Kashrus Konnections For the Kashrus Professional

By: Rabbi Zvi Goldberg

Periodically, Star-K distributes “Kashrus Konnections”, a compilation of policies meant for the kashrus professional. Some items may be of interest to consumers as well. Below are some of the topics addressed in past issues. To sign up to receive the publication via e-mail, send a blank e-mail to konnections-subscribe@star-k.org.

I am going to a Star-K restaurant over Chol Hamoed Sukkos. Will I have to take the food out or will there be a sukkah on the premises?

Star-K policy is that eateries must have a sukkah available for customers on Sukkos. (It is important to note that due to the kedusha of a sukkah, a garbage can may not be put inside.)

If an electric coil on a range-top does not get red-hot, may it still be kashered?

Yes, it may be kashered as long as it gets to libun kal (550°F). Any residue […]

Mitzvos on the Fringe

By: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann

Just as the Torah carefully directs us in the arena of kosher diet, what we can and cannot eat, how food may and may not be prepared, and what foods are considered required eating, similarly, the Torah provides us with a kosher dress code regarding the clothing we wear, what fabrics or combination thereof may or may not be used, how clothing should or should not be worn, and what styles of clothing are recommended. One of the Torah‘s great “how to” mitzvos is the mitzvah of tzitzis. The Torah instructs us to insert specially wound fringes onto the corners of any four cornered garments where the corners surround the wearer.

On the Road to a Kosher Vacation

By: Rabbi Tzvi Rosen

Published Summer 1996, Reviewed Summer 2005

Summertime is a season synonymous with travel, vacation, and experiencing the great outdoors. For many, the great excursion meant traveling to Bubbi’s bungalow colony in the country. Today, we vacation the length and breadth of America. As we venture further and further away from the Catskill corridor, and experience the heartbeat of America, a universal question crosses the mind of every frum vacationer: “Is there anything Kosher to eat out there?” The answer is yes, more than you think; but it is still wise to plan before your journey.

The Guide To Halachic Food Measurements

By: Rabbi Dovid Heber

Conscientious observance of kashrus goes beyond the identification of kosher symbols on your supermarket shelf and the separation of meat and dairy foods and utensils in your kitchen. There are many food related halachos, in addition to those involving preparation and serving. Amongst them are the halachos of shiurim, measurements. They encompass a wide range of issues relevant to food consumption, and have important halachic ramifications.

STAR-K’S SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM LIGHTS UP THE SHIDDUCH WORLD

08 | 01 | 2005

By: Margie Pensak

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.

STAR-K Opens Office in India

08 | 01 | 2005

By: Margie Pensak

In the land of the lofty Himalayas, the majestic Taj Mahal, and the fabled Shangri La, stands the newest STAR-K office in Mumbai, India. Kashrus is no stranger to this exotic country, located just west of China, the home of STAR-K’s Far East office.

Legend has it that in 175 B.C.E., the ancestors of Bene Israel fled persecution in Palestine. Seven couples were cast ashore and survived when their ship was wrecked on the Konkan peninsula, south of present-day Bombay (renamed the ethnic Mumbai in 1996). Isolated in their villages, these agriculturists and oil pressers (called shanwar telli, literally, “Saturday oil men” because they did not work on Shabbos), remained unaware, until the 18th century, of the two other groups of Jews which had settled in India—the Cochin Jews and the Baghdadi Jews.

The Cochin Jews claim that their ancestors arrived on the southwest coast of India, near Cochin, in 72 A.D., […]