{"id":906,"date":"2017-06-30T15:14:13","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T15:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/?p=906"},"modified":"2020-10-28T19:32:13","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T19:32:13","slug":"ou-koshers-king-west-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2017\/06\/30\/ou-koshers-king-west-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"OU Kosher\u2019s King of the West Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

His colleagues call him OU Kosher\u2019s West Coast \u201cmain guy.\u201d And rightly so. Rabbi Reuven Nathanson, RFR director of the West Coast region, has put in close to three decades inspecting plants in no less than 10 Western states. His fellow RFRs know they can turn to him for his expertise in kosher \u2013 and in being a mensch.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a gentle giant,\u201d says Rabbi Michael Morris, OU Kosher\u2019s director of field operations, referring to his tall stature both physically and noble character. \u201cHe\u2019s a friend to everyone including factory managers, quality managers, company staff, and workers. He\u2019s not only knowledgeable, he\u2019s able to explain the OU Kosher requirements in a way that\u2019s easily understood, and does it with an always pleasant demeanor.\u201d Pretty good for a man in a constant state of jetlag.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Nathanson\u2019s RFR work regularly takes him from his home in Los Angeles to plants across California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and even American Samoa. In addition, he flies twice a year to Australia and New Zealand, and multiple times to Hawaii and the islands in the South Seas. He inspects factories producing wine, grape juice, baby food, energy drinks, snack foods, ice cream and more, visiting 14 plants in Hawaii alone.<\/p>\n

According to Rabbi Morris, Rabbi Nathanson never complains. In fact, he enjoys flying. He also welcomes his interactions with people of diverse cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve become a familiar face,\u201d says Rabbi Nathanson. \u201cThe more confidence they have in me, the more we are able to work together to make sure the products are 100 % OU Kosher. It\u2019s the relationships we build that become my most memorable moments on the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of his friendly manner, no matter where he finds himself, people engage him in conversation. One OU Kosher client approached him and said, \u201cI\u2019m also Jewish.\u201d He also shared the fact that he grew up not knowing much about his religion and that he regretted never having a bar mitzvah. Right then and there, in the middle of the plant parking lot, Rabbi Nathanson helped him rectify that situation. He got his phylacteries (the central theme of the bar mitzvah event) from his car and helped the fellow put them on. Afterwards the client immediately called his mother and said, \u201cCall the caterer. I just had my bar mitzvah!\u201d<\/p>\n

On a flight back to LA from an RFR visit in Huma, Arizona, a man across the aisle from Rabbi Nathanson inquired as to what kosher agency he worked for. He added, \u201cThere\u2019s no other reason a Jew would be in that part of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man went on to tell him about the time he went into an OU Kosher plant in Arizona and told the manager that he knew exactly where his company was buying its anchovies and that he could supply him with better and cheaper anchovies. He offered him a contract and said, \u201cHow much are you going to request for your first order?\u201d The manager responded by showing him the companies OU Kosher certification.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that your offer doesn\u2019t meet OU Kosher standards, so we are not going to accept your proposal,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce we got<\/p>\n

OU Kosher certification, our sales went up and never came down.<\/p>\n

We would never do anything to jeopardize our kosher status. You fix yours and we\u2019ll buy from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeping it in the Family<\/h2>\n

Rabbi Nathanson\u2019s love for his job has proven infectious. His son-in-law Rabbi Saadya Kaufman, is an OU Kosher RFR stationed in Houston Texas. When the family gets together the rabbis can\u2019t help but engage in shoptalk. Rabbi Kaufman reports that he has taken his young sons to the plants numerous times. They were thrilled to see the world of manufacturing. Perhaps OU Kosher RFR work will become a family tradition. Time will tell.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife thought she wouldn\u2019t end up marrying someone in this line of work,\u201d says Rabbi<\/p>\n

Kaufman. \u201cShe said growing up it was difficult for her that her father traveled so much,\u201d\u00a0 But now she\u2019s happy I\u2019m doing work that I enjoy.\u201d His father-in-law heartily agrees.<\/p>\n

He views his OU Kosher work as a esteemed privilege. \u201cIt\u2019s a great service for the kosher consumer,\u201d he says. \u201cOur job is to make sure it\u2019s kosher to the highest standards possible.\u201d\u00a0 He values the opportunity to be part of the OU Kosher team.<\/p>\n

And OU Kosher is blessed to have him.<\/p>\n

BAYLA SHEVA BRENNER IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR\u00a0 TO BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

His colleagues call him OU Kosher\u2019s West Coast \u201cmain guy.\u201d And rightly so. Rabbi Reuven Nathanson, RFR director of the West Coast region, has put in close to three decades inspecting plants in no less than 10 Western states. His fellow RFRs know they can turn to him for his expertise in kosher \u2013 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-btus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOU Kosher\u2019s King of the West Coast - Behind the Union Symbol<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/btus\/2017\/06\/30\/ou-koshers-king-west-coast\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"OU Kosher\u2019s King of the West Coast - Behind the Union Symbol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"His colleagues call him OU Kosher\u2019s West Coast \u201cmain guy.\u201d And rightly so. 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