winter 2009 atlantic canada - kosher · pdf fileprickly pear cactus, a tenacious, ... duced to...

& OVER 6,000 PLANTS WORLDWIDE

W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

WWW.OUKOSHER.COM | A PUBLICATION FOR OU CERTIFIED COMPANIES

BEHIND THE

AtlanticCanada

Vacationer’s Delight, OU Kosher Paradise

K A S H R U T D I V I S I O NRabbi Menachem Genack RABBINIC ADMINISTRATOR / CEO

Rabbi Moshe Elefant EXECUTIVE RABBINIC COORDINATOR / COO

DIRECTOR, NEW COMPANY DEPARTMENT

Rabbi Yaakov Luban EXECUTIVE RABBINIC COORDINATOR

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran SENIOR RABBINIC COORDINATOR

VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz SENIOR RABBINIC COORDINATOR

Rabbi Moshe Zywica SENIOR RABBINIC COORDINATOR

Rabbi Yerachmiel Morrison INGREDIENT APPROVAL REGISTRY

Rabbi Abraham Juravel INGREDIENT APPROVAL REGISTRY

Rabbi Howard Katzenstein DIRECTOR, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Dr. Simcha Katz CHAIRMAN, JOINT KASHRUT COMMISSION

Rabbi Kenneth Auman CHAIRMAN, RABBINIC KASHRUT COMMISSION

Rabbi Emanuel Holzer CHAIRMAN EMERITUS

O RT H O D O X U N I O NStephen J. Savitsky PRESIDENT

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

David Olivestone NATIONAL DIRECTOR, PLANNING AND COMMUNICATIONS

B E H I N D T H E U N I O N S Y M B O LRabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Stephen Steiner EDITOR

Yocheved Lefkovits ART DIRECTOR

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS & CONTRIBUTIONS FAX 212.613.0775 | E-MAIL [email protected]

BEHIND THE

Beyond OU Kosher, the Orthodox Union offers a wide variety of social action, educational and youth programs,

of which in this time of economic distress, the Job Boardstands out for its direct involvement in putting the unem-ployed back to work.

“We’ve helped over 1,000 people across the United Statesand Canada get jobs in the past year,” says Michael Rosner, Di-rector of the Job Board. “The people we’ve helped range acrossthe religious spectrum, beyond theJewish community. At the OU JobBoard, we are truly egalitarian.” Mr.Rosner made it clear that even inthese difficult times, there are manypositions available on the Job Board.

Among its ways of determin-ing the availability of positions, theJob Board has called on synagoguesacross North America to have theircongregants submit available posi-tions within their companies or anypositions they know about.

Mr. Rosner explains, “The

Board constantly reminds synagogues to send in job postingsand to inform their congregants of the various opportunitiesposted on the Job Board; we also send out brochures and fly-ers to make their community aware of all the programs and re-sources we offer. During these trying times, it is perhaps moreimportant than ever before to keep our synagogues in mindand to take advantage of all the Board has to offer.”

Mr. Rosner continues, “Not only can employers list openpositions within their companies forfree, but those looking for employ-ment can send in their resumes forfree as well. Resumes are stored instrict confidence and are onlyscreened by qualified employerslooking to fill the position the job ap-plicant is seeking.”

The Job Board, which is con-stantly updated, posts jobs availablelocally, nationally, and internationally(primarily Israel and Canada), in a va-riety of categories on its website,

The

to the Economic CrisisOU Job Board

Responds

MORE THAN 1,000 CANDIDATES ATTENDED THE OU

JOB FAIR IN ISRAEL. > > C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 5

2 | BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

CONSIDeR The SABRA.We refer to native Israelis as sabras because they are “tough

on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside.” While this iscertainly true about native Israelis, sometimes we overlook thesignificance of the source of this name. “Sabra” comesfrom tzabar, the hebrew name for theprickly pear cactus, a tenacious,thorny plant with a thickhide that makes it partic-ularly suitable for sur-vival and blossoming inthe harsh desert. Withinthat tough exterior is asweet, soft and delicious interior.

The image of the sabra is fundamen-tal to the image of Israel and Israelis throughout the world; thatwe Jews, when we look to our Jewish homeland, embrace themarriage of the tough and the sweet. Isn’t it appropriate thatthis fundamental image be rooted in a food!

Food is central to how we live; how we define ourselves

and how we associate with our friends and neighbors. In Ju-daism though, food is not simply about taste, or presentation, orsating our desire and need to eat. It speaks directly to the en-nobled role we have as God’s chosen among the people and be-

ings of the earth. For this reason, we adhere to very strictdietary laws; to kashrut.

Through the centuries, as was the case withfood in general, kosher food was produced in

local Jewish communities. however, just as allfood production began to change in the mid-20th century from local farmers and butchersto international food and agri-businesses,kosher food production was also dominatedby a handful of major food processing sites,primarily in North America.

But now, in the early years of the 21stcentury, we are seeing Israel taking its place

at the head of the Jewish table, and as would beexpected with OU Kosher certification right alongside.

In 2007, Israel’s processed food exports far exceeded$800 million, a growth of 19 percent from the pre-vious year. Fresh fruit and vegetables accountedfor almost as much, a whopping 47 percentgrowth from 2006.

People concerned with gourmet and specialtyfoods, organic foodies and health food “junkies”have joined those whose religious sensibilities de-mand a kosher diet – observant Jews, Muslims, hin-dus, vegetarians and health consumers. Jews haveaddressed this demand both in Israel and abroad.

