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Sunday, November 21, 2004
What do American buffalo, giraffes, sparrows and grasshoppers have in common? They were all featured at an Orthodox Union conference in May on the traditions of kosher meat.
An attendance numbering in the hundreds filled the auditorium of Lander College for Men in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, NY to learn about the traditions (mesorah) of the kosher status of many kosher animals and birds. After 20 years of research into the potential of bringing these and dozens of other exotic creatures back into the fold of mainstream Jewish cuisine, Dr. Ari Greenspan and Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky presented their findings to the OU for endorsement.
The result, following weeks of preparation by members of the OU Kosher Department to compile their research, was a day of interactive lectures on various topics relating to the traditions of kosher meat, followed by a once-in-a-lifetime dinner at which many of these rare creatures were consumed at an OU certified restaurant.
The day was coordinated by Rabbi Yosef Grossman, the Director of the Orthodox Union’s “ASK OU” programs, which sponsored the two-part event.
“The Orthodox Union is the largest and most respected kosher certifying organization in the world,” declared Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic Administrator of OU Kosher. “It is only natural that when Dr. Ari Greenspan and Rabbi Ari Zivitovsky concluded their world-wide trek to find rabbis who could testify to the kosher status of these creatures, they came to the OU to give their work credibility.”
Like other food items, kosher poultry must have sources that meet the strict standards of Jewish law. Unlike other food items, however, kosher poultry can only be taken from those creatures whose kosher status is affirmed through tradition. Many creatures are not easily procured, and their kosher status is sadly falling away as the few rabbis remaining in the world who can attest to the kosher status of
many exotic creatures slowly pass away.
The OU therefore seized on the opportunity to present an extraordinary day, starting with eight hours of lectures from the top experts in kosher meat in both the United States and Israel. One might think that eight hours of speeches on meat could be the cure for insomnia, but as one participant remarked, “How can you sleep with someone frying fresh grasshoppers before your eyes?”
Participants witnessed a live demonstration from Rabbi Chaim Loike, one of the world’s experts in exotic kosher birds, and saw some of his 25 feathered-friends on display. They heard about the dissection of a giraffe (to investigate its kosher status); were introduced (through a video) to an exotic bovine from South America, the Zebu; and even learned that the humble turkey is over-shadowed by mountains of Rabbinic literature explaining its complicated kosher tradition.
All of this can really work up an appetite. Some 145 curious and hungry diners traveled to Levana, an OU certified restaurant in Manhattan, which doubled that evening as a lively lecture hall. The restaurant had booked a capacity crowd and had to stop taking reservations for the meal several days in advance, while the waiting list continued to grow. Let’s face it — the opportunity to taste a cow’s udder (and learn about the preparations necessary to make it kosher), red deer, quail, dove, pigeon, mutten, goat and bison all at one table doesn’t occur every day.
Not surprisingly, the OU has since received requests to recreate this exploration of kosher tradition in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago and other major cities.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Kosherfest 2004, the sixteenth annual kosher food and foodservice trade show, took place at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 26 and 27. Renowned as the world’s most important
trade event for the kosher food industry, “Kosherfest’s move to the Javits Center positions kosher for further growth among diverse sectors of the food market,” according to Menachem Lubinsky, President & CEO of Lubicom Marketing Consulting. Mr. Lubinsky co-producer of Kosherfest together with Diversified Business Communications, reports that “An estimated 2,500 food items received
kosher certification in the past 12 months, bringing the total number of packaged goods in the U.S. with kosher certification to over 82,000.” More than 500 new products made their debut at this year’s Kosherfest.
Hundreds of OU certified companies exhibited at the 2004 Kosherfest, where the Orthodox Union’s booth attracted countless visitors of OU certified companies’ officials as well as inquiries about OU applications.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Rabbi Stone’s Roadshow or, Why Your Kosher Product Is Kosher
Rabbi Avrohom Stone of the OU Kosher Division has a new assignment: to travel the country explaining to management and key personnel in OU-supervised companies why they do what they do to maintain their kosher program. The goal of Rabbi Stone’s seminars is to explain the $33 billion kosher market and what the kosher process entails.
Rabbi Stone, an OU Rabbinic Field Representative based in New Jersey, has recently conducted three seminars, including one for Meier’s Dairy in Little Rock, AK, the second largest dairy in the country. A seminar for Nestle has been planned for November in Glendale, CA.
So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “The companies find it very useful,” said Rabbi Stone. “While they know some aspects of the kosher market, they often don’t fully understand the different parts of the kosher program and how they fit together.” Included in the program is an outline of the kosher process, i.e. how a product becomes kosher; what makes a product or food kosher; who makes up the kosher market; and why it is advantageous for a company to become kosher. However, the main focus of the seminars, Rabbi Stone explained, is a clear presentation of the OU system of maintaining the kosher program as it is applied TO that particular plant.
Both the companies and the rabbis agree that communication is a major key to a productive company-OU relationship. “We find that when we communicate with companies and explain the kosher program, the supervision is enhanced,” declared Rabbi Yaakov Luban, OU Executive Rabbinic Coordinator for New Companies, and the overseer of the kosher seminars. “This program strengthens the cooperative effort, which in turn enhances our supervision. When employee understanding is enhanced, the companies are equipped to understand what is expected and required of them.”
Rabbi Luban attributes the success of the seminars to Rabbi Stone’s special attributes. “Rabbi Stone is a very talented individual who is extremely knowledgeable about kashrut as well as being an excellent communicator with a great sense of humor,” he said.
According to Rabbi Stone, “There was a consensus among the OU rabbis that such a program would be very valuable to our companies. Our seminars give people an appreciation for the value and marketability of kosher products.”
Available to management level and key employees within OU-supervised companies, the seminars target personnel who are not completely familiar with who and what constitutes the kosher market. According to Rabbi Stone, the OU rabbis don’t always have the opportunity to explain the kosher process directly to the employees involved while in a plant. He added that it is essential for these employees to have a greater understanding of the process so that they know why and what they are doing.
While the same basic format of the seminar is given to each company, Rabbi Stone tours each plant and meets with the key employees prior to his presentation. According to Rabbi Luban, this is done so that Rabbi Stone can make an analysis of the companies’ specific needs and tailor the presentation to address the specific issues that present themselves in that particular plant.
Rabbi Stone is confident the program will expand rapidly. He hopes that the OU will be able to provide up to six seminars a month to various companies. “We have already received requests from companies to come back and present the seminar again next year,” declared Rabbi Stone.
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