then one does not recite a beracha achrona. What if one eats more than a kezayis of a granola bar bichdei achilas pras but eats less than a kezayis of oats. The Mishna Berura (Orach Chaim 210:1) says that in such a scenario the oats would combine with the other ingredients to obligate one in the berachah achrona of Borei Nifashos, and he would not be obligated in any other beracha achrona.

Now all we must do is measure how many kezaysim of oats are in a granola bar, and make sure to eat less than a kezayis of them in a kdei achilas pras.

The amount of oats by weight in a Nature Valley granola bar is about 50%. The serving size is 2 bars, which is 42g. This means that one serving contains 21g of oats. However, grams are measures of weight and kezaysim are measures of volume. For halachic purposes we must convert from weight into volume. The bulk specific density of rolled oats is approximately .304 g/cc (.304 grams per cubic centimeter). Therefore, 21g of rolled oats take up the volume of 69 cc. However, bulk specific density includes all the air spaces trapped between the oats. For our purposes, we must exclude all those air pockets and measure the volume of just the oats.

To measure the volume of just the oats, One can devise the following experiment. Fill a measuring cup with 2 oz. (1/4 cup) of oats and add 4 oz. (1/2 cup) water. The water and the oats together should fill 6/8 of a cup. However, the resulting mixture will fill only 5 oz. (5/8 cup). We see that the airspaces between the oats puff the oats to twice their true volume, so that 2 oz. of oats in reality only takes up 1 oz. of volume. Our 69 cc of oats in a serving size of 2 granola bars in reality only comprise 34.5 cc of true volume. Thus one granola bar would contain 17.25 cc of oats.

There is a dispute amongst the Rishonim as to how to measure the size of a kezayis. It is either half a kibaya or one third. Rabbi Belsky and Rabbi Schachter both agreed that in this situation we could be lenient and accept the larger size kezayis for evaluating our granola bar. According to Rav Chaim Naeh this larger kezayis equals 27 cc. Converting back into granola bar units at 17.25 cc of oats per bar, this is slightly more than 1 ½ Nature Valley granola bars. Based on the above as long as one consumes less than 1 ½ granola bars every kdei achilas pras, one has avoided the safek of Tosfos.

How long is kdei achilas pras? Rabbi Schachter explained that each food is evaluated according to the normal length of time it takes to eat 8 kezaysim of that product. Rabbi Schachter approximated that it would take an average person about 2 minutes to consume 8 kezaysim of granola bar. Rav Belsky was uncertain but said it would certainly be less than 5 minutes.

In conclusion, if a person consumed 2 granola bars in less than 2 minutes, he has no choice but to recite a Borei Nifashos. Ideally though, one should either plan to eat less than 1 ½ Nature Valley granola bars every 2-5 minutes and then recite a Borei Nifashos, or plan on eating lots of bread.

The Harry H. Beren ASKOU OUTREACH post-Shabbat visit to the Passaic-Clifton community on November 7 drew many participants to the first “Understand Kashrut as You’ve Never Understood it Before!” program. Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education, declared “Fantastic! Excellent! These were just some of the words of feedback we received from the participants in the first series of ASKOU OUTREACH Kashrut shiurim in the Passaic – Clifton community.”

One of the participants wrote to Rabbi Grossman, saying, “I must compliment your recent ASKOU event in Passaic. Even though I have learned in a yeshiva, I never became learned in kashrus. I have always felt that the kosher consumer is looked at as ‘naïve’ by the vendors who supply the kosher foods. And correctly so. These informative and interesting lectures can do so much to improving the standard of kashrus. Just being informed makes such a difference.”

Participants enjoyed the “show and tell” by Rabbi Moshe Perlmutter, in his Industrial and Foodservice Kashering Equipment presentation. They were fascinated by Rabbi Dov Schreier’s talk on Eating Out—What Could be the Problem—Restaurants, Caterers and the Shabbos Kiddush.

The OU returns to Passaic-Clifton on November 14 and 21 to continue the program.

Schreiber Foods Inc. and its President and CEO Michael J. Haddad will be honored at the Orthodox Union’s 111th Annual Dinner & Awards Presentation, with the National Kashrut Leadership Award, Sunday evening, December 6 at the Hudson Theater and Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York.

“Schreiber Foods Inc., which has dedicated itself to maintaining an excellent OU Kosher program, is eminently deserving of this honor,” declared OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack. “Ours has been a long and close partnership. The company has earned an outstanding reputation within the industry, and with this award the OU acknowledges Schreiber’s ongoing commitment to quality and innovation. We are proud to salute Schreiber for its accomplishments.”
Schreiber, with headquarters in Green Bay, WI, is a privately held dairy company with sales in excess of $4 billion. Its products –which include process, natural, cream and specialty cheese and yogurt—are sold primarily through customer brand distribution programs. Schreiber has sales, processing and distribution facilities in the United States, Brazil, China, India, Germany and Mexico.

Michael J. Haddad’s tenure at Schreiber, which began in 1995, has brought increased recognition to the company as the supplier of choice in the foodservice sector while also driving the development of leaders within the company. He has won many Schreiber awards for his performance and leadership. After his first year with Schreiber, he was named Schreiber Foods Sales’ Rookie of the Year. He won the President’s Award for Excellence in Leadership in 2001 and a President’s Award for Excellence in Quality Improvement in 2003.

In 2006, Mr. Haddad was named President and COO and elected to the Schreiber Board of Directors. In January 2009, he assumed his current position as President, CEO, and a member of the Board of Directors.

In the community, Mr. Haddad is on the Board of Directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation-Wisconsin Chapter. His involvement with Make-A-Wish began in 2000 as a Wish Grantor. He is also part of Crunch Time, a local band, which donates entertainment for fundraising activities.

For more information, visit http://www.ou.org/awardsdinner, call 212-613-8350, or contact Elaine Grossman at .

Questions of bishul akum surface all the time, and it is important when reviewing products and ingredients to be mindful of the issues of bishul akum. The following are some recent issues that have been discussed in the office relating to bishul akum.

There are several leniencies mentioned in the Gemara (Avoda Zara 38a) relating to bishul akum:
1. Cooked by a Yisroel to מאכל בן דרוסאי or cooked by a non-Jew to less than מאכל בן דרוסאי
2. A food which is אינו עולה על שולחן מלכים
3. A food which is נאכל כמו שהוא חי

Common examples of foods that must be bishul yisroel include Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Squash, Pumpkin, Eggplant, Portobello mushrooms, Pasta, Rice, Eggs, Fish and Meat.

מאכל בן דרוסאי
It is important to note that although an ingredient may be certified kosher, it may still pose a future bishul akum concern. Foods cooked less than מאכל בן דרוסאי (1/3 cooked) are not yet considered edible, and do not become bishul akum. If the ingredient is cooked further then the item can still become bishul akum. Therefore, when accepting an ingredient, it is important to find out whether the item is considered cooked and was made bishul Yisroel, or whether it is still considered raw and bishul akum was not yet dealt with. As an example, when accepting blanched potatoes (squash/pumpkin/sweet potatoes…) one must find out whether the potatoes are considered raw or cooked. If they are considered cooked, find out how they dealt with bishul akum. This is especially important when dealing with other hashgachos that may have different standards for bishul akum.

אינו עולה על שולחן מלכים
The Rambam (Machalas Assuros 17:15) explains that since the laws of bishul akum were instituted as a safeguard against intermarriage, Chazal only forbade those foods that would be served at an invitational event (banquet), since these are the types of meals that lead towards intermarriage. Therefore, the Rambam concludes that תורמוסין (lupine beans) are not an issue of bishul akum since they are not עולה על שולחן מלכים. Rav Belsky has said that he believes this still to be true for beans in general. Although one may find beans added to a variety of fancy dishes, in general beans by themselves lack the חשיבות to be עולה על שולחן מלכים.

Chickpeas – We do not consider chickpeas in America to be עולה על שולחן מלכים, however in Middle Eastern countries chickpeas and chumus should be bishul Yisroel.

Chestnut- Should be bishul Yisroel

Imitation foods – Seitan is wheat gluten that is formed into dough, and then boiled until it reaches a consistency similar to that of meat. It is flavored and served as a meat substitute and it can be made into very fancy looking dishes. If the king would be a vegetarian, this is what he’d eat. Is Seitan considered to be עולה על שולחן מלכים?
Rabbi Belsky said that generally speaking, foods that are imitations are not chashuv and cannot be considered עולה על שולחן מלכים. Although these foods may be healthier, they are still not as tasty as the originals that they are trying to imitate. They are only served for health or monetary considerations. Ain anyus b’makom ashirus. Since imitation foods are inherently not chashuv, they are not an issue of bishul akum.

נאכל כמו שהוא חי
Rav Belsky explains that an item which is good to eat raw, even if it is the derech to be cooked, is not subject to bishul akum. Therefore cooked corn need not be bishul Yisroel, since raw corn is also very tasty.
Mishna Berurah (203:11) says that an item which is not eaten raw by itself, but is commonly eaten raw together with another food is also considered נאכל כמו שהוא חי. Therefore, although raw ginger is not eaten plain, since it is eaten with sugar it is exempt from bishul akum. Similarly, cranberries although not eaten raw by themselves, since they are eaten together with sugar in the form of “craisins”, are exempt from bishul akum.

When there is an issue of bishul akum the Mashgiach must light the boiler. There must be a system for knowing that the boiler will not cool down to below 180 F and be turned back on by a non-Jew.

In summary:
• Once must keep in mind which foods are subject to bishul akum
• One must verify whether a bishul akum sensitive ingredient was already cooked by a Yisrael to מאכל בן דרוסאי or whether it is still subject to bishul akum
• Beans, and imitation foods are not subject to bishul akum
• Foods which are tasty raw even though they are usually cooked are not subject to bishul akum
• Foods which are eaten raw together with other ingredients are not subject to bishul akum

Given the enormous success of the Harry H. Beren ASKOU OUTREACH program and its visits to yeshivot, kollelim and semicha programs, ASKOU Outreach is now expanding to major Jewish communities with its first post-Shabbat visits to the Passaic-Clifton community. According to Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education, the motto of the program is “Understand Kashrut as You’ve Never Understood it Before!”

Rabbi Grossman explained, “Before visiting Lakewood and Monsey, we solely concentrated on yeshivot, kollelim and semicha programs, such as Yeshiva Torah Vodaath, MTJ, Yeshiva University, Ohr HaChaim, Lander College for Men’s Kollel, etc. In Lakewood and Monsey, we discovered that our shiurim also attracted members of the general community, in addition to the local yeshivot such as BMG in Lakewood and Ohr Somayach in Monsey. As a result, we are now broadening our target service group to communities as well. We have already received a very warm welcome in the Passaic – Clifton community through our contacts with the local rabbis and lay leaders.”

The schedule is as follows:

Motzoei Shabbat Parshat Vayeira, November 7 at Congregation Ahavas Israel: 181 Van Houten Avenue
. 8:00 – 9:15 PM – Industrial and Foodservice Kashering and their Equipment Rabbi Moshe Perlmutter – OU Rabbinic Field Representative

9:15 – 10:00 PM – Eating Out – What Could be the Problem? Restaurants, Caterers and the Shabbat Kiddush Rabbi Dov Schreier – OU Rabbinic Coordinator, Foodservice. Free “Eating Out – What Could be the Problem?” pamphlet will be distributed. Motzoei Shabbat Pasrshat Chayei Sarah, November 14 at Beis Torah U’Tefillah: 218 Aycrigg Ave. 8-10:00 PM – Ask the OU Kosher (Passaic) Rabbis: A panel presentation followed by Q & A

Rabbinic Coordinator – Specialty/Topic

Rabbi Yisroel Paretzky – Group Leader, Industrial Kashrut/Baking Industry
Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell – Chemicals
Rabbi Eli Gersten – OU Psak and Policy
Rabbi David Gorelik – Yoshon
Rabbi Yitzchok Gutterman – Refined Oils
Rabbi David Jenkins – How Tootsie Roll became OU certified.
Rabbi Mordechai Merzel – Dairy
Rabbi Gavriel Price – Ingredient Research: The Status of Papaya and its Derivatives in Chutz L’aretz

Free ASK OU DVD will be distributed

Motzoei Shabbat Parshat Toldos, November 21 at Congregation Tifereth Israel – 180 Passaic Ave. 7:45-8:45 PM – Kosher Birds and Eggs – Live Viewing and Demonstration Rabbi Chaim Loike – OU Rabbinic Coordinator 8:45-10:15 – Bedikas Toyloim – A demonstration of How to Check for Insects in Vegetables and Fruits Rabbi Yosef Eisen – Rabbinic Administrator-Vaad of the Five Towns and former OU Rabbinic Coordinator, Foodservice. Free How to Check for Insects DVD will be distributed

Further details are as follows:

• Separate ladies section available for all sessions.
• Pre-registration assures you of seat. Your registration is appreciated but not required.
• For registration call 212-613-8279 or email .
• All presentations will be followed by Q & A sessions. You are encouraged to email your questions in advance to .

For more information, contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212 or 914-391-9470.

Ellen Libfeld, Vice President of “The Original” WrapOle’ Premium Quality Tortillas®, announced the Orthodox Union will be the certification agency for product made in Florida. All products will continue to be Pas Yisroel and made with the same ingredients customers have enjoyed since 1996.

“The Original” WrapOle’ Premium Quality Tortillas®, known for its high quality and great taste, is sought after by the finest chefs, restaurants and caterers. Ms. Libfeld states that this new location will help its expansion into additional markets.

WrapOle’s are available in retail packs and restaurant sizes. The retail packs come in six flavors: Original, Tex-Mex, Sesame, Spinach, Wheat with Honey and Challah Aloha. Other flavors available for Food Service include Black Bean, Rye, Mediterranean (Zaatar), Southwestern, Pesto, Marinara, Multi-grain, Golden Asian Fusion and a desert wrap, Luscious Chocolate Orange.

For more information about WrapOle‘®, contact Customer Relations, Libfeld, Inc., 866-482-7092 or http://www.wrapole.com.

On the heels of the success of and feedback from previous OU Kosher webcasts to which thousands of listeners have tuned in, OU Kosher will present “Cooking on Shabbat — A Hot Topic — News & Views about Stews & Brews” featuring OU Kosher authorities and senior halachic consultants Rabbi Yisroel Belsky and Rabbi Hershel Schachter. The webcast will take place Tuesday, November 17, 3:30 PM EST. To watch the webcast live, visit http://www.ou.org/ouradio/kosher_webcast/.

The webcast is part of OU Kosher’s continuing educational outreach to the community that includes the “OU Kosher Coming to Schools and Communities” program, and the informative and entertaining Kosher Tidbits postings, now numbering close to 140 on OU Radio. Recent Tidbits include: “Reputation Preservation: Kashrut and Maris Ayin,” featuring Rabbi Dovid Bistricer and “The Milk of Human Kindness,” presented by Rabbi Eli Gersten. They are newly posted on OU Kosher Tidbits http://www.ouradio.org/ouradio/channel/C301.

In announcing the upcoming webcast, Rabi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, spoke of the “beauty of the Shabbat and the imperative to seek every way to enhance its celebration with the finest of Shabbat meals, which include hot foods. When one is familiar with the intricate cooking laws of Shabbat, it’s so much easier to prepare. The knowledge and information to be learned during this webcast is vital for making Shabbat as pleasurable as it should be.”

Topics will include: various types of keilim, bishul achar bishul, use of a blech, crock pot, and urn.

Viewers of the webcast can send in questions before the session starts to Rabbi Safran at or fax to 212-613-0775. During the session they can email Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell at or fax 212-613-0775.

Although the OU does not allow bitul of non-kosher ingredients, still there are two situations were it is relevant to ascertain whether an ingredient is batel.

• Kashering kailim – if a product is made with a non-kosher ingredient that is batel and will not give ta’am, then there is no need to kasher the equipment.  This is true even if the non-kosher item is a davar hama’amid, a beryah, or gives chazusa
• Bidieved – if an issur was inadvertently added to a product. While the decision of how to react should be left to the office, accurate information is essential.

Determining whether an ingredient is batel is much more than evaluating ratios. There are numerous halachos that may be involved which require a thorough knowledge of Yoreh Deyah. The following are some points to keep in mind when determining if a non-kosher ingredient is batel:

In determining if an ingredient is batel, one must make sure that the ingredient was added to the batch at a point when there was sufficient heter to be mivatel that item. Otherwise even if the ingredient subsequently becomes less than shishim, it may not be batel because of Chanan1. Therefore, it is not sufficient to know the proportions but one must know the batching process as well.

If a product contains two non-kosher ingredients (e.g. gevinas akum and stam yaynam), so long as each ingredient is batel b’shishim in the product, it does not matter that their combined volume is not batel2.

Bitul is always calculated based on volume not weight. Most often companies report ingredients in terms of weight; this must be converted to volume.
When converting to volume a point to keep in mind is that not all ingredients take up the same amount of volume before and after they are added to a mixture. For example: When a ½ cup of milk is added to 1 cup of flour, the resulting dough will be approximately 1 cup. The milk is absorbed in the flour and may add little or no volume. Rather than viewing the milk as being 1/3 of the volume of the dough, it should be considered to be 1/2 of the dough. Even if the dough subsequently rises to triple its size, we view all of the ingredients as expanding uniformly. Therefore, the dough will remain 50% milk.

It is common for dry milk powder to be used in place of liquid milk in many products. Although milk powder is a more concentrated form of milk, we still consider it to be batel b’shishim, similar to why we consider cheese to be batel b’shishim even though it is a also a more concentrated form of milk3. (A notable exception is grape juice concentrate which must first be reconstituted before evaluating bitul4). If the dairy ingredient gives a noticeable taste then it is not batel even if it is less than 1.6%.

