Adapted from: On Judaism: Conversations on being Jewish in Today’s World, by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, pages 219-236. With permission from Artscroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
From the first man and woman we learn about the significance of eating. Adam and Eve were given simple, clear instructions. As guardians of the Garden of Eden they were permitted to taste everything in the Garden. There was only one restriction: they could not eat from one particular tree. If they did, they would die. Isn’t it curious that the Creator’s first conversation with Adam and Eve focuses on the do’s and don’t about food. Superficially, there is nothing about these instructions that strikes one as having implications for eternity or immortality. Just – this you may eat, that you must avoid.
Why Eat Kosher?
How to Make a Home Kosher
Healthy food choices and dieting are 21st century buzzwords. It seems that more than ever people are making positive dietary changes. For thousands of years, Judaism has offered a dietary blueprint. Not only does the Torah guide us in our food choices, it commands us to separate dairy and meat, and wait a customary length of time between eating meat and dairy dishes. Today, we find Jews of all ages and backgrounds with a growing interest in kashrus and kosher homemaking. For first-hand accounts of people who have kashered their homes click here.
Electronic Letters of Certification Available
In keeping with Star-K’s commitment to providing prompt, efficient service, Star-K companies will now have the option of receiving their Letter of Certification (LOC) electronically. This enhancement is especially useful for companies that send multiple LOC’s to each of their customers. For example, rather than faxing a five-page LOC to a long list of customers, Star-K companies will be only a click away from electronic LOC distribution. All their customers can receive the data they need in seconds.
Kosher 101
Definitions
The Jewish religion incorporates within its tenets a regimen of dietary laws. These laws determine which food is acceptable and in conformity with Jewish Law. The word kosher is an adaptation of the Hebrew word meaning fit or proper. It refers to foodstuffs that meet the dietary requirements of Jewish Law.
Acceptability and Service
How does one determine the level of acceptability of a certification?
The best way to begin is by asking your customers, distributors, or companies selling products similar to yours, about their experiences with a particular certification.
Kashrus Foodservice Training Seminar
July 1-3, 2013
Expertise and Knowledge
It is also imperative that you make inquiries regarding the level of expertise and knowledge that the various agencies have about your particular industry. For example, if you are producing a food chemical such as citric acid or an amino acid, be sure that the Rabbi making the initial plant visit is familiar with industrial fermentations. Otherwise, his lack of understanding will almost certainly interfere with a smooth trouble-free certification.
Negotiating Terms & Fees
Negotiating terms
One issue which may not be so obvious when first negotiating terms of kosher certification, but may be a very serious concern later on, is your need to know in advance if your raw ingredient suppliers will require kosher certification. If they do, will their present certification which they may already have, be acceptable? Although in most instances reputable agencies accept the certifications of other reputable agencies, there are a disturbing number of exceptions to this rule.
Determining the right agency for your needs
How do you go about selecting the right kosher certification that will satisfy your company’s particular needs?
Unless you are a local retail establishment whose kosher certification needs are best satisfied by the local rabbinical council, you are about to undergo a bewildering journey of trying to compare the merits of several different certifications. All kosher certification organizations are not identical!
Electronic Letters of Certification Available
In keeping with Star-K’s commitment to providing prompt, efficient service, Star-K companies will now have the option of receiving their Letter of Certification (LOC) electronically. This enhancement is especially useful for companies that send multiple LOC’s to each of their customers. For example, rather than faxing a five-page LOC to a long list of customers, Star-K companies will be only a click away from electronic LOC distribution. All their customers can receive the data they need in seconds.
Furthermore, because the LOC is in a “read only” Adobe file, security is assured. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is a commonly used program, easily downloaded from the internet.) An electronic LOC helps maintain the integrity of important information such as, “kosher for Passover” certification, or “when bearing the Star-K symbol”. This is most beneficial for kosher certification agencies.
This most recent change represents Star-K’s ongoing effort to maintain a state-of-the-art computer system in order to […]
Kosher Class Article
January
Bundling Audits
Bob Vosburgh, Jeff Wells and Alyssa Haak
It’s tough enough getting certified on a single attribute, much less three. But Hain-Celestial Group’s WestSoy product line was able to gain organic, kosher and non-GMO certification in record time thanks to the emergence of multiple audit programs that streamline the verification process.
Star-K adds non-GMO certification to its kosher and organic audits
By Caroline Scott-Thomas
Star-K Kosher Certification has begun providing triple inspections to certify plants and products as non-GMO, organic and kosher, which it says can save companies time and money on individually conducted inspections.
An excerpt from:”Entrepreneurs Find Ways to Make Technology Work With Jewish Sabbath”
Washington Jewish Week, July 2009
“The kosher consumer has an influence in the marketplace that goes way beyond actual numbers,” said Dr. Avrom Pollak, president of STAR-K, which certifies as kosher everything from major appliance to food, alcohol and some prescriptions.
