Author Archives: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Tevila Exemption for Appliances with Electronic Components

Tevila Exemption for Appliances with Electronic Components

By: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Spring 2025

For many years, Rav Moshe Heinemann shlit”a instructed STAR-K to advise consumers that electric appliances which require tevila – such as toasters, waffle makers and hot water kettles – can be toveled and left to dry for three days. I have given this advice probably thousands of times and never once had a call back that the appliance was ruined.

There are, however, appliances that have both electric and electronic components. Electric devices convert electrical energy into other forms of energy, while electronic devices control the flow of electrons to perform tasks. Once exposed to water, damage to electronics begins within seconds – and the longer the exposure, the worse the damage.

Printed circuit boards consist of a laminate containing fiberglass and copper-clad epoxy, which forms the circuit’s wiring. This creates the perfect environment for galvanic or two-metal corrosion. Water contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and salt, which accelerate […]

Producción de Carne Kasher: Shechita Flies South

Producción de Carne Kasher: Shechita Flies South

By: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Spring 2024

From time immemorial, no matter where in the far-flung Diaspora, the presence of a Jewish community has always meant that there was shechita in proximity. The position of community shochet was one of a klei kodesh and the shochtim of a community were subject to the supreme jurisdiction of the local rav and/or Beis Din.  

Here, in the U.S., it was no different. On November 15, 1660, a man named Asser (Asher) Levy acquired a license to serve as the first kosher butcher in the small Dutch-controlled hamlet of Nieuw Amsterdam – now better known as New York City.[1] Ever since, maintaining a reliable supply of kosher beef has been an integral part of Jewish communal life in the U.S. Previous Kashrus Kurrents articles have offered a glimpse into the challenges shechita has faced on these shores and the changes to the way kosher meat is supplied […]

Mashke Goes Mainstream

Mashke Goes Mainstream

By: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Kashrus Kurrents, Spring 2023

In the last year, STAR-K certified a host of iconic brands in the
alcoholic beverages category from almost all the way around the globe: from the
green pastures of Kentucky, to the shores of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor; crossing
the Atlantic Ocean to the Emerald Isle, Ireland; and completing the journey in Italy.
These newly kosher-certified brands include selected products from Baltimore’s
own Sagamore spirits; Wild Turkey and Skyy Vodka; Bailey’s Irish Cream Original
(STAR-D Dairy, non-cholov Yisroel); and Frangelico, all of whom have joined
the STAR-K Family just this year.

Kosher certification for spirits addresses a number of serious issues that have cropped up, as the industry has globalized and consolidated operations. Growing use of additives and processing aids that need certification – such as flavor chemicals, glycerin and the use of shared transportation bottling lines with dairy and non-kosher products – makes kosher certification more and more relevant, even in product categories that […]

Kosher Wine Comes of Age

Kosher Wine Comes of Age

By: Rabbi Zvi Holland

Throughout the ages, alcohol has always played a vital role in historical and religious observance. Dovid Hamelech’s declaration ויין ישמח לבב אנוש,1 “Wine will gladden the hearts of humanity,” certainly has borne itself out in modern history. Wine accompanies happy occasions in almost every society known to man. Chazal declare אין שמחה אלא ביין.2
When I was growing up, there weren’t many choices when it came to kosher wine. When my parents bought our childhood home, my father was thrilled to find that it came with a wine cellar. He was then faced with the formidable challenge of finding kosher wine good enough to bother storing. I remember a time when there were only two wines from Eretz Yisroel available, both from Carmel Chateau Rishon: Vin Rouge and Vin Blanc; basically, the whole range was sweet red and white! Domestic wines were even more limited; while there were a few […]