If the non-kosher ingredient can be separated, it is not batel. Therefore, if non-kosher oil is added to a water-based liquid, unless an emulsifier was added the oil will separate from the water. Even if the oil is less than 1.6% of the product it will not be batel because it can be separated5. However, provided the oil remained mixed in the product, there would be no need to kasher the kailim. Likewise powders will become batel in other powders provided that they cannot be separated6. If the non-kosher powder is a coarser consistency that can be separated with a sieve then it will not be batel. Even if a non-kosher powder is not batel in kosher powders, we do not say Chanan7. Therefore, if additional ingredients were added, the non-kosher powder can still be batel b’shishim.

If oil is sprayed on the surface of a product, it will not be batel, since the oil remains b’en. If oil is baked into the surface, the oil will only be batel if there is 60 times its volume in the outer layer of the product.

In summary:
• There must be shishim at the time when the ingredient is added
• Each different non-kosher ingredient is batel b’shishim even if their combined total is not batel b’shishim.
• Bitul is always calculated by volume. When calculating volume of ingredients in the product it is important to realize that volumes can change.
• An ingredient is only batel if it is uniformly distributed throughout the product. If it remains distinct or can be separated, it is not batel.
• Powdered milk is batel according to its current volume.
• Powders can be batel in other powders.
• We do not say Chanan regarding mixtures of powders.

—————————————————————————————————-
1. Most issurim can create Chanan; however one notable exception is chalav stam.
2. Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 98:9
3. We evaluate each ingredient based on the form in which it presents itself. Chazal did not say that every item will give ta’am until 60 times but rather that we use 60 as a lo plug. However, if the ingredient does indeed give ta’am, it is not batel just like an avida l’ta’ama is not batel.
4. Wine that is reconstituted to its natural form is considered to be wine for all purposes. It will only become batel if it is diluted six parts more.
5. Rama Y.D. 98:4
6. Mishna Berurah 453:25
7. N-25: Rav Belsky explains that we only say Chanan when there is a transfer of ta’am. This does not take place when powders are mixed.

Mailbox

י"ז תמוז אשר במהרה יתהפך לנו ליום שמחה
כבוד הרבנים החשובים שליט"א

תמוה לי קצת הנושא אודות חשש בישול גוים – כי ראיתי הרב בעלסקי שליט"א כותב שכל מתחלה נעשה הבישול רק כדי לעשות ממנו דבר שאינו עולה על שלחן מלכים אז אין כאן חשש בישול עכו"ם [וזה ההיתר שנוקטים האו יו ברייז קריספיס, ששם מבשלים האורז מתחלה בבישול גמור] וא"כ לכאורה לפי זה הכא נמי כיון שלבסוף יה' זה מים, אז מתחלה מעולם לא חל האיסור

בכל הכבוד
אהרן גאלדמינצער

Dear Rabbi Goldmintzer,

The psak from Rav Belsky that you were referring to is explained in Teshuva A-143 regarding miso. The reason to be maikel not to consider miso as bishul akum even though it is made from cooked rice is because it is made into a rice drink which is not olah al shulchan melachim in one continuous process תהליך בלתי-נפסק. Only then can we say that the rice never became issur and we can look at the end result. In Sake production first rice is prepared in a way that it is olah al shulchan melachim and becomes assur. Only later is this rice converted into a drink. Once the rice becomes assur, the issur can not merely be removed by making it no longer olah al shulchan melachim.

A-143
Rice Pudding and Miso

מפעל של נכרים ובו עושים ריי"ס פודינ"ג (rice pudding), ואורז יש בו משום בשול עכו"ם, שהרי עולה הוא על שולחן מלכים אך הריי"ס פודינ"ג הזה אינו עולה על שולחן מלכים, אכן אילו היו מפסיקים את תהליך הבשול באמצע הי' האורז שפיר נשאר עולה על שולחן מלכים, אלא שהנכרי מדליק את האש (או דוחק את הכפתור) ומתחיל תהליך בלתי-נפסק שסופו של המאכל ליהפך לאינו עולה על שולחן מלכים.

ונראה, דבאבני נזר סימן ק' הביא שנחלקו האחרונים במקרה שבישל הנכרי איזה מאכל כמאכל בן דרוסאי ונאסר, ושוב לקחו הישראל וגמר את בשולו, אם לדון בישולי גוים כמאכלות אסורות ולומר בו דטריפה אינה חוזרת להכשרה, או לדון בישולי גוים כאיסור התקרבות (אך לא כמאכלות אסורות), וממילא לא ינהוג בו כלל זה. וקיי"ל לקולא בפרט זה (כמבואר ברמ"א סימן קי"ג ס"ק ט').

והוא הדין הכא, אף שבאמצע תהליך הבשול כבר נאסר האורז הזה, אך לא חל בו הך כללא דמאכל שנאסר אינו חוזר להיתרו, וממילא נראה לומר שכמו שאילו הי' הישראל גומר את הבשול הי' חוזר המאכל האסור הזה להיתרו, כמו כן בנידון זה מאחר שהבשול הזה עומד הוא מתחילתו להופכו להמאכל שאינו עולה על שולחן מלכים, נראה להתיר. כן דעתי נוטה.

צבי שכטר
עש"ק פ' וירא תשס"ג
Rav Belsky commented as follows:
לשון הרשב"א בתורת הבית הארוך בבשלו עכו"ם כמאכל בן דרוסאי ונאסר ואחר כך גמרו ישראל "דחוזר להכשירו" וכן הכא, ויפה כתב ידידי לעיל.

אלא שלדעתי לא צריך לזה כי אין להתחשב במה שנחשב עולה על שולחן מלכים באמצע בתהליך כי בשעת מעשה לא ראוי לאכילה כי קדירה רותחת אינה ראוי' כבגמ' ביצה (דף כו: וכז.) אלא שלא נתקצה כי הויתו בידי אדם עי"ש אבל לחשבו ראוי למלכים על שם אותו רגע כמימריה באמצע התהליך בזמן שהוא רותח לא מסתבר כלל.

י. בעלסקי
כ"ה מרחשון תשס"ג

When this plant was first set up as a kosher facility, it was known that they had a non-kosher plant that produces assorted products on the same campus. Of course, the issue of steam return condensate was brought up. It turned out that condensation from the non-kosher factory was not being returned to the boiler so there was no problem to certify the kosher division.

The condensate issue was brought up from time to time when RC’s would visit this factory and is reviewed during my inspections.

During my recent visit, I inquired about the condensate return from the non-kosher plant. It turned out that since my last visit (and not before), the company decided to return the condensate to the boiler, because: 1) since the steam system was heating the non-kosher plant all year, it would be a waste of energy and money to dump the condensate; 2) steam was heating kettles to cook non-kosher icing.

We rectified the problem by requiring the condensate return be dumped and I locked the necessary valve to prevent its return.

Within the next coming month, the company will cut the steam return directly at the cooking kettles so the steam from the heating system (from the effectively kosher parts of the plant) can be returned accomplishing the original goal for the majority of the plant.

In conclusion, issues like this should be constantly reviewed with the company. In this instance, the mistake was caught early enough that major kashrus issues would not be involved.

A basic phenomenon in chemistry plays a crucial role in industrial kashrus. When two chemicals react with one another, one will be used up before the other. The chemical used up first is called a “limiting reactant” and the chemical which is not used up is an “excess reactant”. Often the excess reactant is recovered, purified, and used again in another production.

Consider a scenario in which the limiting reactant is non-kosher, the excess reactant is kosher, and the heat needed for the reaction is 200 Fahrenheit. The excess reactant, after the reaction, becomes non-kosher. It is recovered and used in a different reaction. Without knowledge of the previous reaction, a mashgiach may believe that the ingredient is as kosher as it was originally.

This scenario is not academic. One example of the reuse of an excess reactant is in the production of a chemical compound called a methyl ester. Methyl esters are used in the production of sucrose polyester, which is used as a fat replacement in some well-known snack products.
In a non-kosher version of this production, methanol, which is a petrochemical, is reacted with tallow. Methanol is the excess reactant and tallow is the limiting reactant. Methanol recovered from the reaction is purified and reused in future methyl ester production:

Another reaction involves lard with acetic acid (also a petrochemical). The acetic acid is the excess reactant. In this case the excess acetic acid is not reused in the same process but returned to the original acetic acid supplier:

This practice prompted the IAR to review the global acetic acid industry to determine whether acetic acid could remain a group one (it turned out this practice was unusual, if not unique, and that the “dirty” acetic acid was being added not to virgin glacial acetic acid but to a side stream product).
A variation on the practice of reusing ingredients involves recycling a solvent for both kosher and non-kosher ingredients. A solvent is a liquid used to separate certain ingredients from a substance while leaving others behind (when we put tea leaves in water, water is a solvent for the flavor, color, caffeine, and other organic compounds). Solvents can be used in industrial food production to “wash” impurities from a product. Isopropanol is used to remove impurities in the production of xanthan gum. Dichloromethane is a solvent in the vitamin encapsulation process. Ethanol, water, and other liquids are also solvents in industrial production.

Solvents are sometimes used through multiple productions. Thus, a Rav Hamachshir for a Pesach production that uses a solvent should not merely determine whether the solvent is, itself, kosher for Pesach. He must also determine whether it has been used in a previous production.

An excess reactant destined for a second production or a reusable solvent may be toxic and objectionable – so foul that even a dog would think twice before eating it. The question of using such a substance that already absorbed חמץ orאיסור is a שאלת חכם.

Finally, it is worth reminding ourselves that tracking rework should be on a mashgiach’s checklist. Manufacturers of margarine, ice cream, dressings and other foods do not throw away product simply because it does not meet their specifications. Rather, imperfect product is often reworked and reprocessed in a subsequent run. Confirming that all raw materials are in fact “raw” will eliminate any complication.

Kindred Spirits of North America, Inc. has announced that HEERING® COFFEE liqueur has been certified by the Orthodox Union. The OU, termed a “coveted seal of approval” by The New York Times, is one of the world’s best-known trademarks. Comparing it to the UL®, Forbes Magazine wrote, “If you want to know your food is kosher, you can look for the Orthodox Union’s OU symbol.” There are more than 400,000 approved OU products located in 80 countries around the world.

HEERING COFFEE liqueur is made from a recipe using only natural ingredients and with no additives or artificial colouring. The base is a smooth blend of Caribbean rum, coffee and cacao. HEERING COFFEE liqueur can be enjoyed after dinner as a digestive but it is also excellent as a base for cocktails and long drinks.

"Cherry Heering has long been OU certified and I have no doubt that Coffee Heering will undoubtedly find its place of distinction within the ever growing worldwide kosher market place,” stated Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher's Vice President of Communications and Marketing in welcoming Coffee Heering to the ever growing list of the finest liqueurs that have attained OU kosher certification.

HEERING® COFFEE liqueur was introduced for the first time on the world market during the UK Bar Show in June 2007.

“The Heering liqueur brands are among some of the most recognizable and credible brands in the world,” stated Adéle Nilsson, CEO, The Xanté Company/Peter F. Heering. The Heering high brand standards are now aligned with the highest standards of kosher certification.”

The Heering brands have more than two centuries of history, beginning with the CHERRY HEERING® liqueur, which has been produced in Denmark since 1818. Since the re-introduction of CHERRY HEERING liqueur, the brand is making its presence undeniably known in the U.S. among discerning consumers and talented mixologists. CHERRY HEERING® liqueur, purveyor to H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and H.M. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is the original “Cherry Brandy.”

The re-introduction of CHERRY HEERING and debut of HEERING COFFEE liqueur in the U.S., brings with them new campaigns which will reinforce the brands’ authenticity and style.

HEERING® COFFEE liqueur OU labeled bottles will be available starting in the Fall of 2009.

For more information on CHERRY HEERING & HEERING COFFEE liqueur, please visit http://www.heering.com.

The Gemara Pesachim (76b) teaches that one may not cook fish and meat together since this combination is considered a sakana. Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 116:2-3) adds that one may not even eat meat after fish or fish after meat unless one eats and drinks in between1. Rama adds that one should not cook open meat and fish in the same oven because of raicha (aroma), though bidieved we say that raicha lav milsa. Magen Avrohom (O.C. 173:1) questions whether this sakana still exists today, however the minhag is still to be machmir.

Taz 116:2 says that fish cooked with meat is forbidden, even if the fish is batel b’shishim. Although issurim are batel b’shishim, since fish and meat is a sakana, we have no right to assume that it follows the same guidelines. “Chamira sakanta m’issura”.

However, Shach (Nikudas Hakesef) disagrees and maintains that fish is batel b’shishim in meat. This is the accepted opinion of most poskim. The Shevus Yaakov adds that since today it is questionable whether there exists any sakana (Magen Avrohom), one need not be machmir when there is shishim.

Therefore, products that contain amounts of fish that are not batel b’shishim must be labeled OU Fish, so that consumers will not unwittingly eat the product together with meat. If the amount of fish in the product is batel b’shishim, we do not require the product to be labeled OU Fish, provided that the fish ingredient is mentioned somewhere on the packaging. In this way, those who wish to be machmir for the opinion of Taz can do so by scanning the ingredient label. If the fish ingredient is not listed on the label or is ambiguous, (Omega-3 oil) then the product should be labeled OU Fish.

However, Rav Belsky said that if the product contains fish gelatin that is batel b’shishim then there is no need to label the product OU Fish even if it does not appear in the ingredients. For example, some flavors use fish gelatin as a carrier and would not be listed. If the amount of gelatin is batel b’shishim, there is no need to label the product OU Fish, even though fish is not listed on the packaging. Since fish gelatin is denatured and then refined, it is unclear whether there is any sakana for it to be eaten with meat. In this case, we need not be machmir provided it is batel b’shishim.

Although there is no chashash that dairy items will be eaten together with meat, still it is proper to label them OU Dairy Fish if the fish is not batel b’shishim to accommodate Sefardim that consider it a sakana to eat dairy and fish together.

It should be noted that though there is a sakana to eat meat and fish together, it is permissible to cook meat in fish kailim or to cook fish in meat kailim3. This is even true of a davar charif. For example an onion cut with a meat knife may be cooked together fish4. However, all of this is provided that the kailim are clean from all residue. It is not sufficient to merely wipe off a knife or spatula that was used for meat to then use it for fish, but rather it must be properly cleaned.

Summary: Because of the potential sakana of eating fish and meat together
• We must label foods OU Fish if they contain levels of fish that are not batel
• If the amount of fish is batel and it is listed on the ingredient panel then it need not be labeled OU Fish.
• Fish gelatin that is batel in a product need not be labeled OU Fish
• It is proper to label dairy items that contain fish OU Dairy Fish
• Although there is no sakana to cook fish with meat kailim, the kailim must be clean.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
1. Shulchan Aruch also requires washing one’s hands between fish and meat, but Rama says that this is not necessary.
2. It is clear from the Poskim that discuss this issue that they are still concerned about sakana even today. However, the opinion of the Magen Avrohom is used as a mitigating factor when there are other reasons to be lenient (See Shevus Yaakov III:70 and Yad Efrayim Y.D. 116).
3. Issur V’heter brought by Taz Y.D. 116:2
4. Sefer Davar Charif 15:3

As millions of students of all ages were enjoying their last days of summer freedom before heading back to school, the Orthodox Union got a jump on the academic year by kicking off its weeklong Advanced Kashrut Seminar for Women, the OU’s first-ever course for women. Twenty-five women participated in the program.

Sessions included: Keeping Your Kosher Kitchen Kosher; Identifying Kosher Birds; Kosher Wine and Grape Juice Production; and OU Kosher Marketing, among many others; while field trips included outings to Dougies Brooklyn, a restaurant, and the enormous catering kitchen at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan.

Among the women who not only willingly, but excitedly signed up to return to “school,” were two doctors – a clinical psychologist from Brooklyn and an MD who recently married a rabbi and returned to her native Australia immediately following the program. In addition, several school teachers; a trained chef; two graduate students in different programs at a prestigious university; several baalot teshuva (returnees to the faith); a food scientist; and even OU Kosher staff member, Ziporah Thee, who took a week’s vacation from work so she could attend this seminar.

The women unanimously agreed that the seminar, encompassing an amazing breadth of information, was a week of informative classes, interesting field trips, and dynamic teachers willing to answer any question, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

Rabbi Yosef Grossman, the OU’s Director of Kosher Education and the coordinator of the seminar, declared, “It was most gratifying to be able to be coordinate the first Advanced Kashrut Seminar for Women on behalf of the OU. Our participants ranged from near and far; from Edmonton, Canada, to Efrat, Israel, to Melbourne, Australia. They represented a broad spectrum of Orthodoxy, from modern orthodoxy to Satmar. We at the OU take great pleasure in the fact that we were able to offer an advanced, in-depth course which met the diverse kosher educational needs of our participants.”

Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of the OU, stated in his greetings to the women on behalf of the OU staff, "At the Orthodox Union, what we do is kashrut for the sake of kashrut, providing the highest standard without the profit motive.” Rabbi Weil noted that the revenues of OU Kosher go to fund a large variety of programs worldwide, such as NCSY, the OU’s international youth organization; the Job Board; Synagogue and Community Services; educational services; the Jewish Life on Campus Initiative (JLIC); and Yachad/Our Way, the National Jewish Council for Disabilities.