STAR-K Certification Announces New Joint Kosher and Organic Auditing Program with QAI
New Program Expedites Kosher/Organic Certification
BALTIMORE, Md. and SAN DIEGO, Calif. —STAR-K Certification, Inc., today announced a new joint kosher and organic auditing program with Quality Assurance International (QAI), effective January 1, 2009.
STAR-K and BASF
An article that appeared in Euroscope Magazine – for BASF employees in Europe [No. 2/2007]. The essay discusses the STAR-K Kosher certification program at numerous BASF facilities worldwide.
Rabbi Heinemann on Sabbath Mode Ovens
Teshuva (Responsa) regarding Sabbath Mode ovens by HaGoan HaRav Moshe Heinemann Shlita, Rabbinic Administrator of the Star-K
STAR-K OPENS NEW ONLINE INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL KOSHER UNIVERSITY
Those who are clueless but curious about kosher, have the opportunity to access the
only formal, online, interactive introductory classes about kosher on the web. Star-K’s
Virtual Kosher University will allow the kosher novice to learn the basics from Star-K’s
expert Kashrus Administrators—whether they live in Calabasas, California, or Caracas,
Venezuela! Regardless of one’s schedule, the world of kosher is now open as never before,
at one’s own pace, in the comfort of one’s own home.
STAR-K’S KOSHER FOR THE CLUELESS BUT CURIOUS
Rabbi Apisdorf, well-known author of the successful award-winning Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Survival Kit, has collaborated with STAR-K on the just released Kosher for the Clueless but Curious.
STAR-K’S SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM LIGHTS UP THE SHIDDUCH WORLD
Please Note : Effective March 2011 this program has been discontinued.
Long before the news of the first official “Star-K engagement” circulated, Baltimore’s Star-K headquarters tasted success. The actual distribution of the $2,500 cash “gift” incentive, on top of the customary shadchanus for the successful matches made for Baltimore’s Orthodox women, was not the sole measure of accomplishment.
Star-K’s novel attempt at remedying the universal singles problem locally was made with the twin hope of inspiring the launching of similar programs by organizations and individuals in other “out-of-town” communities. As soon as the news hit the press, Star-K was flooded with telephone calls, letters and e-mails from around the world.
Lecture Series
The Star-K has initiated a new lecture series designed to clarify issues and dispel kashrus misconceptions. These seminars feature a comprehensive analysis of pertinent kashrus and halachic issues.
Wolf Appliance Company’s Products Now Certified By Star-K
KOSHER TODAY
Wolf Appliance Company, a leading manufacturer of luxury cooking instruments and corporate companion of Sub-Zero Freezer Company announced that the majority of its products are now certified as Sabbath – and holiday – compliant by Star-K Kosher Certification. All of the models of Wolf’s gas range top, gas cooktop, pro-range, dual fuel range, electric cooktop, and built-in electric single and double oven are approved for use in acordance with the rules spcified by Star-K. “We have worked hard to receive this certification,” said Jim Bakke, president and chief executive officer for Sub-Zero/Wolf. “We strive for product design that is aesthetically innovative and ergonomic, as well as beneficial to the specific needs of the Jewish faith.”
Star-K – Local Kashrus Agency with National Impact
By: Staff Reporter
KOSHER TODAY
…Remarkably, the Star-K strives to maintain a healthy balance between its role as a local kashrus service agency and as a national symbol. This past summer, some 2000 Jewish athletes saw the local hospitality side of the Star-K. Baltimore was the host city for the North American Maccabi Games. As a result of the Star-K’s supervision, the athletes, housed at the state university in suburban Towson, were able to eat kosher throughout the 4 days of the competition. The big hit for the athletes, who came from 20 cities and several foreign countries, were the tens of dozens of kosher-certified Krispy Kreme donuts made available to them during breaks in the games.
Companies Cashing in on Demand for Kosher
By: Dan Mayfield
adapted from SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Three years ago, Eagle Ranch Pistachios of Alamogordo, N.M., got a request from one of its best customers. “We were requested to get a kosher certification from a customer we have a real good relationship with, a diamond broker in New York,” Eagle Ranch co-owner Marianne Schweers said. “We do a lot of corporate gifts through the company. It’s home-based in Israel and decided it wasn’t going to do business with anyone that wasn’t kosher. So we said we’ll give it a shot.”
Appliances that help Jews Keep Kosher
The following article discussing STAR-K’s Sabbath Mode appliances was penned by Annie Groer and appeared in the Washington Post on April 16, 2001:
In the beginning, strict biblical edicts governed cooking during the Jewish Sabbath and holy days.
These days, appliance-makers are adding features to help Jews cook yet comply with bans on work during the day of rest and starting fires on holidays. Dacor (since 1989), KitchenAid (since 1996) and General Electric (beginning this week) offer ovens and stoves equipped with what all call a “Sabbath Mode.”
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