Rabbi Menachem Genack, Chief Executive Officer of OU Kosher, stated, "OU Kosher is constantly expanding its horizons in terms of the educational programs it offers to the community. The Advanced Kashrut Program for women satisfied a very real need and attracted a wide variety of participants. I commend Rabbi Grossman and the kashrut staff for their continuing and extraordinary efforts and look forward to the OU's future efforts in the field of kosher education."

Among the sessions was Rabbi Chaim Loike’s class on “Identifying Kosher Birds.” Rabbi Loike, an OU rabbinic coordinator and the organization’s resident “bird expert,” spoke about how to identify kosher and non-kosher birds; controversies in the world of certifying kosher birds; and touched upon his experiences studying the anatomy of different birds in the archives of the Museum of Natural History.

Phyllis Koegel, the OU’s New Business and Development/Marketing Associate, spoke to the women about traveling around the world to promote OU kosher certification companies, a job she called alternatively “glamorous and tough work.” And, despite her job traveling to cities throughout the United States and even to China to meet with industry executives, Ms. Koegel said it was the women at the seminar who were more challenging. “The women participating in the OU kashrut seminar are all extremely well-learned and took this course very seriously,” she commented. “The extent of their knowledge, made evident by their penetrating questions and incisive comments, impressed me a great deal.”

Rabbi Dov Schreier, OU rabbinic coordinator, led the women on several field trips to various sites, including the restaurant Dougies Brooklyn, where he spoke on “Going Out to Eat – What Could Be the Problem?” Among the things covered during the class was a review of a fictitious catering menu riddled with errors for a Shabbat simcha, in which Rabbi Schreier asked the women to identify the mistakes inserted on purpose. Within each meal, the women had no problem calling out potential problems, such as making sure the lettuce was pre-washed; the strawberries were checked for bugs; and catching a fish dish that was to be served at the same time as a meat dish. Rabbi Schreier stated, “Having been involved in almost all the ASK OU seminars in the last decade, I was greatly impressed with the women’s level of knowledge, enthusiasm and with the wide range of society from which they come. These women truly enhanced the quality of our OU Kosher educational programs.”

At the conclusion of the course, the women received certificates of completion for the weeklong seminar, but it was only a small, tangible item symbolizing a lot more: a week of new connections and friendships among women all passionate about kosher food and the laws surrounding it; a week of new discoveries and lessons learned; and a week of Jewish enrichment that is sure to become a regular offering.

Esther Rabinowitz, a clinical psychologist of Brooklyn, NY, said she first became aware of this course from a newspaper ad. “Since I have a scientific background in psychology, I wanted to enhance my knowledge in another science – that of kashrut,” explained Dr. Rabinowitz. “Additionally, my son is very learned and works in the food industry, and we frequently have intricate discussions about certain food issues. When I told him I was considering participating in this course, he thought it was a great idea and urged me to take it. And it really was a terrific experience.”

Tamara Rice, of Washington Heights, NY, was told of the program by her husband, a rabbinical student at Yeshiva University, who this year will coincidentally be studying kashrut with Rav Herschel Schachter, Rosh Kollel at YU and OU Kosher halachic consultant. Rav Schachter delivered a shiur (class) on “Halachos (Jewish laws) of Kashrut,” to the women before moderating an “Ask the Rabbi” session. “Since my husband spent the whole summer preparing for learning this year,” said Mrs. Rice, “I decided to take the opportunity to learn the issues he was studying myself – and even ended up sharing one of his teachers.”

Her friend Rachelle Schoenfeld, of Woodmere on Long Island, is about to begin her last year of graduate studies in an occupational therapy program at New York University; when Ms. Rice asked if she wanted to join her in the seminar, she immediately jumped at the chance. “Even though I’m on vacation from school right now,” said Ms. Schoenfeld, “I was immediately interested in taking this seminar, and I did receive quite an education. When I came home the first day and my mother asked me what I learned, I truly did not know where to start!”

Ms. Schoenfeld wasn’t the only student using the summer months to continue her education. Shayna Weiss, of Washington Heights, NY, is set to begin her second year of a five-year Jewish Studies program in the graduate department of NYU in just a couple of weeks. “Since learning about this program from Drisha Institute for Women, where I used to be a full-time student, I knew I wanted to get the OU’s take on exploring the cultural and social implications that kosher food has with people, something I study in school,” explained Ms. Weiss. Ms. Weiss said she liked learning best the cultural interaction of kosher food and people; how OU Kosher markets itself to a higher standard, which OU sales expert Phyllis Koegel touched upon in her talk; and Rabbi Loike’s experience of visiting the Museum of Natural History to explore the anatomies of many of their different birds to better understand the differences between kosher and non-kosher members of the species.

All the participants are passionate about kosher food, but two of them have helped make it hip to the 21st century. Esti Berkowitz, of Kew Gardens Hills, in Queens, NY, is a “mom blogger and kosher food advocate” who maintains several blogs about parenting and kosher food, especially traveling with children and keeping kosher on the road. Ms. Berkowitz, who is often asked about kosher food while networking with other bloggers and attending national conferences on blogging, said she hopes this course will allow her be even better-prepared to answer the numerous questions she receives. “When I’m educating other people about kashrut, I have to be the best resource I can possibly be,” she explained. “I also hope that this course not only solidifies my kosher food education but helps me connect with other people who are as excited about kosher food as I am.”

And Arlene Mathes-Scharf, of Sharon, MA, who holds a Masters in Food Science from MIT, was the first person to post real-time kashrut alerts on the Internet 13 years ago. Though a standard service now of kashrut agencies, just a little over a decade ago no one was utilizing the emerging technology of the Web to call kosher consumers’ attention to mislabeled products. “When my friend told me about a pepperoni pizza in a local grocery store that had an OU label on it,” she remembered, “I knew it was obviously mislabeled. And though I called the attention of the OU to it, and they published a notice in our local Jewish paper, I realized that people who didn’t subscribe to it or read it would remain unaware.” And so, she began posting mislabeled products online, which soon grew into a full-scale website called Kashrut.com. The site receives up to 40,000 visitors a month, a number that doubles around Passover, when she posts lists of Kosher for Passover food items and links to the sites of kosher organizations that also have extensive lists.

All the women who attended the Advanced Kashrut Seminar traveled to OU headquarters or the sites of the field trips every day, but it was Alizah Hochstead who initially had the longest commute – all the way from Efrat, Israel. “I scheduled some other things to do in America at the same time as this program” explained Mrs. Hochstead, “but the course was the primary reason of why I decided to come.” Mrs. Hochstead, who is on the Religious Council of Efrat and serves as a mashgicha (kosher supervisor) for the restaurants and other kosher establishments in the town, said, “I am always looking to increase my knowledge, especially in areas of kashrut. As I expect that Efrat will keep growing, and more kosher places will be set up, I am especially interested in learning more about the industrialization and catering sides of the kosher industry, two areas that we studied in great detail this week.” Her only complaint about the course? “It was too short,” she noted.

Rochel Bomzer, of Albany, NY, is the rebbetzin of Congregation Beth Abraham Jacob, a synagogue that is over 150 years old. Besides being one-half of the spiritual leadership of the synagogue and of Albany’s Orthodox community, Mrs. Bomzer also serves as a mashgicha (kosher supervisor) for the kosher establishments in Albany, including the kosher kitchen in the University of Albany and a small bagel café that operates in a Price Chopper Supermarket. “Because I have 20 years of experience in supervising the kashrut of different kosher places in Albany, I was interested in strengthening my knowledge about what goes on in a catering facility or restaurant,” said Mrs. Bomzer. “And while the Grand Hyatt tour was particularly fascinating, I ended up learning a tremendous amount about all different aspects of kashrut, particularly from Rav Schachter.”

For Leonie Hardy, a medical doctor and native of Australia, taking this seminar was only one endeavor amid many other life-changing ventures in recent weeks: she got married a month ago and is in the midst of packing all her belongings to move back home to Australia, where she and her husband are to become the rabbi and rebbetzin of a local synagogue. “I spent the last two years in the Graduate Program for Women in advanced Talmudic Studies at Stern College for Women, where I received a very thorough education in the theoretical side of Jewish laws,” described Ms. Hardy. “When I heard about this OU program, I thought it would make a very nice adjunct of practical, hands-on study.” Ms. Hardy explained that her intensive study of kosher laws, made clearer this week by OU experts, will help her teach them herself when she becomes a community leader and informal teacher in Australia.

To see photos of the event please click below!

OUs_Advanced_Kosher_Prog._for_Women_Pictures_.pdf

A recent article raised questions about the standards of Israeli food establishments under OU supervision. The article did not claim that kashrus was compromised. Rabbi Yosef Minsky, the OU representative in Israel, has informed us, and our initial review and consultation with other agencies in Israel indicate, that the standards in place are essentially comparable with other reliable mehadrin agencies and Badatzim in Israel.

Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Senior OU Rabbinic Coordinator, who has extensive knowledge of food service establishments, is being dispatched to Israel this week, and will perform a thorough review of the OU operation. For the past 25 years, Rabbi Luban has been involved with food service establishments in various capacities; as a Rabbi in Edison, NJ, OU Rabbinic Coordinator, and auditor of local Vaadim around the country.

The Mishna in Avoda Zara (35b) tells us that Chazal forbade pas akum. The Gemara (36b) explains that this was done as a geder to avoid intermarriage. However Tosfos1 bring a Yerushalmi that says that a later Bes Din removed this issur. The exact extent of this retraction is a disagreement between the Mechaber and the Rama. While all agree that bread baked by an akum for personal use is still forbidden, there are differing opinions as to how careful one must be to avoid eating pas palter, bread baked by an akum for the purpose of selling.

The Rama (Toras Chatas 75:1) says that the general custom is to permit pas palter even if pas Yisroel is readily available, except during Asseres Yimay Teshuva when one should try to be as strict as possible2. In Darchei Moshe (O.C. 242) the Rama extends this to Shabbos and Yom Tov as well. The minhag of Ashkenazim is to follow the opinion of Rama.

However, the Mechaber (Y.D. 112:2) says that one may only be lenient to purchase pas palter if pas Yisroel is unavailable or of inferior quality. The minhag of Sefardim is to follow the opinion of the Mechaber.

How does one create pas Yisrael? If a Jew has some involvement in the baking of the bread then this bread can be considered pas Yisroel. Therefore it is considered pas Yisroel:
• If a Jew places the bread into the oven (אפיה)
• If a Jew turns on the oven (שגירת התנור)
• If a Jew raises the temperature of the oven causing more gas to flow3, even if he subsequently lowers it. (השלחת קיסם)

Rav Belsky has said that if a Jew turned on the fire or raised the temperature, even if the oven is subsequently turned off and turned back on by a non-Jew, the bread baked in the oven can still be considered pas Yisroel, so long as the oven did not cool down to below 176 F (80 C). This is the approximate lowest temperature at which foods will still cook. Since the dough will eventually cook in this oven even without the akum turning back on the fire, it is considered pas Yisroel. The OU does not accept the use of a light bulb or glow plug in maintaining pas Yisroel, since this will not cause the oven to maintain 176 F. If a heating rod can be installed that will permanently heat the entire oven to 176 F then this is acceptable.

When installing a heating rod in a tunnel oven, how much of the oven must be continuously heated to 176 F? Recently a bakery was interested in producing pas Yisroel in a tunnel oven. Rabbi Belsky ruled that only the section of the oven in which krimas hapas takes place must always be heated to 176 F. Krimas hapas is the point when the dough no longer remains stringy but begins to harden like bread. Although this particular oven was 60 feet long, only the few feet of oven in which krimas hapas took place needed to have a heating rod installed.

The pas palter leniency only applies to breads or pas haba b’kisnin (cakes, cookies, etc…). Pastries that are cooked or fried, even though they are Mezonos, may be subject to the halachos of bishul akum. Therefore, one must make sure that there is no issue of bishul akum before certifying blintzes and cannolis.

Although the Taz (Y.D. 112:7) says that the leniency of pas palter does not apply to Jewish owned bakeries in which an akum bakes the breads without involvement of a Jew, Igeros Moshe (Y.D. I:45) explains that this is only applicable to small bakeries in which the bread could have been baked by the Jew without the need for hiring employees. In an industrial bakery that has many employees this rule does not apply.

Summary of halachos:
• There is a machlokes Mechaber and Rama as to whether one may eat pas palter when pas Yisroel is available.
• It is proper to only eat pas Yisroel on Shabbos Yom Tov and Asseres Yimay Teshuva
• It is pas Yisroel if the Jew puts the dough in the oven
• If the Jew turns on or adds fuel to the fire, bread baked in the oven will be considered pas Yisroel so long as the temperature doesn’t drop below 176 F
• Light bulbs and glow plugs do not maintain an oven temperature of 176 F, so they cannot be used to create pas Yisroel
• Only the section of a tunnel oven where krimas hapas takes place needs to maintain 176 F
• Fried or cooked dough is not considered pas and is therefore subject to the laws of bishul akum
• A Jewish owned bakery is eligible for the leniency of pas palter provided it requires many workers to operate.




____________________________________________
1. Tosafos A.Z. 35b s.v. Michlal
2. Many cereals may be eaten during Asseres Yimay Teshuva because they lack tzuras hapas (for example shredded wheat and flakes). Rav Belsky and Rav Schachter also maintain that Cheerios is not considered pas, because of its small size and the way it is dried.
3. Although one may argue that turning up the thermostat and allowing more gas to flow is simply a gramma and should not be considered a full involvement of a Yisroel, still Rav Belsky explained that since this is the ordinary way in which people bake, for the purpose of pas Yisroel it is adequate.

Considering the long days that Mashgichim put in and the hundreds of miles that they drive daily, it is no surprise to hear that most mashgichim rely on coffee to keep them going. While caffeine is a plus for those who work in an office, for those out on the roads those 10 minute coffee stops are quite literally life savers. Let us take a moment to understand if there are any kashrus concerns with picking up a coffee while traveling on the road. This question was presented to the OU poskim Rav Schachter and Rav Belsky.

The primary ingredients in plain black coffee (water, sugar and unflavored coffee) are all group 1, acceptable from any source.

The Pri Chadash Y.D. 114:6 says that although coffee cannot be eaten raw and is served at the tables of kings, there is no issue of bishul akum. He explains that since coffee is essentially a water-based drink, since water can be drunk uncooked, coffee too is permitted.

The Gemara (Avoda Zara 31b) says that one may not drink beer in a non-Jewish establishment, since this can lead to intermarriage. One must take the beer back to their house before drinking. The Rambam says that cider may be drunk at a non-Jewish establishment since it is not as common a drink as beer. What about coffee? Rabbi Belsky said that although one may not drink coffee socially at a non-Jew’s home (see Chachmas Adam) there is no issue of drinking coffee in a store. Rabbi Schachter said that it is preferable that one wait to drink the coffee until one goes back to their car. He understood that the leniency of the Rambam was specifically on cider because it is not a common drink, but coffee today is as common as beer.

Rav Belsky said, in general there is no concern that the utensils that cooked the coffee were used with non-kosher. The coffee pot is usually rinsed out and reused, and is not sent through the dishwasher. Rabbi Schachter added that there would be reasons to be lenient even if the coffee pot was sent through the dishwasher.

Rabbi Schachter said that there is no issue of marris ayin for one to purchase coffee at a McDonalds rest stop. Rav Belsky agreed that this was permitted, but indicated that in such a case one should not sit down at the restaurant tables, which would give the appearance that one was intending to eat a meal, but rather should sit at one of the public rest stop seats. As we mentioned earlier, Rav Schachter recommended waiting to drink the coffee until one returned to their car.

Rav Belsky and Rav Schachter paskened that it is permissible to purchase coffee at a rest stop or convenience store. Rav Schachter added that even if one ordinarily would be machmir about these issues, they should not do so if they feel they are getting tired. Driving when tired, in violation of ונשמרתם מאד לנפשתיכםis much worse then drinking a cup of coffee which is מותר על פי דין.

לפעמים משגיח נוסע ברכב שלו לשם השגחה וירא פן תחטפנו שינה בדרך ויסתכן, ובכדי להתעורר, רוצה הוא לשתות קאווע, אלא שאין אתו ברכב, ורוצה ליכנס לחנות בלתי-כשרה (מיק דאנעלד"ס, וכדומה) שעל הדרך, ולקנות קאווע משם.
(א) על פי פשוטו נראה שאין כאן בעיא של מראית עין (והייתם נקיים וגו') כי בידינו כבר ידוע הוא שהרבה בני אדם נכנסים לחניות שכאלו שלא על מנת לאכול ממאכליהם האסורים, אלא על מנת להשתמש בשרותים שמה, או על מנת לקנות קוקה-קולה וכדומה.
(ב) בנדון כשרות הקאווע, אף על פי שלפעמים יוצא הקאווע הכשר מאותו הסילון שיוצא הקאוו"ע הבלתי-כשר, ויש בקאוו"ע הכשר תערובת של משהו איסור, על פי פשוטו היה נראה לומר שאותו המשהו מתבטל בסמ"ך, ואין בזה משום ביטול איסור לכתחילה, שהרי אין כונתו לבטל, ואף דבדרך כלל היינו מייעצים שלא לקנות קאוו"ע היוצא מן הכלי שכזה, בשעת הצורך שכזה שיש קצת חשש סכנה, נראה שאין להחמיר.
(ג) ואף שיש מקום לערער על כשרות הקאוו"ע - שלפעמים יקרה שישטפו את הכלי שבו מתבשל הקאוו"ע ביחד עם כלים שיש עליהם פירורי מאכלות אסורות, ועל ידי כן תכנס הבליעה אל כלי ההיתר (של הקאוו"ע), על פי רוב תמיד מכניסים דיטרג'נט אל תוך מכונת שטיפת הכלים באופן שכזה שתחילת בליעת האיסור אל כלי-בישול הקאוו"ע יהיה בבחינת נותן טעם לפגם, ומותר.
(ד) אלא דבגמרא עבודה זרה (לא:) איתא שאסרו לשתות שכר של עכו"ם במקום מכירתו, ולדעת כמה פוסקים אף כל המשקאות הקלות גם כן בכלל הך גזרה (עיין יורה דעה ריש סימן קי"ד), על כן יש ליעצו לרב המשגיח שלא ישתנה הקאוו"ע שמה - בחנות, אלא להוציאו לחוץ ולשתותו ברכב שלו, דבגמרא (שמה) הובאו ב' הנהגות של האמוראים - אם מספיק לשתותו אבבא דחנותא, או דמן הנכון להחמיר שלא לשתותו אלא בביתו, וכאן - בנידון דידן, לשתותו ברכב שלו הוא החומרא הכי גדולה שאפשר להצריך.
(ה) ועל פי פשוטו אינו נכון למשגיח להחמיר בזה ולנהוג במדת חסידות, ולהתרחק מן הכיעור ומן הדומה לכיעור, שהרי התורה צותה ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם, וחמירא סכנתא מאיסורא, וחסידות בכהאי גוונא בודאי תחשב כחסידות של שטות.
צבי שכטר

ביסוד אני מסכים מן ה"יוצא לפועל" אבל מש"כ בסעי' ד' שכמה פוסקים אסרו משקאות קלות, נעלמה ממני דעה זו ולא שמעתיה מעולם. גם מש"כ ששוטפים כלי הקאווע יחד עם כלי האוכל כמדומה לי ששוטפים בנפרד ביד ולא במכונה ועוד מלבד זה ברוב מקומות מנוח (rest stops) שראיתי, מקום השולחנות אינם קשורים למסעדות אלא לה rest stopsעצמו ואין בהם מראת עין או גזירת חנויות שלהם כי הוקבעו למנוח הצבור ומנותקים מהחנות
ישראל הלוי בעלסקי

Today’s consumers are increasingly demanding food that, in addition to tasting good, is also healthy and affordable. This poses a tremendous challenge to the food industry – a challenge that becomes still more sophisticated when kosher requirements are introduced into the equation.

Not only is Symrise one of the most important partners for food producers who can meet these challenges, the company is also the fourth largest producer of fragrances and flavorings in the world (sales). With sales of 1.32 billion Euros in 2008, Symrise continues to pursue its on-going growth strategy. Clients of the company’s Flavor & Nutrition division include, among others, renowned producers of sweets, dairy products, beverages and convenience foods. The Symrise Scent & Care division produces raw materials and active ingredients for the fragrances and cosmetics industry.

The company is headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, a city that expresses its connection to Symrise through its nickname: “City of Fragrances and Flavorings.” Symrise currently has a presence in over 35 countries worldwide and employs more than 5,000 people. The company was established in 2003 through the merger of Dragoco Gerberding & Co. AG and Haarmann & Reimer GmbH, and became a publicly traded company in December 2006.

Producing kosher products has long had an important role to play at Symrise, where OU Kosher Rabbis Nosson Neuberger and Avrohom Schwartz provide the company with consulting services. Roughly 2,300 certified kosher products were made in Holzminden last year, 300 of which were produced with onsite supervision of an OU rabbinic field representative. These products, the lion’s share of which were made by the Flavor & Nutrition division, are primarily sold in the U.S. and Israel.

“OU certification means more to us and to our clients than simply an indication that our products are acceptable to a particular religious group,” says Norbert Kahmann, one of those who oversees kosher production at Symrise. “Certification serves as an important quality indicator for premium products.” According to Kahmann, many vegans and people who are lactose intolerant often turn to kosher products. The Kosher Coordinator is part of the Kosher Team with members from the departments Regulatory Affairs, Supply Chain and Sales that organizes kosher production. The Kosher Team also is in charge for a regular training for all employees in the supply chain. “Kosher production is part of our day-to-day business,” says Kahmann, “and is a highly integral part of all of our production processes.”

New Symrise products are generally submitted to the OU for certification, which reviews raw materials, their sources, and individual production steps. Norbert Kahmann recently worked with the Symrise Kosher Team to produce a production calendar as a way to make kosher production more efficient. Buyers can then use this calendar to see exactly when production will take place. The reason for this is that kosher production is set for certain times of the year, as it requires extensive cleaning and preparation. “We make the kosher calendar available to our clients so that they will know exactly when they can count on specific materials,” Kahmann explains. The significance of kosher products will be growing as time goes on, which is why Symrise is currently planning to have critical production sites in Madagascar and Brazil certified.

Rabbi Nosson Neuberger serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Symrise.

Captions:
1. Rabbis Neuberger and Schwarz inspect a production facility at the Symrise plant in Holzminden, Germany.
2. A compounding machine for the Flavor & Liquid division that has been fine-tuned for kosher production.

Lucid Absinthe, the first genuine absinthe to be legal for import and sale in the United States in over 95 years, has acquired kosher certification from the Orthodox Union. After receiving enormous interest in Lucid from consumers who keep kosher, and committed to serving that segment of the market, Viridian Spirits, owners of Lucid, contacted the OU to determine whether Lucid would qualify for the certification. The company was delighted to learn that all of its existing processes and ingredients already were sufficient to achieve Orthodox Union’s hallowed seal.

Lucid Absinthe Supérieure was launched in May 2007. The launch was the result of extensive negotiations between Viridian and the U.S. government paving the way for the ban on absinthe effectively to come to an end. Viridian retained renowned absinthe historian and distiller T.A. Breaux to develop Lucid in France. Breaux had spent over a decade studying and perfecting his techniques after sampling and analyzing several unopened bottles of vintage absinthe.

Consumers in the New York region were the first to sample the ultra-premium product, crafted exactly the same way absinthe was made 100 years ago. Due to the strong demand over the several months since the launch, Lucid is now distributed throughout the country in 28 states and more markets are expected to be added throughout the year.
“We initially felt that there would be a demand for absinthe in the U.S. after we witnessed its reemergence on the European scene and in American pop culture,” said Jared Gurfein, President of Viridian Spirits LLC. “Our expectations have truly been exceeded and we are looking forward to taking this brand to new levels.”

Lucid is an authentic absinthe in the tradition of absinthe from the Belle Époque period. Unlike many contemporary imitations currently available in the U.S. and abroad, Lucid, naturally green in color, is distilled entirely from spirits and whole European herbs and uses no artificial additives, oils or dyes. Lucid begins with a full measure of Grande Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium), Green Anise, Sweet Fennel, and other culinary herbs representative of European traditions and historical absinthe crafting.
Lucid is distilled at the historical Combier Distillery in Saumur, France, in the heart of the Loire Valley. T.A. Breaux chose to use the distillery’s original antique copper absinthe stills and apparatus, much of which was designed by Gustav Eiffel in the nineteenth century.

As a testament to the brand’s early success, Lucid was recently named as one of The Top 12 Picks for 2008 by Beverage Industry News Magazine. Voted on annually by a panel of key retailers, distributors and beverage professionals, B.I.N. award recipients are selected as influential spirit brands to watch for in the coming year.

The OU rabbinic staff responsible for the certification of Lucid agree with the raves. Rabbi Yony Kantor, OU Senior Wine and Liquor Supervisor, who visited the distillery was “impressed with the meticulousness with which this premium product is crafted.” Rabbi Yisrael Hollander, OU Director of European Supervision, said, “This product has been manufactured the same way for over 150 years – same recipe, same process, same taste.” And Senior Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz “welcomes this fine product into the growing ranks of OU certified spirits.”

The suggested retail price for Lucid is $59.99 for a 750 ML bottle. Lucid is currently available in high-end retail shops and finer establishments in Arizona, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Viridian also sells classic absinthe accessories such as fountains, glasses and absinthe spoons. For more information, please visit http://www.drinklucid.com.

Rabbi Jacob Mendelson serves Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Viridian Spirits.

Koval is a Yiddish word for ‘blacksmith’ or ‘to forge,” but the term has also been used to refer to someone who does something out of the ordinary, or a “black sheep in the family.” It is thus fitting that Sonat Birnecker Hart and Robert Birnecker chose to name their company Koval, since it is not every day that one hears of a Professor of Jewish Studies and a Foreign Deputy Press Secretary leaving their careers to make spirits. Indeed they named the company after Sonat’s great-grandfather, a renegade in his own right, who left Vienna at the turn of the century for Chicago at the age of 17, in search of a new way of life, much to the dismay of his parents and gratitude of later generations, earning him the soubriquet, Koval.

Sonat and Robert thought about making spirits for a while before relocating from Washington, D.C. to found Chicago’s first boutique distillery. Robert’s grandfather, whose name Schmid coincidentally also means “blacksmith,” has made spirits in Europe for over 40 years. Robert felt that Americans are becoming more interested in low volume hand crafted spirits, similar to the regional spirits of Europe. Koval gains its inspiration from these European distilleries and thus plans to offer a variety of seasonal as well as annual products that make use of local flavors and produce.

In fact, Koval is now one of a growing number of artisan distilleries offering consumers an array of spirits made in small batches for more regional markets. These products are a welcome alternative to big name brands from abroad with little regional flair. Indeed, during this period of economic turmoil, many are turning away from such brands in order to support their local economy and revive what was once a flourishing American spirits industry largely lost due to prohibition. It is only recently that the American distillers have been able to follow the lead of the craft brewers in making a variety of creative new products that manage to capture national attention.

Koval is already making a name for itself as a unique spirits house, not least because it avoids the common practice of outsourcing the production of neutral grain spirits that are then only flavored in house. Koval makes everything from scratch, which includes the mashing of the grain and fruit to peeling sixty pounds of ginger by hand for each batch of organic ginger liqueur. They even label each bottle by hand including the number of each batch.

Koval is also trying to start a small revolution in the spirits world. Although they are producing organic rye vodka, they discovered that distilled grains have a smooth flavor and heady aroma that is completely stripped away when made into vodka. According to American law, vodka must be odorless and tasteless. Koval’s founders felt that it was a shame to remove the natural flavors of organic wheat and rye and so they created “Rye Chicago” and “Midwest Wheat,” both spirits that let the taste and aroma compounds of the grains shine through. In addition, Koval is producing a Ginger liqueur and is the only distillery in the United States to offer a Rose Hip liqueur. As soon as springtime arrives, Koval will be adding a variety of liqueurs and fruit brandies to its portfolio.

One of the reasons why Koval’s founders left their traditional careers is because they wanted to get back to basics, to manufacture something of high quality, to participate in the kind of practices that made this country strong. They believe that by maintaining both organic and kosher certifications they are ensuring that their products are held to the highest standards. They use organic raw ingredients not only because they consider them more flavorful than conventional produce but also because it is a way to support sustainable agriculture. Koval sees its OU kosher certification as a key element of the company’s identity as well, one that not only serves as a measure of quality but also as a means of maintaining a sense of community with other Jews. Koval wants to be able to supply superior taste to all L’Chaims.

Koval is located in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood and offers a variety of events and tastings throughout the year. To see what is happening now, check out the website: http://www.koval-distillery.com.

Rabbi Jacob Mendelson serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Koval.

A basic element missing from the kosher food industry for generations was affordable cattle-derived kosher gelatine. Geliko, a world leader in kosher gelatine production, has recently announced the arrival of Geliko Kosher Gelatine and Gelatine Hydrolysate.

Long hailed as a rich source of protein, gelatine hydrolysate has not always been available to manufacturers of kosher food and kosher pharmaceuticals. Combining the resources of a global manufacturer with the technical expertise of the Orthodox Union, Geliko has optimized and streamlined the complicated process of kosher gelatine production. Today, Geliko manages the world’s largest and most reliable continuous systems for kosher gelatine production, and can support the production needs of any kosher food production facility.

Mr. Zach Rubin, President of Geliko, explains, “To make kosher gelatine available to the entire kosher industry, we needed to have the kosher certification with maximum acceptance. The OU was the natural choice. Not only are they accepted and respected universally, their rabbis have a deep understanding of complex technical issues. Their expertise was indispensible in making this project a success. With this project, the OU has helped numerous companies that could not manufacture certain kosher products because kosher gelatine was not available.”

Gelatine and gelatine hydrolysate are both valuable substances, and both play vital roles in manufacture. However, there are distinct differences between them.

Collagen (the protein substance from the hides of kosher-slaughtered cattle), is converted to a liquid form through enzymatic hydrolysis. Carefully-controlled partial hydrolysis yields gelatine, while complete enzymatic hydrolysis produces gelatine hydrolysate. Gelatine and gelatine hydrolysate can be used to enhance texture, thickness, and gel strength, (Gelatine is defined by its bloom, or gel strength.)

“Gelatine,” says Mr. Rubin, “has a neutral taste and no odor, so it can be used in food applications without altering taste or smell.” Gelatine forms a gel at room temperature and requires hot water to dissolve. Therefore, it can function in numerous ways: as a gel former and texturizer in fruit gums and gelatine desserts; a stabilizer in dairy products such as yogurts or puddings; and an emulsifier in soups, sauces and low-fat food. If a particular product needs its ingredients brought together with an optimal consistency or strength, gelatine is the perfect adhesive for the job. Furthermore, it can act as a whipping agent and foam former in marshmallows, ice cream, cake fillings and mousse desserts. It is also a great source of protein.

Gelatine hydrolysate, on the other hand, is defined by its viscosity. It forms a solution at room temperature, and most types dissolve at room temperature in cold water.

Gelatine hydrolysate is also an ideal source of protein. It can be used as a thickening and binding agent, so it is able to replace sugar as an adhesive in some products, further improving their healthfulness. Gelatine hydrolysate, too, is neutral in taste, so it does not affect flavor adversely. It is used to improve a wide array of products, including protein bars, cereal bars, protein drinks, smoothies, and joint health and nutraceuticial products.

The benefits that Geliko Kosher Gelatine and Gelatine Hydrolysate can provide are endless. Whether you are looking to improve the physical characteristics of your products or increase their nutritional value, Geliko Kosher Gelatine and Gelatine Hydrolysate are ideal ingredients.

For further information contact Zach Rubin at .

Rabbi Seth Mandel serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Geliko.

It’s not often that a company is founded by someone who is a renowned kashrut expert. Yet, that was exactly the case with Glatech Productions. The company, founded by the legendary Rabbi Shimon Eider, a trailblazer in kashrut, manufactures a truly unique gelatin marketed as Kolatin®.
Unique gelatin? Aren’t all gelatins basically the same? What is in fact so special about Kolatin®?

Moshe Eider, Glatech’s Director of Operations, explains, “Real gelatin is an animal derivative, a product of bovine hides. For the kosher consumer, concerned with all the issues that this entails, it presented obvious problems.” Over the years, manufacturers resorted to substitutes, such as fish-bone gelatin, or seaweed based products like agar agar or carageenenan. Other companies used bovine gelatin, but it was obtained from non-kosher hides or bones; no major kosher certifying agency in the United States, Canada, or most of the world would approve it.

Moshe adds, “My father, who was really out there on the front lines, saw the niche for real gelatin that was 100 percent kosher, pareve and Kosher for Passover. And so he diligently began the research process. After five years of research and development, with much determination and perseverance, Kolatin® was successfully developed.”
What is the advantage of real bovine gelatin versus the alternatives?

“For the consumer, it’s the quality. Nothing else matches the mouth feel and texture of true gelatin in gel desserts, custard, or whipped creams. In fact, gelatin is an ideal substitute for butter, particularly when you want to reduce fat content. From silky to chewy, real gelatin’s ability to mimic the texture of natural fatty substances is incomparable. One taste of our Elyon® Gelatin Dessert, and you’ll know the difference.”

Moshe gets warmed up on the topic, and his enthusiasm about Kolatin® is apparent. “For manufacturers, Kolatin’s versatility is a dream. It serves as an ideal emulsifier, thickening agent, binder, and even clarifying agent. It’s used in frozen desserts, confections, chocolates, pharmaceuticals, wines, consommés, jellies, meat products, cheese cakes, syrups, and lots more.

Based on our customer’s requirements, Kolatin® is manufactured to the specifications of each customer’s needs, in areas such as bloom strengths, viscosity and mesh size. We also have a wide variety of gelatins readily available for immediate delivery. Manufacturers who switch to Kolatin® don’t have to retool – its integration into existing systems is virtually seamless.”

Because Glatech Productions has such hands-on experience in production techniques, they designed the company to incorporate modern hi-tech standards as well as extraordinary quality control. Only domestic animals are used, and each run is subject to an extensive series of quality tests, including microbiological analyses. In fact, depending on the end use, products containing Kolatin® may be marketed as USDA Organic Certified.

Additionally, Kolatin® is produced in as ISO-9001 certified facility. From a health conscious perspective, Kolatin® is hard to beat. It’s a low-calorie, fat-free, sugar-free and cholesterol-free ingredient. Moreover, Kolatin® is actually a good source
of protein and amino acids.

For the kosher consumer, Kolatin® is nothing short of a breakthrough. “Manufacturing an animal-based gelatin that would also be strictly kosher as well as pareve, presented a number of formidable challenges,” says Moshe Eider. “Kolatin® is a product that meets the strictest standards of kashrut – it’s the only one in the world produced exclusively from Glatt kosher hides – and satisfies the most discerning palettes.”

The Glatech team is always exploring new concepts, both in products and in service. Currently on the horizon is an idea that consumers will surely appreciate: Recipes from Susie Fishbein, world renowned author of the best-selling Kosher by Design cookbook series, will appear on the back of Elyon gelatin dessert retail boxes and be available at http://www.KosherGelatin.com.

For Glatech, having the Orthodox Union certification was non-negotiable. “From a marketing perspective we wanted the agency that is most universally recognized,” says Moshe Eider. “But even more so, we wanted consumers to know that our kashrut is as
genuine as our gelatin!”

For more information about Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin, please call 732.364.8700 or visit http://www.KosherGelatin.com.

Rabbi Chananel Herbsman serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Glatech Productions LLC.

It was 1981, that our founder, Cheryl Krueger, with the help of her college roommate, Caryl Walker, started Cheryl&Co. It was her desire from the beginning to create the best gourmet food and gift company. We are pleased to say that what began as a single cookie store in Columbus, Ohio, has evolved into a multi-million dollar business. But, as successful as we’ve become, it is still our goal to focus on offering delicious, high-quality baked goods, unique gift ideas and outstanding customer service.
Armed with just $40,000, a business degree and seven years of retail industry experience, Cheryl opened the very first Cheryl’s Cookie store at a time when banks were nervous about lending to women-owned businesses.

Today, Cheryl&Co. is a multi-faceted business comprised of retail stores in Ohio, a growing Internet business and a busy Business Gift Division, all headquartered in the Columbus suburb of Westerville. The company is comprised of five divisions: Retail, Catalog, Foodservice, Business Gift Services and Internet, which can be found at CherylandCo.com. A 2005 merger enabled Cheryl& Co. to become a part of the 1-800-FLOWERS Family of Brands, while maintaining our company’s mission to be the best gourmet food and gift company, ever.

Our products have been featured on Rachael Ray, Ellen DeGeneres, CNN, Dr. Phil, the Today Show, QVC and the Food Network, along with multiple radio and print features across the country.

Our most famous product is our soft buttercream frosted cookies. We dominate in this category. Lots of companies produce hard iced cookies but, there is nothing like the soft buttercream frosting. Customers go out of their way to let us know how much they love this product. Today we make over 20 different varieties of these mouth-watering favorites from Buttercream Frosted Cinnamon Pumpkin (a pumpkin and spice cookie topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting) to Old Fashioned Holiday Cut-out Cookies topped with buttercream frosting and candy sprinkles. We have also perfected the sugar free buttercream frosted cut-out cookie this year. You have to try them to believe they are sugar free.

We are also excited to report that following a year of preparation and hard work, Cheryl & Co. converted to a kosher operation. All products baked at the Cheryl&Co. facility in Westerville are certified OU Dairy under the supervision of the Orthodox Union. Our products are dairy, kosher for year-round use, excluding Passover. We are in the process of updating all films related to our baked products to reflect the kosher symbol.

The production facility went through a purification process known as “kosherization.” A lot of cleaning, sterilization and using high temperatures to sanitize were used to obtain the designation “kosher.” We are proud to be an OU Kosher certified company, which is regarded as being in the top tier of strictness and quality.

“I started receiving calls from potential customers years ago when I first became Director of QA. These calls were to inquire if we were kosher,” says Sara Reed, Quality Assurance Director. “As the years passed; the inquiries increased and it even crossed over into our business gift area. I did my research and found out what kosher was all about. It backed up my theory. It was an additional way and opportunity for a quality check. In 2007, I was given permission to do due diligence to become kosher. It took us almost a year to meet all the requirements, but we became kosher in February 2008. OU is the most recognized kosher certification. It has increased our customer base. We are proud to say we are kosher and now advertise that fact in our catalogs, and our website.”

“From the moment ingredients come in our back door; there are quality checks,” Sara explains. “Not only do we have checks in our mixing process but also in our formation processes. Baking and cooling are the next part of the process. Each individual rack, tray and cookie is inspected for quality and weight before being individually packaged.”

Not surprisingly, Cheryl&Co. has received a SUPERIOR rating from the American Institute of Baking for 2008. This is a goal we have achieved for the past seven years. A lot of extra effort, long hours and hard work from our entire team made this happen. Every year the requirements get a little tougher and the Cheryl & Co. Quality Assurance Team makes sure the strict guidelines are being followed and enforced throughout the company. Not any easy task, but it does keep us on our toes making sure we are following FDA guidelines, food safety rules, good manufacturing practices, and most of all, live out our mission statement: To be the best gourmet food company, ever.

Thanks to loyal customers nationwide, Cheryl&Co. has the opportunity to give back. We have remained committed to supporting local food banks and educational organizations with our time and our hearts. We have also established partnerships with The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, The Make – A – Wish Foundation, Kolman Race for the Cure and The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation to name a few. We are honored to be a part of these outstanding organizations and have donated over one million dollars in support of their work. In addition, we have a range of philanthropic programs to serve a variety of needs.

All of us at Cheryl&Co. are very proud of our products and services. For over 28 years we have worked hard to provide the BEST and most innovative gifts and desserts to our customers. We will continue to strive for excellence with our ultimate goal being to be the best gourmet food and gift company, ever.
Cheryl&Co.’s website is http://www.CherylandCo.com.

Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Cheryl&Co.

At Premier Bakers Inc., we are passionate about English muffins, and not just your ordinary plain English muffin. At Premier Bakers we make fifteen different types of English muffins (and growing). It all began in February of 2005 when Premier Bakers was acquired by Fresh Start Bakeries, a California company and a global supplier of top quality
baked products.

Quietly tucked away in the sand covered deserts of southern Arizona, Premier Bakers is surrounded by thousands of acres of cotton fields. The bakery is actually located about halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, right near the junction of Interstate 10 and Interstate 8.

We are passionate about what we do so that we can be the best producer of English muffins. Our customers expect quality and we work very hard to exceed their expectations. Premier Bakers also produces crumpets and bagel/snack bars, all of which proudly carry the OU symbol.

We wanted our products to be readily available to all markets, and sought after the most respected kosher certification. Orthodox Union certification enables our products to be in a larger market, customers we couldn’t serve without this certification.

The kosher segment of today’s market place represents a loyal and strong customer; our OU certification shows customers that the goods we produce are safe and reputable. Consumers are looking more and more for items in the market they can trust. The OU symbol that is displayed on our products gives concerned shoppers that assurance.

“Today’s consumer is more health conscious and moving quickly towards healthier options,” says General Manager and V.P., Eric Robinson. “It was an easy decision to go OU since it is the most recognized kosher certification globally and well-known by our customers.”

Additionally, eliminating dairy products from the entire production line allows even better market penetration. All of the English muffins produced at Premier Bakers are OU-pareve, which makes the bread product even more versatile to the consumer.

Our 35,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility uses state of the art equipment to consistently create quality products. Once each month Rabbi Aharon Shapiro and plant manager Blair Gibbs walk out among the smiling faces of employees, inspecting and observing production. All formulas, ingredients and packaging are checked against a schedule to ensure only approved ingredients are used. “It’s a matter of mutual trust and respect,” says Blair. “Our customers trust and respect the OU symbol we display on our baked goods, and likewise our rabbinical field representative trusts and respects the job we perform under the Union Symbol.”

Much of Premier’s success can be attributed to a proud, stable and loyal work force led by Eric Robinson, vice president /general manager, and Blair Gibbs, plant manager, who combined have over 75 years in the baking industry. Albert Flores, production superintendent; Manuel Lujan, plant sanitarian; Jeff Rees, distribution manager; and William Facio, chief engineer are all totally committed to produce and distribute the best English muffin. They genuinely reflect our commitment to produce the finest baked goods for our customers throughout the world.

And like we said we produce it all, “Under the Union Symbol.”

Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Premier Bakers Inc.

From the humble beginnings of a lone storefront in Manhattan to the present day of three rapidly growing, bustling plants, David’s Cookies has been a trend-setting icon in the gourmet food industry since its opening in 1979.

In the late 1970’s, when boutique cookie shops were popping up along the West Coast, Chef David Liederman decided it was time to bring this fad to the East Coast. The smell of freshly baked cookies permeated the New York City air, drawing in hundreds of customers daily. Over the course of the next few years, more than 200 David’s Cookies stores sprouted up internationally.

The 1980’s brought about an economic recession that left David’s Cookies and many other companies struggling. The company was bought by a New Jersey-based gourmet food company: Fairfield Gourmet Corporation. They helped introduce David’s to the wholesale and co-branding world. The cookies once again gained popularity and by the 1990’s, David’s was rejuvenated into a thriving industry!

Throughout the years, David’s has transformed from a mom and pop store front that specialized in simple, tasty cookies, to a company with three plants that produce cookie dough, brownies, cakes, tarts, muffin batter, ruggalach, scones, crumb cakes, and more. David’s has developed a niche for pan-baked and IQF frozen ready-to-bake desserts. This greatly assists the chefs in high volume feeders like hotels, caterers, convention centers and cafes because they are able to save on labor, yet still produce fresh baked products daily.

David’s is currently in the process of introducing a new line of products to their wholesale customers: Fresh Baked Muffins. These muffins have a sour cream base rather than the more typical water base that is found in most store-bought muffins. In addition to this line, David’s has created Decadent Cookie Dough. Each cookie is roughly 5 inches in diameter and made with huge chunks of Hershey’s brand candy.

With such a variety of products and ingredients within these products, keeping strict kosher facilities would be near impossible without the help from the Orthodox Union. Since the OU provides a directory of certified companies, it makes purchasing kosher ingredients much easier. Without this, David’s would have to research every ingredient purchased to not only make sure that the specific ingredient is kosher, but that it hasn’t been processed on non-kosher machines or surfaces. In addition, the OU has greatly enhanced David’s quality procedures by implementing logbooks and record keeping on all raw materials to be checked by the rabbi which are also used for David’s Quality Control records. This also assists in the uniformity of the product as only certain manufacturers with detailed specs are approved.

David’s Cookies would not be where it is today, as one of the largest quality dessert producers in the Northeast of both kosher dairy and pareve products, without the assistance of the OU. The OU symbol does not just stand for kosher supervision; it stands for quality without compromise!

Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for David’s Cookies.

Comexa Foods is the producer of the world-renowned Amazon Peppers brand of sauces, located in the old world city of Cartagena de Indias. Bathed in the sun and by the warm clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, the rich Colombian soil produces a wide range of peppers which our group has been cultivating and processing industrially in large quantities for the world market since 1992.

Utilizing Comexa’s years of experience and knowledge of the unique qualities of capsicum, the Amazon Pepper brand was born in early 1994. The product made its successful
debut at the Fiery Food Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The distinctive flavor of the Amazon hot sauces came about by accident. In the 1970s, Giorgio Araujo’s family was growing peppers and an unplanned cross-pollination produced the Amazon pepper that has been the foundation of all Comexa’s hot sauces.

The company adapted its sauces to an ever-increasing variety of palates, expanding from its original green and red hot sauces to a large variety of flavors such as the new fruit pepper sauces (Amazon Korozo Sauce, Amazon Palmberry sauce, Amazon Cape Gooseberry Sauce) and many other great products.

“We’ve had a burst of creativity, coming up with a whole new line of products,’’says Mr. Araujo, the company’s founder. “We work on the basis that the more products you have the more chances you have to sell them.”

At the 1995 New York Fancy Food show, the Amazon Pepper Line won the “Best of the Aisle” award by Gourmet Retailer. During the 1997 Foodex Show in Tokyo, the Amazon Pepper line received the acclaim of the Japanese TV news media “for an outstanding hot pepper product line,” being featured on prime time Tokyo television on the program called “Televi Champion,” on which the Amazon brand Habanero Sauce, won the “Hottest Pepper of the World Award.”

During the Food Distribution Magazine’s (FDM) First Annual BBQ & Wing Sauce Showdown Hoedown!, held in June 1997, the Amazon Pepper brand won two first prize awards: first place in the “Fruit- Based Hot Category” for its Amazon Hot & Sweet, and first place in the “Wing Sauce Xhot (Yow),” for its Amazon Fiery Red.

Show after show, people continue acclaiming Amazon pepper sauces as an out of competition product. In January 1999, at the Chile Pepper Magazine Hot Sauce contest “Scoville Awards,” the Hot n’ Sweet Amazon Sauce was awarded first prize and the Green Amazon Sauce third prize.

The Amazon Pepper Line is currently being sold in the United States, the Middle East, Japan, Chile, Canada, Belgium, Finland, France, Spain, El Salvador, and of course, in Colombia where Amazon is the leading brand.

In October 2000, the company received its highest honor with the “National Exporters President’s Award.” During 2002 the plant was certified HACCP and ISO 9002 complying with all international quality standards and at the moment is working towards BRC certification.

Our products have been certified kosher by the Orthodox Union since 1999. This accreditation has played a very important role in increasing the sales of our Amazon pepper sauces; it has enhanced our ability to market our products as the OU Kosher symbol has become an increasingly important marketing device which has opened many doors for the Amazon Pepper Line in supermarket chains and gourmet stores.

We have come to realize that our OU certification has been as important for us as the HACCP and ISO 9002. The OU Kosher certificate has generated additional revenues by expanding the size of the market. Now after 10 years of being OU certified, we are one hundred percent positive that supermarkets favor brands with OU certification because it gives the product a competitive edge that makes it sell quickly; we have taken full advantage of such an important certification.

Currently in line with Colombian exports in general, the company sells sixty percent of its total exports to the United States. The business plan has been to market the product to Hispanics in the United States, but also to non-Hispanics as a gourmet product. While the gourmet route may be necessary in order to push the brand forward and to start word of mouth, the downside is that it often results in lower sales.

Now, after almost 20 years in which the company trudged through American, Middle East and European food shows and sold its sauces in gourmet stores, food distributors are picking the product up and the brand is expanding throughout the world.

“We hope to be in every country with our delicious kosher Amazon pepper sauces,’’ Mr. Araujo says. Given the company’s limited resources, Mr. Araujo has concentrated on pushing his product forward, emphasizing international food shows as well as the Internet. His message is: “Flavor your mood from mild to wild!”

Rabbi David Gorelik serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Comexa Foods.

Since 1927 the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, a non-profit organization, has represented the interests of more than 500,000 coffee growers in different areas through the commercialization process. One of the steps taken to increase the awareness of 100 percent Colombian Coffee® was to develop one of the most advanced plants manufacturing Freeze Dried Coffee in the world. Buencafe®, formerly Freeze Dried Coffee, has been helping not only the most demanding customers in the industry to build brands and products for more than 35 years, but works to improve the livelihood of the community of coffee growers.

When Buencafe® was established in 1973, one goal was clearly defined: To be a leader in the industry thanks to our process and products. Today, we proudly count on the most recognized international standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO18001, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Food Standard (IFS), Business Alliance for Secure Commerce (BASC), Accredited Organic Certifications by the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS), European Standard CE2092, by the National Organic Program of United States (NOP) and by the Soil Association; also the Fairtrade Certification (FLO), Rainforest Alliance Certification and Kosher Certification by the Orthodox Union (OU).

This last designation has special meaning, as it recognizes that our 100 percent Colombian Freeze Dried Coffee is a natural product manufactured according to OU standards, using only coffee and water; and in the manufacturing process we use the proper equipment and cleansing procedures for that coffee to be preserved, to be of high quality and to be designated OU Kosher.

All these certifications provide us with a solid basis to guarantee that more than 90 brands and 60 countries may work and enjoy nothing but 100 percent Colombian Freeze Dried Coffee.

To find out more about how we can help you to complement your portfolio with the best Freeze Dried Coffee, please e-mail us at or call us at 212-271-8807; mailing address: Buendia Coffee LLC, 140 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022.

Rabbi Yosef Grossman serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Buencafe.

Daabon is a grower, refiner, and producer of OU certified kosher palm fruit oil-based organic and natural shortenings, hard fats and fry oils. All products, organic as well as natural, are the result of sustainable agricultural and socially responsible business practices. Numerous melting point fractions are available to meet the needs of a wide variety of food and personal care manufacturer’s requirements. Palm kernel oil in various presentations is also available. From the soil to the market, Daabon is a vertically integrated producer of highest quality and superior performance functional products and your best choice for organic and natural, trans-free fats.

Daabon Group of Santa Marta, Colombia is a family-owned business that was founded in 1914. In the last 20 years, Daabon has focused on environmentally and socially sustainable palm oil production, among other things. Our company is progressively committed to ensuring that we are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. It is with great satisfaction that we offer customers and consumers worldwide delicious tasting and healthy certified organic and kosher natural food products. We export our products to the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan.

Our unique food products are natural, organic and sustainable palm fruit fractions: olein, stearin, and shortenings for trans-fat free baking, frying & manufacturing. All of our oils are expeller pressed and mechanically refined without the use of chemicals ensuring the freshest, most natural ingredients for your product applications.
All Daabon products are certified kosher by OU. Having the OU certification insures customers that our high quality kosher products are suitable for anyone observing a kosher diet.

Visit us at http://www.daabon.com.
Rabbi Nosson Goldberg serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Daabon Group of Santa Marta.

Babies throughout the United States cooed contentedly and threw their pacifiers in tribute to the outstanding individuals of the Gerber facilities of Fort Smith, Arkansas and Fremont, Michigan, whose dedicated efforts have been recognized at the Babies Choice Kosherization Awards. Through the hard work of these people, who facilitated the kosherization of the Gerber plants, millions of babies can now sink their gums into the company’s quality line of fruits and vegetables. The mention of each group’s accomplishments was met with outbursts of pureed emotion, and the apple juice spilled freely at the post-awards nap.

Your humble correspondent, the RFR who planned the gala kosherization events on behalf of the OU, recounted numerous recollections from his experience in working with these teams to prepare the plants to produce kosher product. Prior to that, he named some of those at the Gerber facilities whose input into the kosherization process had made the project a success.

Members of the Fort Smith team included such outstanding luminaries as Steve Crider, Quality Service Manager and rabbi in training; Scott Duffey, Business Unit Manager for Glass; Mike Moore, the Production Scheduling Guru; Dave Stockberger, the veteran Process Leader who started at the plant when Stage 4 was labeled Stage IV; and Lee Lindsey, third shift Sanitation Manager and King of Kosherization. Selvyn Smith, vacationing Supply Chain Manager and Patsy Price, Inventory Controller who steadfastly controls inventory, were also prominently mentioned.

The Fremont team was made up, among others, of a trio known as the “Masters of Mush” — Alan Stover, Quality Assurance Manager; Mike Hikade, Thermal Process Coordinator and amateur rabbi; and Chuck Durham, Formulation Supervisor and unofficial “Go-To Guy.”

Rabbi Stone noted that planning the transformation of Gerber’s fruit and vegetable products from non-kosher into kosher items was far from child’s play. Both Gerber facilities are large, multi-faceted production environments and the project was marked by its complexity and by the constant awareness that much of Gerber’s product line consists of items that are inherently non-kosher, which could potentially compromise the kosher status of certified products.

Referring back to his crib notes, the rabbi recounted that the strategy from the beginning was to try to split the facilities into the theoretical equivalents of two facilities in each plant; a kosher and non-kosher one. However, this proved to be twice as challenging as was anticipated. He had expected that, since both facilities have similar lines and equipment and produce similar products, any solutions that would address issues at one plant could automatically be applied to the other. Instead, he discovered that the two plants have their own unique procedures, practices, customs and cultures that work for them based on the specific products and the markets they have dealt with over the years. To remedy a concern at one plant, using the same approach that would work perfectly at the other, would just not work. Each plant had to be addressed independently, as its own unique entity.

While there were many noteworthy aspects to this project, the rabbi specifically highlighted the measures that were taken to limit the impact and interference caused by kosherizations, an area that was of great concern to the company:
• Scheduling – perhaps the key to the entire kosher system in both plants is the creative scheduling of kosher and non-kosher productions. Both plants do extensive non-kosher productions, and in each situation, by necessity, non-kosher productions will compromise to some degree the kosher status of equipment. Kosherization in such plants can be quite time consuming, and the goal was, as much as possible, to keep the kosher programs from interfering with the facilities’ normal way of operating. Use of resourceful scheduling by the amazing scheduling masters at both facilities has limited the need for kosherizations to only a few times per year.
• Dedicated equipment – after the rabbi explained in detail the parameters necessary for kosher productions, the team at one of the plants devised a method that would consistently maintain the kosher status of various pieces of equipment through as much of the system as possible, even when producing non-kosher products. This has resulted in kosherizations that are extremely limited in scope, and which affect only a fraction of the equipment in the plant.
• Dedicated processes – by making minor modifications to aspects of the processes necessary for kosher productions, the plants succeeded in isolating significant parts of the process that will remain in kosher status all of the time. This eliminates the need to kosherize these areas and, more significantly, insures that the same fruits and vegetables regularly used in daily production in the plants are also always acceptable for use in kosher productions.
There were a number of other important facts discovered over the course of the project. Among them were:
• Steve Crider and Rabbi Stone both grew up in St. Louis, where they attended different high schools. The rabbi’s school regularly beat Steve’s alma mater in football, a fact which shocked no one.
• Alan Stover can leap tall buildings in a single bound and still make it home in time for dinner.
Keeping Gerber kosher is an intricate task that requires a high degree of skill and experience. Charged with maintaining the kosher programs at the facilities and kosherizing the plants are some of the OU’s most experienced field rabbis, including Rabbi Weg at Fort Smith and Rabbis Weingarten, Smolensky and Turkletaub at Fremont.
The successful certification of Gerber would not have been possible without the tenacity of OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran, who ceaselessly pursued his vision of providing these quality products to the kosher babies of America; the expert direction of Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi David Bistricer, whose nieces and nephews no longer have to figuratively drool over these products; and, of course, the good people of Gerber and its parent company, Nestlé Nutrition, who steadfastly continue in their mission of providing even America’s youngest consumers with the best, high quality kosher foods.
Rabbi David Bistricer serves as Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Gerber Products Company.

Rabbi Avrohom Stone serves as OU Kosher Senior Rabbinic Field Representative, visiting with countless OU certified companies throughout the country. His instructive, enlightening and entertaining features appear frequently in Behind the Union Symbol. His “Your Kosher HorOUscope,” which appeared in the Spring 2008 issue, elicited many positive responses. In spite of his demanding schedule, Rabbi Stone also shares his extensive kosher knowledge and experiences through the “OU Kosher Coming” forum. Most recently, he lectured to college students at the University of Pennsylvania.

FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Gerber Products, a part of Nestlé Nutrition, is introducing a line of purees that are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU), a highly recognized and valued symbol of kosher certification.

These new purees products available in ten of Gerber’s most popular flavors, provide a kosher option for parents who want to feed their babies with the most trusted brand in baby food. Product details include:

 Flavor Varieties: Ten great tasting flavors certified by the Orthodox Union (OU): Applesauce, Pears, Bananas, Apple Strawberry Banana, Apple Blueberry, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Squash, Green Beans and Peas.

 Nutritional Profile: Made with 100 percent natural fruit and vegetable puree and no added sugar, salt, starch, artificial colors or flavors. Many of these products provide an excellent source of Vitamin A or C.

 Product Availability: Available nationwide this Spring, and packaged in Gerber’s classic 4 oz glass jars.

“These purees are the latest Gerber products to carry the OU symbol, joining select infant cereals, juices and Graduates snacks,” said Cathy Abramski, Senior Marketing Manager for Nestlé Nutrition. “We are committed to helping parents make good nutritional choices for their children. One of the best ways we can do this is by offering them a variety of options for each stage of their children’s development from infancy through preschool.”

“We are proud to partner with Gerber on their new line of kosher purees. These new varieties expand the range of kosher products for parents who want to provide their babies with nutritious, certified kosher food,” said Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Orthodox Union Kosher Division.

Delivering the high level of quality that consumers expect from Gerber, the new line of certified kosher purees provide the nutrition that growing infants’ need, while introducing them to new tastes as they grow and develop.

About Gerber
Gerber Products Company officially joined the Nestlé Nutrition Family – part of Nestlé S.A. – on September 1, 2007. Combining resources, Nestlé and Gerber are leveraging research and expertise to become the leaders in early childhood nutrition. With headquarters in Florham Park, N.J., Gerber is a worldwide provider of more than 200 food products from cereals to GERBER® 1st FOODS® purees to GRADUATES® meals and snacks, the Gerber product line covers each phase of early childhood development with diverse flavors and textures.

Since its founding in 1928, Gerber has been committed to helping parents raise happy, healthy babies through extensive research aimed at understanding and improving infant and toddler nutrition and feeding. In 2002, the Company launched the Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ initiative, providing stage-by-stage information, tips, tools and advice for parents and their children 0-48 months. By laying a foundation of good nutrition and establishing good eating behaviors early, parents can help their children prevent later life health problems like obesity and related diseases.

Over the last six years, Gerber’s Start Healthy, Stay Healthy™ initiative has delivered groundbreaking research, science-based advice and practical feeding guidelines for parents to adopt. For more information about Gerber, please visit http://www.StartHealthyStayHealthy.com or contact the Start Healthy Stay Healthy Resource Center (U.S. only) at 1-800-4-GERBER.

About Nestlé Nutrition
Nestlé Nutrition, part of Nestlé S.A., the world’s largest food company, is dedicated to infant, healthcare and performance nutrition and weight management. For consumer information about Nestlé Infant Nutrition products in the U.S. as well as expert advice on pregnancy, infant care and nutrition, visit http://www.StartHealthyStayHealthy.comwell as expert advice on pregnancy, infant care and nutrition, visit http://www.StartHealthyStayHealthy.com.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing of OU Kosher, will be one of two experts appearing in the webinar, “Let’s Talk Kosher! Kosher Food: What Does it Mean for Food to Be Labeled as Kosher and What Are the Implications for Food Producers, Distributors and Marketers?” The webinar will be presented by the Orthodox Union and the Food Institute on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 12:00 p.m., Eastern time.
The Food Institute, a non-profit organization founded in 1928, is an important source for current, timely and relevant information about the food industry.

The webinar has been rescheduled from a similar program in early June.

Rabbi Safran will share the program with its moderator, Philip Katz, Partner at the international law firm of Hogan & Hartson and Co-Director of the firm’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology practice group.

Rabbi Safran will define “kosher,” explain how food products and facilities are certified as kosher, and will talk about the OU and the Food Institute’s role in the process. He and
Mr. Katz will discuss how kosher certification has significance to consumers well beyond observant Jewish communities, and why it is increasingly important to the businesses that serve those consumers.

The program, which will last 90 minutes, is targeted at retailers, manufacturers and other professionals who are interested in learning about kosher certification and its advantages.

Rabbi Safran may be reached at . Registration can be arranged through the Food Institute website, foodinstitute.com.

It was said about Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch that when he was well into his 70’s he decided to travel from Germany to Switzerland for a vacation. This was in the late 1800’s when cars and airplanes were unheard of. The trip was an arduous trek by train and coach. He was asked, ‘Rabbi, you’re an old man. Why are you taking such a trip?’ Replied Rabbi Hirsch, “After 120 years, I’ll meet my maker and he will ask me, ‘Raphael, did you ever see my Alps?’”
The world is truly a magnificent creation filled with all of God’s beauty. One of the benefits that I have in being a mashgiach (kosher supervisor) for the OU is that I have an opportunity to travel and see much of this beauty. My territory encompasses most of the Southeastern part of the United States, namely, Eastern Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Northern Florida. This area, known as the “Bible or Sun Belt,” offers much diversity as to scenery as well as to history. This is the South of Gone With the Wind fame. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of my territory.

Starting in Charleston SC, we come to the flower of the South. This city, with Fort Sumter in its harbor, was involved in the incident that began the Civil War. One can travel through the area and still see antebellum houses. Not far up the road in Summerville is an OU company, JW Aluminum. Taking the highway as well as side roads (watch out for logging trucks) we come to Augusta, GA, home of the Masters Golf Tournament. While there, we can stop by Kellogg’s Snack foods for some Famous Amos Cookies or go to Nutrasweet, makers of Aspartame Sweeteners. The Science Museum in Augusta is a hands-on/must see for families with children. Traveling south through back roads we come to Savannah.

Savannah is a beautiful city with old-time charm. The downtown area is arranged with small park squares that you have to drive and weave around. Tybee Island is just due east for a nice relaxing vacation spot. While in Savannah, we can visit a number of OU plants, among them Dixie Crystal and Fuji Oil.
We then travel south on I-95 to Jacksonville, FL where we can go to Heinz/ Portion Pak and Whitewave Foods. As one travels through Jacksonville one cannot help but go over the various bridges that span the local waterways. We then can take a trip up to Blackshear and Alma in Georgia. These small towns have OU plants like American Egg, Southland’s Best, and Richmond Baking. Then it’s on to Fitzgerald, GA to American Blanching and Deep South Products. Deep South bottles product for Arizona Tea as well as Winn Dixie sodas.

We are now in the heart of the South. As we drive through, we pass pecan orchards all around us. This is also peanut country. A side trip up I-75 takes us to Andersonville, GA— the site of the notorious Civil War prison and its cemetery.

I once was at the Holiday Inn in Fitzgerald and was talking to the hotel manager. He told me that it was a good thing that I came that week and not the week after. I asked him why. “Well,” he replied, “next week is your Jewish New Year and all of the old families come here from all over the South for High Holiday services and I wouldn’t have a room for you.” It seems that all of these small Southern towns had at one time been vibrant Jewish communities.
From Fitzgerald we continue to visit OU plants in Tifton, Ashburn, and Sylvester before coming to Albany, GA. I tell people that I go to most of the ‘nut’ houses in Georgia. This area is responsible for the vast majority of peanut production. It gets hot here in the summertime so a refreshing stop in Albany is the Miller’s Coors Brewing Co. Not far away we also can stop at Tara Foods. (Tara? Wasn’t that a plantation in a certain novel?) Just be careful in booking flights, cars or hotels. Many a time I have had the reservations made for Albany (all bany), NY rather than Albany (al beny), GA. Around an hours’ drive north of Albany, one can go to Warm Springs. There you can visit the Little White House — the summer home of President Franklin D Roosevelt, the place where he died.

Continuing west we cross into Alabama going through Abbeville, home of Golden Egg, and proceed to Dothan. Golden Oval, formerly known as Cutler Egg, processes eggs in both liquid and dried forms. Dothan touts itself as the Peanut Capitol of the world so naturally we go to Flavorhouse to see their operation. We then travel north towards Montgomery. There we visit Flowers Foods. Traveling west we proceed through rolling hills of beautiful countryside to Selma. Montgomery as well as Selma were key cities during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s, 60’s and ‘70’s.

We continue traveling west going to plants in Marion, AL heading towards Mississippi. With OU plants in Hattiesburg, Jackson and Columbus, we literally travel around the whole state. While in Jackson, between visits to DeBeukelaer, Clorox and Reckitt-Benckiser, one can drop in at The Museum of Southern Jewish Life.

Another part of my territory is Tennessee. We will start in Crossville to see Mizkan Vinegar and another Flowers Baking facility, then proceed on I-40 across the Middle Tennessee Valley to Knoxville and Newport. This stretch of Interstate is simply gorgeous. Whether in the fall when all the leaves are changing colors; in winter when the trees are bare and sometimes white; or in spring and summer when they are in full bloom, this is a truly beautiful drive. Green Mountain Coffee, Bush Beans, and Rich products, among others, are situated in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.

We travel down through the mountains to Cleveland and Chattanooga. With all of the abundant fresh water springs that come from the mountains, it is no surprise that many of the OU bottled water plants are in this area. Among them are Green Mountain, Crystal Springs and Nature’s Purest. While in Chattanooga, you also don’t want to miss The Tennessee Aquarium. From Lookout Mountain and Rock City you can seven states before heading back to Atlanta.

Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola so a must see is the Coke Museum, downtown. No visit to Atlanta would be complete without a visit to Stone Mountain. This large granite mountain depicts a carving of heroes of the Civil War as well as a plantation and museum about the War Between the States. Lastly, one can visit the Martin Luther King Memorial.

As one can see, traveling such a vast area inspecting over 100 companies is very demanding and time consuming. Yet, I have a chance to meet people from all walks of life. We talk about varied subjects from news to sports and I can truly say that I never have a dull day. The breadth of my work for the OU takes me to a vast diversity of products. I see facilities producing everything from baked goods to chemical companies making cleaning products. I recently went to a company that was making adhesives. At the plant, they were vastly impressed that the OU took the issue of kashrut so seriously that we would even check their product which is used to adhere foil to the cardboard core.

Let me end with one last story. I was at a plant on a day where everything was going wrong. I apologized to the plant personnel for coming on such a day, but I needed to do my inspection. “Rabbi Norm,” the official said, “I’m always glad to see you. Sometimes I’m glad to see you come and sometimes I’m glad to see you go. But I’m always glad to see you.” Talk about Southern Hospitality!

The Orthodox Union Kosher Division, the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency, today announced the publication of the “OU Manual for the Baking Industry,” a compendium of the knowledge and experience of the expert OU rabbis who travel the world applying the time-honored laws of kosher to the industrial practices of today.

The manual, printed in full color with many illustrations, is the first in a series of such guidebooks scheduled for publication, with the objective that uniform standards of certification be established for entire industries conforming to the rigorous requirements of the OU. It is another in a series of departmental initiatives that makes OU Kosher a major force in kashrut education as well as in certification. In the case of the first manual, these standards are not only for the baking industry in the United States, but for Israel and around the world as well.

After all, as the kosher certifier of Drakes’, Entenmann’s, Nabisco, Famous Amos, Keebler, Kellogg’s baked items, Arnolds and Thomas’, the OU puts its coveted kashrut symbol on some of the most iconic names in the baking industry.

The intended audience for the manuals is a wide spectrum of kashrut professionals – including those at other kosher certification agencies – as well the vaadim, local bodies which provide kosher certification in retail businesses, food service facilities, and plants in their local communities. Laymen wanting to explore the intricacies of kosher law will be fascinated as well.

There is surely a need for this kind of material. Just as the baking manual was rolling off the presses, OU Kosher received an email from a Midwestern vaad, in which its administrator wrote, “I would assume that the OU had a mashgiach handbook that covers policy and procedures for various settings. Would the handbook discuss industrial bakeries? Can I get a copy? I would like to compare our policy with the OU’s to make sure that nothing falls or fell through the cracks.”

The manuals are the brainchild of Dr. Steven Katz, OU Senior Vice President from Teaneck, NJ who is also Chair of the Kashrut Commission, which oversees the worldwide activities of OU Kosher.

Each of the manuals will focus on three important areas of concern for its specific industry – technology; practical kashrut concerns and the methodology of supervision; and halachic rulings of the OU decisors, or poskim, Rav Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University, and Rav Yisroel Belsky of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. The project is a collaborative effort of OU rabbinic coordinators based in OU Kosher New York headquarters; rabbinic field representatives, around the world; the poskim, and administrative staff.

To create the baking manual, a group was put together with Executive Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Yaacov Luban as editor, Rabbi Moshe Zywica, Director of Operations of OU Kosher as coordinator, and Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein, the OU Rabbinic Coordinator overseeing commercial bakeries to write the text. Rabbi Bendelstein, in turn, drew on his colleagues overseeing the industry, such as Rabbi Israel Paretzky and Rabbi David Rockove, for their insights.
They reported to Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Chief Operating Officer of OU Kosher. Because of his broad understanding of the Jewish community and its needs, Rabbi Elefant provided the guidance which was so helpful in seeing that the manual accomplished its objectives.

Rabbi Bendelstein was the perfect choice to write the manual. A graduate of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva in Queens, NY and of Yeshiva University with a BA in chemistry, he obtained his rabbinical ordination (semicha) from the REITS seminary at YU and has been at the OU for nine years, steadily deepening his knowledge of the baking industry.

The complexities of the kashrut involved with the baking industry are multi-faceted, Rabbi Bendelstein says. “We try to outline these complexities from soup to nuts beginning with the basics of kosher certification, focusing on ingredients and the nuances therein and the different categories of ingredients; then working through production and focusing on the different manufacturing processes of the various items manufactured in the baking industry; and finishing with packaging and labeling and how that manifests itself in kosher certification.”

There’s more. Rabbi Bendelstein says, “Then we have areas which are unique to baking which we touch upon such as Pat Yisrael (Jewish involvement in the baking process), yashan (seasonal flour), and hafrashat challah (tithing from the dough).” Standards are established for breads, cakes, cookies and crackers, breakfast items, and baking aids such as fillings, glaze, icing and mixes.

The entire project, including planning, research and design, took more than a year, with the writing taking four months; the text was reviewed countless times, mostly by Rabbi Luban, so that it could appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

“The work is very significant on several levels,” explained Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher. “It’s important to know that each industry has its own requirements and specifications; each of these manuals represents the standards for its industry and what a mashgiach has to be aware of. They enhance the departmental goal of kosher education. And in terms of our corporate culture, they provide transparent standards to be met.”
These standards are clearly intended for other agencies as well as for local vaadim. “We are very careful not to give away proprietary information of the companies we certify,” Rabbi Genack said. “But regarding OU information, the interests of kashrut have to come first.”

Industries such as oil, fish and flavors are in the pipeline with the texts already written and will follow soon, according to Dr. Katz, the originator of the idea. When the work is done, something new will exist in the kosher world.

Rabbi Genack declared, “This new manual will be a great addition to sources explaining Jewish law for our times. The halachic guidelines of Rabbis Belsky and Schachter, our poskim, will certainly make an extraordinary resource for the kosher world. Only the OU, with its knowledge and emphasis on education, could have done it.”

To obtain copies of the manual, contact Rabbi Bendelstein at 212-613-8253, or .

It is hard to resist squeezing a bag of marshmallows as one passes it in the supermarket aisle. Who would have thought that a colorless, brittle, almost tasteless substance called “gelatin” can transform a lump of sugar into an irresistible confection? The truth is that gelatin is a very versatile and important ingredient whose value has long been recognized in many sectors of the food industry. Gelatin is a key component in a whole array of gummy and jelly-style confections. Typically, it is added to yogurts and ice creams to give them a thicker consistency. Pies, mousses and whipped creams are all enhanced with the inclusion of a small bit of gelatin. Because gelatin is also an excellent adhesive, it may even be used to affix sprinkles to pastries. New and innovative uses for gelatin are being created all the time. While this is wonderful news for the general population, it has not always been great news for the kosher consumer.

Gelatin is derived from collagen, a substance found in the skins and bones of animals such as pigs and cows. There is no vegetarian source for collagen, and while one might see “vegetable gelatin” listed on a product label, it would typically be, in actuality, agar agar, a seaweed derivative. In some products, it can be a fair substitute for gelatin.

Since “real” gelatin is derived from animal sources, it has been the focus of debate for nearly 100 years among leading rabbis. The question is: Can gelatin from non-kosher sources be permitted? Although cows that were not ritually slaughtered, and, of course, pigs, are certainly not kosher, some rabbis were lenient in allowing products that had very small amounts of gelatin added. This is because they felt that the gelatin extraction process caused the skins and bones to be sufficiently denatured, to the point that they are no longer considered food.

This is not the mainstream position. It has been rejected by every major kosher certifying agency. Indeed, equipment that processed gelatin products might need kosherization, depending on the nature of the contact between the equipment and the product.

Another variety of gelatin, which has proven useful in meeting the needs of kosher consumers as well as the Muslim and Hindu communities, is fish gelatin. Kosher fish gelatin is extracted from the skins and bones of kosher fish, those that possess both fins and scales. Since kosher fish skins are plentiful and relatively inexpensive, fish gelatin has been a boon for meeting the growing world-wide demand for kosher. There are currently several OU-certified companies that produce fish gelatin. Of course, there are products that require beef gelatin, and no suitable alternative exists. The kosher consumer will be pleased to note that the OU certifies such a gelatin as well. This special gelatin is made exclusively from the skins of kosher ritually slaughtered cows. Strikingly, this variety of beef-derived gelatin is considered pareve, and may even be combined with dairy ingredients! Although kosher laws are very strict concerning the segregation of milk and meat, the processing of these hides renders them pareve. Therefore, even kosher milk chocolate delicacies can be made with kosher beef gelatin. Orthodontists of the world rejoice: every sticky gummy treat is now available to the kosher consumer.

Every so often the OU kashrus hotline desk is asked whether sake that is not kosher certified is nonetheless acceptable. For the uninitiated, sake (pronounced “saw-key”) is rice beer. It originated in Japan, and most sake is still made there.

Usually, the answer to questions about the acceptability of uncertified products hinges on whether we can assume the ingredients used to make the product are kosher and the utensils, or equipment, used in its production are dedicated to that product. In the case of sake, however, there is an additional consideration: whether it is subject to bishul akum.

Bishul akum is a prohibition created by Chazal that, when respected, prevents intermarriage. It applies to a food that is both inedible raw as well as prepared in such a way that it would be appropriate to serve a king (in contemporary terms, whether it would be served in a dignified setting such as a state dinner). Rice meets both of these criteria. Would sake also be subject to the prohibition?

Tosefos (Avodah Zorah, 31b) notes that Chazal did not consider beer, which is made from barley and which was considered appropriate for a king’s table, subject to the issur of bishul akum. Tosefos explains that since the beracha on beer is shehakol, the barley is secondary to the water. Aruch Hashulchan (Y.D. 113, 22) further explains that this reasoning applies to beer because there is a fundamental, or substantive, change to the barley during the process of production from barley to beer.

The same reasoning, he argues, applies to coffee; a coffee bean is not eaten raw, and coffee is served in dignified settings. Nevertheless, it is not subject to the issur of bishul akum because coffee is secondary to water, which is manifest by the beracha of shehakol (see also Pri Chadash, 112, 17).

The beracha on sake is also shehakol. However, there is a fundamental difference between sake production and beer or coffee. During sake production the main ingredient is made edible before it is made into a beverage.

The process begins with specially cultivated rice, which is then polished, or milled (it looks a bit smaller than the rice grains we are familiar with). The rice is steamed. (picture 1 here) It is then delivered to a tank where koji, a fermenting agent from bran, is added. Water too is added, and the rice is stored for several weeks, a process that converts the rice starch to sugar, which in turn becomes alcohol. Rice particles are filtered out of the mixture, and the product, after pasteurization, is translucent and golden (picture 2).

Already at the initial stage, when the rice is steamed, the rice is subject to the issur of bishul akum. Does the process of rendering it into a beverage afterwards undo the issur?

Rav Schachter, shlita, concludes that this process does not undo the issur.

Nevertheless, there are other points to consider when evaluating the bishul akum status of sake. Some poskim rule that bishul akum is never brought about by steaming. As the teshuva makes clear, the OU does not rely on this leniency – by itself. Another leniency cited by poskim is that bishul akum does not apply when the factory machinery used to produce a product is unlike any that one would encounter in a domestic situation, which is where the original issur of bishul akum was formulated. Traditional Japanese sake manufacturers often use domestic-like pots (often just in a larger size) as the picture above indicates. Therefore this leniency should not be assumed to apply.

Further, there is more water than rice in the final product. Shach Y.D. 113, 21 rules that bishul akum is batel b’rov. However, bitel b’rov may not apply when the issur is the main ingredient in the taruvos, is avidah l’taimah, or the ingredient that gives the food chashivus (importance).

Finally, what, indeed, do we say about the ingredients and equipment used to make sake? If sake is unflavored, we can assume the ingredients are kosher. However, some sake manufacturers store and pasteurize their product on equipment that also processes non-kosher wine.

As Rav Schachter makes clear in his teshuva, we should not assume that all sake in the marketplace is kosher.

Peace, loyalty, sacrifice and food are most often associated with the biblical pigeon. The tranquility of the post-flood landscape is forever immortalized in the torn olive branch which the pigeon dispatched by Noah carried back to the ark. The prophet Isaiah (59:11) urges the penitent to cry to the Lord as the cooing of a pigeon and return to the Lord in the manner of the pigeon to the dovecote (60:8). The pigeon, along with the dove, are the most frequently referenced of the bird sacrifices brought in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The flight of the pigeon was admired by King David in Psalms (55:7 & 68:14), and its beauty was referenced by King Solomon multiple times in the Song of Songs (1:15, 2:14, 4:1, 5:2, 5:12, & 6:9).

On the most basic level, the pigeon was food. If properly maintained, the bird would forage and return nightly to its roost, rewarding the owner with eggs on a monthly basis. The birds could function as a rudimentary savings bank; when there was extra food, the pigeons would be allowed to multiply. When food was scarce, the eggs and ultimately the birds themselves could be harvested and then consumed or bartered.

The homing ability of the pigeon has been utilized by man since biblical times. Ancient mariners would take pigeons on their boats. If they lost their way, the sailors would release the pigeons and then follow the flight path of the birds to the safety of the shore. It was perhaps in this tradition that Noah released the pigeon to determine if the waters of the great flood had receded. The first bird sent by Noah was the raven, but it failed to complete its mission and refused to venture forth from the ark. The raven is described in the Bible (Genesis 8:7) as being sent forth, in contrast to the pigeon which in the language of the Bible (Genesis 8:8) Noah “sent forth the pigeon from him.” The implication of the verbiage is that the raven was merely one of the birds on the ark; the pigeon was dear to Noah and thus sent “from him” as one were to send one of his cherished possessions. This would make Noah the first documented pigeon fancier.

Although it is clear that pigeons were extensively raised in biblical times, aside from Noah, there is no indication of the birds being raised for reasons other than consumption until the Second Temple Period. The Mishnah and the Talmud, written at the end of the Second Temple Period, are replete with admonitions against racing and gambling with pigeons. An interesting game, enjoyed in biblical times, involved challenging the homing and flocking inclinations of pigeons. Birds belonging to different people would be flown at the same time, with the flocks being encouraged to mingle. The owner of each flock would fly his birds is such a manner as to entice the birds from the other flocks to join his own. The birds which deserted their flock, were then collected and either sold or ransomed back to their owner.

The Bible does not distinguish between the breeds of pigeon, although by Talmudic times there were a half dozen recognized breeds. The breeds generally had descriptive names such as, baysos, house pigeons; yonei aliyah, attic pigeons; and yonei shovach, dovecote pigeons. The different breeds were distinguished by their behavior, but it is unclear whether the behavior of the birds was the result of selective breeding or perhaps the conditions under which the birds were raised.

One exceptional pigeon breed was the Herdosios pigeon, which was named after the infamous King Herod, who ruled Israel at the end of the Second Temple Period. It is unclear whether the breed was actually developed by Herod, or he merely imported the birds. Some speculate that the bird might have been imported from Rhodes and as a result King Herod merely manipulated the name from Hordosios to Herodosios. These birds could be distinguished from other birds by physical characteristics, most importantly their inability to forage. Indeed, these birds needed to be maintained exclusively in the home. It is unclear if the Herodosios pigeons still exist, but based on Talmudic as well as the description of Josephus, who lived shortly after the Herod’s reign, the Herodosios pigeons were probably similar to the breeds now known as the Roman runts or the Hungarian house pigeons.

Although Talmudic law does distinguish between the breeds of pigeon, there is only limited discussion as to the definition of a pigeon. They were identified by a handful of physical characteristics as well as their lack of any predatory tendencies (Hulin 59). The Talmud (Hulin 22) notes the distinction between doves and pigeons, but only so far as they can be compared and contrasted with each other. Interestingly enough, today pigeons are often derided as the rats of the sky. In the Talmudic times they were noted for their cleanliness, because unlike other birds which drank water which then dripped back from the mouth as the bird raised its head to swallow, the pigeon drank continuously from the water without any backwash.

In the two thousand years since the Talmud was codified, hundreds of pigeon breeds have been developed. Pigeons are raised in a rainbow of colors; the feathers have been manipulated to a dazzling array of patterns. Even the basic feather and bone structure of the breeds have been altered. The dominant scientific theory for the last three hundred years has been that all the domestic breeds of pigeon share an exclusively rock dove ancestry. There are dissenters who question the possibility that so many varied breeds could have been derived exclusively from the rock dove. The position of the Orthodox Union is that pigeons are kosher. The question which continuously arises is whether all breeds of pigeon are to be considered pigeon.

To research the pigeons, the OU has maintained a loft (that is, a pigeon coop), with a diverse selection of common meat pigeons as well as some of the more exotic breeds including owls, Brunner pouters, runts, frizzles, archangels and New York highfliers. Fantail pigeons were observed and kept in the loft of MD Laufer. The basic behavior of the pigeons was observed as well as their communication between other members of the respective breeds. With the exception of the runts, the birds were bred and eggs were produced. The breeds examined were observed to eat the same food and flock together, with the exception of the runts and the Brunner pouters, since the respective sizes required separate housing for these breeds. The shape, but not the size, of all the eggs observed was similar, as was the texture.

Pigeons tend to be monogamous and when not purchased as a pair, many of the birds seemed to disregard species classification when choosing a mate. Currently, the majority of the pigeon breeds raised for meat are the biblical pigeon (or some mutation) and are accepted as kosher by the Orthodox Union. The more exotic breeds are rarely raised for food, being slow to mature and extremely valuable. However, the research continues if nothing more than as a scholarly pursuit.

In Colombia, it seems the people are as bright and warming as the tropical sun. Like most of Central and South America, this is a country with a disturbing past and a bright future. Once known more for cocaine drug lords and kidnapping than for legitimate businesses and opportunity, Colombia is coming into its own. OU certified companies there offer excellent products ranging from consumer items like coffee, hot pepper sauces and tuna fish to industrial ingredients like tropical oils and citric acid. All are made with the finest ingredients – and just a bit of the brightness that comes with the tropical sun.

Like many Latin American countries, Colombia offers a number of opportunities to food manufacturers. Its weather and history provide for an abundance of agricultural based products and old-world know how in food manufacture. Because of its colonial and European roots, there are long established ties with the European Union. Due to relatively low labor costs, increasingly favorable trade terms and geography, Colombia offers special benefits to North American concerns. While the unfortunate past of the drug cartels continues to weigh heavily, a strong will and strong government are changing things.

This was my second trip to Colombia in the past two years. During my first trip, the focus was primarily on palm oil products used in chocolates and other industries which use tropical oils. Interestingly, Colombia is one of the few places outside of Malaysia able to develop a significant palm industry. It is blessed with just the right weather and growing conditions: the palms that produce palm oil only grow in a narrow band around the equator. The company Acegrasas, a long established name in Colombia and in the oil business, is working hard to expand its United States exports. To date, the OU has worked with them on a limited basis to make special productions of palm olein and stearin. Long term, the hope is to develop a broad certification for a wide range of specialty fats and oils.

It is much more common in Latin America to find production and consumption of animal fat based products. As a result, oil companies are commonly more complicated than in the United States and Asia. This is especially true in facilities making hardened fats and margarines which often contain tallow and lard. As these items are intrinsically not kosher, their presence makes any kosher program much more complicated. Sometimes the effect is limited to specific equipment where items are blended; sometimes the entire plant may be non-kosher. For example, if there are common supply and handling lines or a common steam system – even between separate production areas — the entire plant may be affected. At the very least, it becomes necessary to set up segregated and non-compatible systems. When possible, we work with a company to segregate kosher and non-kosher in completely different facilities.

Of course, there are also more familiar issues with dairy components, many of which require careful kosher monitoring in and of themselves and must be sourced from acceptable kosher suppliers. For example, whey is a byproduct of cheese production and has special considerations. When curds and whey are separated to make cheese, a number of kosher concerns are involved. For example, Swiss cheese is traditionally started by adding rennet to milk. Rennet is a naturally occurring enzyme in calf stomachs and itself subject to many kosher complications. If the rennet is not kosher, the cheese is not kosher.

Since Swiss cheese making includes cooking the cheese and whey before separation, the whey itself is also not kosher. Other common dairy ingredients – milk powder, lactose — are often spray dried or processed in facilities that handle non-kosher production. Then, of course, there is the generic problem of making certain that dairy and non-dairy are strictly segregated.

Because of its tropical climate, Colombia is blessed with miles and miles of sugar cane production. The result is a prime opportunity for not only year-round kosher but for Passover as well. Many key products used in industry, including citric acid and alcohol, are products of glucose fermentation. In the United States, the primary glucose source is corn; in Europe, it is wheat and other grains. The Bible specifically forbids the use of anything made from wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye during Passover. Additionally, Jews of Ashkenazi (Western European) descent do not use products made from kitniyot, including corn and soy. Cane sugar, however, is clearly permitted.

The multinational Tate & Lyle is a global producer of citric acid with a strong interest in providing Passover grade product to the international market. Their Sucromiles facility near Cali, a world center for cane sugar production, is an excellent potential source. Since citric acid can start from any glucose source and since the plant also manufactures alcohol and other potentially grain-based products, the need arose for a thorough forensic audit of both raw materials and products to determine if cane sugar was, in fact, the only glucose source for the production in question. After many hours of work in the plant as well as extensive follow up, it was determined that the citric acid in question met strict Passover requirements for this year.

Among Colombia’s kosher assets is a long established Jewish community. While it has suffered during the country’s dark years, its presence means there are qualified people on the ground to develop and service kosher. The OU continues to work with these communities to make certain their kosher standards meet the highest standards and to help them bring those companies which are ready into the international kosher marketplace. Of course, having people on the ground also presents us with the ability to service companies locally – with all of the attendant benefits.

During my two trips, I have seen the areas around Barranquilla, Bogota and Cali as well as the surrounding countryside and have worked with local rabbis from all three cities. I have visited plants making exotic fruit purees and juices, candies and a wide array of other top-notch consumer products. While many of these firms have not yet joined the OU family, we are working with them and the local rabbis to make the transition when they are ready to enter the international kosher scene.

This tropical paradise, whose climates range from temperate mountain regions to steamy Caribbean coasts, produces a wide array of other OU certified products as well. These include world famous Juan Valdez brand coffee as well as hot pepper pickles and tuna fish. By working directly with companies, importers and local communities, the sincere hope is to bring more Colombian products to the world kosher marketplace. Especially as the world community increasingly embraces Latin influences, Colombia is well poised to be a key contributor to the world of OU certified products and ingredients.

It was about a year ago that Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Director of OU Kosher Education, began to hear from women that they wanted an advanced program on the technicalities and practices of kosher law. In the following months, more than 80 women were in touch with Rabbi Grossman, seeking such a course.

Now, they’ve got it.

From August 24-28, OU Kosher will offer a special kashrut course specifically geared for women. In the course, according to Rabbi Grossman, participants will enhance their kashrut knowledge and skills by “hands-on” instruction from OU experts, as well as from OU instructional DVD’s in areas of kosher food management such as checking vegetables for insects; Hafroshat Chalah (the separation or tithing of challah); blood spots in eggs; shaylos (or questions) dealing with chickens which should be brought to a Rav for a psak (halachic decision); meat and dairy control; identifying and purchasing kosher fish; and becoming an educated kosher consumer.

They will go on field trips to OU certified factories, hotel kitchens and food service establishments which, Rabbi Grossman said, will give participants “an appreciation for the complexities of modern day kashrut.” The students will tour OU Kosher, meet its rabbinic staff – both those who are based in the OU office (rabbinic coordinators) and those who work outside (rabbinic field representatives) – and come away with a heightened sense of how kashrut operates commercially and in the home.

“The course will go into the home kitchen as well,” Rabbi Grossman said, “for proper control of a kitchen requires extensive kashrut knowledge.”

Rabbi Grossman and his colleagues “have spent much time and thought on how to structure this special week,” he said, recognizing the uniqueness of the audience and determined to provide the best program possible. The course will be limited to about 20 participants, and is intended to serve the needs of “a large spectrum of women.”

Rabbi Grossman interviews all applicants, including two who have already been accepted – a young woman from Sydney, Australia who will return home and marry a rabbi immediately following the program and then serve as an informal kashrut advisor to women in their community; and a woman from Efrat, Israel, who is coming to New York specifically for the program.

To apply, contact Rabbi Grossman at , 212-613-8212; or . There is a $75 registration fee for accepted applicants.

From sea to shining sea in this blessed country of the United States of America, there are a myriad of breathtaking views where nature’s wonders will enthuse and invigorate all that behold her. Each of this great nation’s fifty states has much to contribute in this regard. Whether it is Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Florida’s Everglades, New York’s Niagara Falls, Alaska’s glaciers, Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, or Utah’s Rainbow Bridge, the list goes on and on for anyone who seeks to become awe-inspired by America’s offerings of nature’s best.

And while adventurers are whetting the appetite of their souls with these American marvels, they would be happy to know that in the course of their travels, there are delectable state muffins to nourish their bodies. Some notable state muffins are Massachusetts’ corn muffin, Minnesota’s blueberry muffin and New York’s apple muffin. This doesn’t mean that one won’t be able to find a lemon poppy muffin in all of Minnesota. All states tender muffins at thousands of nationwide eateries in a host of varieties, flavors, and shapes. The state muffin however, is a source of pride and joy for the state among many other prized possessions.

What makes the muffins even more attractive is that so many bear the world’s premier kosher emblem – the OU Symbol on their packaging. The companies that manufacture these muffins are to be commended for adhering to the most rigorous standards of kosher supervision for which OU kosher certification is renowned. In order to appreciate the requisite kosher supervision entailed for muffins, an historical perspective of this fabled product proves quite revealing.

The origin of the word muffin is derived from the French moufflet or soft, and is usually used in the context of bread. In other words, muffins resemble a soft bread. The parallel drawn between muffins and bread insofar as kosher dietary law is concerned is extremely significant. This is because kosher dietary law precludes bread from containing any dairy or meat ingredients. Bread can only be made pareve. This is attributed to the fact that bread, as a main food staple, can readily find itself available for either a dairy or meat meal. As a necessary precaution to avoid eating dairy bread at a meat meal, which is in violation of kosher law, the bread must be pareve.

By extension it follows, that if muffins are indeed a soft bread as their etymology implies, then kosher dietary law would mandate that they only contain pareve ingredients, and no dairy components. Notwithstanding the word’s French roots, whether or not muffins are bread is contingent upon what constitutes bread according to kosher dietary law. Three criteria that identify the distinctive nature of bread are: shape, taste and function. Concerning shape, it is most common for bread to come in the form of loaves, rolls, buns and baguettes. Regarding taste, bread is yeasty and not sweet. Pertaining to function, bread primarily is eaten as a whole meal as in a sandwich, and not merely munched upon as in a snack.

Americans have grown accustomed to enjoy their breakfast with one of two types of muffins. First there is the American muffin which is baked from a batter mix and deposited in uniquely configured muffin baking pans. This batter mix is very thin, does not contain yeast, and could be sweet as in a chocolate chip muffin, or savory as in a carrot cheese muffin.

Since the American muffin is altogether shaped differently than any roll, bun or baguette, is sweet or savory, and is not normally used to make a sandwich, it does not qualify to be considered bread in any of the aforementioned three criteria of shape, taste or function. Accordingly, American muffins are considered more like cake than bread, and can therefore be kosher certified even when containing dairy ingredients. For this reason, there are literally hundreds of luscious American muffins that contain dairy ingredients and have been approved by my office as OU-D. In addition, for the more health conscious, the trendy succulent real dairy low fat American yogurt muffins can also be certified OU-D providing all ingredients meet schedule A (ingredients) specifications.

The second muffin enjoyed usually at breakfast time is the English muffin. In contradistinction to the American muffin, the English muffin is not sweet, but rather stems from a thick yeast dough that is proofed and then deposited in griddle cups while being conveyed through a griddle oven. This difference in manufacturing leads to the English muffin satisfying two of the three kosher dietary law criteria for bread. English muffins have the yeasty taste of bread and function like bread since they are used to make a sandwich to be eaten for a meal. Their spongy texture however, disqualifies them from meeting the shape criterion for bread.

The upshot is that since English muffins resemble both bread and cake, it is in a singular category of kosher certification. For the most part, as in the case of bread, OU kosher certified English muffins do not contain any dairy ingredients nor share equipment with products made with dairy, and hence are in fact pareve. However, there are some brand English muffins that are certified OU-D. This is either because the dairy component is less than 1 ½% of the total ingredients, or on account of the English muffins being produced on equipment that make dairy product. Companies that have been approved to manufacture OU-D English muffins must keep the dairy component for these products below the 1½% threshold of the total ingredients. Rabbinical field representatives closely monitor the batch sheets for these dairy English muffins, to ensure the dairy components meet the requirements.

A further glance into history reveals another unique quality indigenous to English Muffins that serves as an additional benefit for many kosher consumers. Mr. Samuel Bath Thomas left England for the shores of this country in 1874 with an English Muffin recipe that Americans would absolutely relish. Thomas’ English Muffins were the very first English Muffins enjoyed by Americans. Mr. Thomas recommended that his customers toast the English Muffins before serving for maximum flavor. These same toasting instructions are to this very day included on the packaging of Thomas’ English Muffins.

The fact that English Muffins are most preferred when toasted is most important for a further expanding market among kosher consumers known as ‘pas yisroel’. Literally meaning ‘bread of a Jew’, the ‘pas yisroel’ status is an elevated level of kosher for baked goods. It is obtained by an observant Jew igniting the oven in which the product is being baked. The method that the OU recommends to accomplish this task is for the bakery to install an electric panel by a designated oven that enables that oven to be turned on off-site by a rabbinic field representative using a remote control telephone hook-up. This system meets the strictest of the kosher pas yisroel requirements and has received great approbation among leading rabbinic authorities. The device is known as the “Shain system,” named after a Rabbi Shain who made this innovation.

Accordingly, since English Muffins have their flavor enormously enhanced via the product being toasted before serving, this may facilitate a kosher Jewish consumer in effectuating a pas yisroel product by toasting the English muffin in their own toaster at home. This is a kosher bonus for English Muffins which is not found in most other commercially baked products.

For over one hundred years Americans have been enjoying the famous Thomas’ English Muffins. Kosher consumers too are delighted to be able to benefit from the premium taste of Thomas’ English Muffins because its packaging bears the worlds premium kosher OU-D logo. Scores of other quality brand English Muffins have followed Thomas’ stunning example and are also proud bearers of the OU or OU-D kosher logo. Regardless, if they are American or English, kosher consumers the world over have a great way to start off their day by eating any of the thousands of muffin products that are OU kosher certified.

Rabbi Chaim Loike, the Orthodox Union’s expert on kosher birds, recently visited the Yeshiva at IDT in Newark to present the OU Kosher Harry H. Beren ASK OUtreach shiur (class) on the Mesorah (traditional roots and history) of kosher birds. The Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Dovid Weiss, called Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Director of Kashrut Education at OU Kosher, to express the entire yeshiva’s great satisfaction with Rabbi Loike’s fascinating shiur.

Rabbi Chaim Loike enthralling IDT students with his presentation on the Mesorah of Kosher Birds. Rabbi Dovid Weiss, rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva IDT, sits with his students, enjoying Rabbi Loike’s demonstration.

http://www.ou.org

Bazooka Candy Brands, a division of Topps Inc., announced today that Ring Pop, its bestselling candy, has been kosher certified by the Orthodox Union. Production of the newly kosher Ring Pop, with brand new packaging bearing the “OU” symbol, begins this month with the candy shipping to retailers nationwide in August.
Ari Weinstock, Director of Marketing, Bazooka Candy Brands, said, “Working with the Orthodox Union, the top organization for kosher certification in the world, we can now bring Ring Pop to an entirely new, and discerning, consumer base that has never before been able to enjoy our products.”
Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing expressed “great satisfaction in having Bazooka Candy Brands join with leading confectionery producers who have attained OU certification in recent years. It was gratifying for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbi Mordechai Merzel, to corroborate with Bazooka Candy Brands’ team and bring the much sought after Ring Pop products to an ever growing kosher market place.”
The Orthodox Union engages in rigorous monitoring of all aspects of production. It supervises the process by which the food is prepared, examines the ingredients used to make the food, and regularly inspects the processing facilities to make sure that its standards are met.
“The solicitousness associated with the OU certification process is what makes kosher products appealing to both Jewish and non-Jewish consumers. We believe that parents purchasing Ring Pop for their children will feel reassured that the production of this candy is closely supervised,” added Weinstock.
Ring Pop was first introduced in 1977 and has consistently ranked among the top-selling non-chocolate candies. Available in over ten different flavors including strawberry, blue raspberry, watermelon, twisted berry blast and strawberry-banana smoothie, Ring Pop is Bazooka Candy Brand’s most popular confection. Referred to as “edible bling,” Ring Pop candy has been spotted by the paparazzi in the hands of many celebrities over the years, with photos running in magazines such as Interview, People, and US Weekly.
The Orthodox Union, which is supervising the production of Ring Pop, has maintained the highest standard of kosher certification for over 80 years. Today the OU supervises more than 400,000 products produced in 6,000 plants in 80 countries, making it the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency and symbol.
The kosher-certified Ring Pop is part of the recently re-branded Bazooka Candy Brands line of candy, which also includes Baby Bottle Pop, Push Pop, and Bazooka gum. For more information about Ring Pop, visit http://www.topps.com.
About The Topps Company, Inc.
Founded in 1938, Topps (http://www.topps.com) is a leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps entertainment products include Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The company’s confectionery brands include “Bazooka” bubble gum, “Ring Pop,” “Push Pop,” “Baby Bottle Pop,” and “Juicy Drop Pop” lollipops. In June 2008, Topps unveiled Topps Town (http://www.toppstown.com), the first online virtual sports community for kids, bringing together the popularity of trading cards with the exploding world of web-based social networking.
About The Orthodox Union
The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, represents the fastest growing segment in Jewish life. The OU is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher certification label, the OU, is the world's most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 400,000 products manufactured in 80 countries around the globe.

Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing of OU Kosher, will be one of two experts appearing in the webinar, “Let’s Talk Kosher! Kosher Food: What Does it Mean for Food to Be Certified as Kosher and What Can it Mean to You?” to be presented by the Orthodox Union and the Food Institute on Wednesday, June 3 at 12:00 p.m., Eastern time. He will share the program with Phillip Derfier, Assistant Administrator in the Office of Policy, Program Development at the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program, which will last from 60-90 minutes, is targeted at retailers, manufacturers and other professionals who are interested in learning about kosher certification and its advantages. Rabbi Safran and Mr. Derfier will explore what it means for food to be labeled as kosher and its implications for food producers, distributors and marketers. The Food Institute, a non-profit organization founded in 1928, is an important source for current, timely and relevant information about the food industry. Rabbi Safran may be reached at .

OU KASHRUS COMES TO MONSEY AND 600 PEOPLE ATTEND SHIUR ON HOW TO BE MENAKER AND OTHER MEAT ISSUES AT YESHIVA OHR SOMAYACH

More than 600 people were in attendance Sunday night as the Orthodox Union’s Harry H. Beren ASK OUTREACH program came to Monsey for the first in a series of shiurim, “How to be Menaker and Other Meat Issues,” held at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach. The OU’s experts included Rav Yisroel Belsky, OU halachic posek; Rabbi Nosson Goldberg, OU Kosher rabbinic coordinator for meat; and Reb Shimon Mendlowitz of Monsey, an expert menaker (deveiner). Among the comments that were heard from the audience were: “Fantastic presentation,” “Very educational,” and “The two hours just flew by.” Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Director of Kashrus Education, declared: “I was very gratified to see the large turnout of 600 members of the entire wide spectrum of the Monsey community. This included many prominent rabbonim, poskim, leading members of various Vaadei HaKashrus as well as entire kollelim who are studying the intricate laws of Nikkur and Treifos. The shiur attracted participants from Brooklyn and New Jersey as well and even one interested party from as far away as Toronto.” “This indicates the sterling reputation that the ASK OUTREACH shiurim have acquired as we have now visited yeshivos and kollelim including the Boston Kollel, MTJ, Torah Vodaath. Lakewood, Ohr HaChaim in Queens, RIETS, Lander College for Men, The Yeshiva at IDT, the Satmar Yoreh Deah Kollel in Monroe and now Yeshivas Ohr Somayach and its kollel in Monsey.” “As in the case of Monsey, we often find that our kashrus shiurim not only greatly impact the yeshiva or kollel we are visiting but have a positive ripple effect on the entire community surrounding that institution. We look forward to service many other yeshivos and communities in the future.” There will be three more sessions at Ohr Somayach: May 17 on Bedikas Toyloim; May 31 on How to Identify a Kosher Bird and Eating Out, What Could be the Problem?; and June 7, on How to Create Reliable Kashrus in a Community and “An Ex’salmonation’ and Demonstration of Fish issues. For further information, contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212.

These are difficult times.

Editorial pages, news and financial reporters bemoan the dramatic loss of wealth in the country and around the world. Trillions of dollars of net worth – lost. Homes – foreclosed. Businesses – shut down. Charities – struggling. Unemployment nearing record levels. Even those who have secure employment feel the anxiety.

There is a sense that nothing is certain.

Difficult times indeed.

At times like these, it might seem like a luxury to speak about a desire for security and meaning. After all, there is food to be put on the table! Ironically, it is often when the going gets rough that our vision is sharpest; and our ability to evaluate what is really important is at its keenest. There might be a sense that nothing is certain but, in fact, what is most certain is what has always been most certain. Those who placed their faith exclusively in relying on ever-expanding stock markets and home mortgages simply placed their faith in the wrong place.

Which begs the question, does the current, historic loss of wealth suggest that material worth is ephemeral and therefore meaningless? Or does it demonstrate that, in fact, material well-being is essential to our lives?

According to Judaism, the answer is… both and neither.

Judaism suggests that the “either/or” implied in the two questions is, in fact, a false choice. Judaism does not embrace the physical rather than the spiritual nor does it reject the physical in favor of the spiritual. God has instructed us that we are both physical and spiritual and that it is in recognizing this that we most fully find meaning and honor the Creator of the Universe.

Our physical form and nature was taken from the “dust of the ground.” We are physical beings. To deny that would be to