For example, Organic India, acompany founded by Israelisis OU certified while alsoholding certifications fromthe european Union and theUSDA for organic produce.

Consumers of kosherfood needn’t fear for lack ofvariety — over 500,000 prod-ucts bear a kosher seal.Which all adds up to the factthat kosher is no longer ap-pealing only to observant

Jews. even those with allergies have learned that the“kosher label” is the standard when it comes to“truth in advertising.”

EDITOR’S LETTER BY RABBI DR. ELIYAHU SAFRAN

AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE:

Israel, Kosher Food and theWorld’s Appetite

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Among OU Certified Companies in Israel Exporting to the United States

Angel’s Bakeries, Jerusalem — Baked GoodsBeit Hashita, Beit Hashita — Pickled ProductsBeth El Foods, Zichron Yaakov — Baked Goods, Cakes, Candies, Jellies,PreservesBinyamina Winecellars Ltd., Binyamina — Alcoholic BeveragesCarmel Wine Company, Rishon LeZion — Wines, LiqueursDalton Winery Ltd, Ramat Gan — Alcoholic BeveragesGadot Biochemichals, Haifa — ChemicalsHod Lavan, Beit Shaan — Turkey/Deli productsKvutzat-Yavne, Kvutzat Yavne — Olives, Condiments and RelishesMatzot Aviv, Bnei Brak — MatzohMatzoh Yehuda, Givat Shaul — MatzohOf Tov, Emek Beit Shean — Meat and Poultry ProductsOsem , Petach Tikva — Baked goods, Condiments, Soups, CandySde Eliyahu — SDA Spice; Afula — Dehydrated VegetablesSoglowek, Nahariya — Frozen FoodsStrauss-Elite, Misgav — Dairy, Candy, Snack Foods, CoffeeTavlinei Pereg, Bat Yam — Spices and SeasoningTelman-Unilever Israel Foods, Haifa — Soups, Cereals Tishbi Winery, Zichron Yaakov — WinesTnuva, Ramat Hasharon — Dairy ProductsWissotsky Tea, Tel Aviv — Tea


Kosher is good for the consumer and good for Israel. Inaddition to kosher food, kosher wine is a winning product onthe world market.

A small country in an arid region of the world, Israel de-pends on imports to meet its domestic demand. however, moreand more, its exports are growing in demand and popularity,shrinking the import-export gap, while at the same time majorfood producers world-wide recognize the enormity of the

kosher market sharefound within a rela-tively small geographicarea roughly the size ofthe state of New Jerseywith millions of kosherconsumers.

Kosher food is amajor player in di-minishing this gap.As the market forkosher food and prod-ucts grows in europeand North America,Israeli companies aremoving into these lu-crative markets.

Israel has come along way from ex-porting nothing morethan oranges, pitaand matzah!

Now, 2.8 percentof Israel’s Gross Do-

mestic Product comes from food and agriculture. It is true thatIsrael continues to import a great deal of grain; in other agri-cultural products it has become self-sufficient and has evenbegun to export. Foods can only be imported if they are kosher,overwhelmingly OU Kosher. Now, the kosher label is a pow-erful export brand as well.

Of course, Israeli farmers — in collectives and as part ofagricultural businesses — have been growing grapefruit, or-anges and lemons for centuries. Much of the world was intro-duced to Israel’s agriculture through the export of the famousJaffa orange. Its agricultural products have continued to earn aplace in the world market. Flowers, in partic-ular, are heavily export-centric, with 90 per-cent of Israel growers shipping their bloomsout of the country. each year 1.5 billion flowerstems are exported, double from only 10years ago.

Israel’s kosher food market is good forconsumers and good for Israel.

Israel’s domestic market – for all goodsand services – is relatively small. Which

means that Israel’s economy needs exports to expand. Israel hasbecome a front-runner in high-tech exports such as computersoftware, hardware and telecommunications systems. Fiber op-tics, thermal imaging and robotics have taken their place amongIsrael’s strong export industries.

Israel’s military expertise has also been a source of vital ex-ports. As have polished diamonds.

every export is vital to Israel’s growth and continuedstrength. Yet no other export seems to speak to what is essentialto Israel’s Jewish character as its food exports. With time, foodhas become an ever-growing piece of her export puzzle.

And not only the food itself! Israel also exported her tech-nology and know-how in growing food. In that same period, Is-rael exported $1.4 billion in advanced agro-technology robots topick the fruit, electro-optical equipment to monitor the quality ofproduce and genetically-engineered seeds to guarantee yields.

Israel offers the consumer tremendous advantages when itcomes to the choice in food quality and products. Israel excelsin producing gourmet and specialty foods. Fresh products, thebest ingredients and, perhaps most importantly, the creative at-titude of the artisan combine to create foods that wed theMediterranean and the ethnic. The rigorous standards ofkashrut inform the organic food sector as well.

So too, the discerning health food person, finds a purerproduct in Israel’s kosher markets. Israel has created a broadnumber of pareve foods that appeal to health food consumerswho avoid sugar, dairy, meat, and/or gluten, always reinforcedby the OU pareve symbol. For those who cherish the rich tasteof dairy foods, Israel’s dairy industry produces one of theworld’s largest selections of soft cheeses.

Israel’s fresh fruits and vegetables make even the mostdiscerning consumer happy. A bite into the iconic Jaffa or-ange is enough to conjure up imaginings of youthful days inthe desert sun.

And, of course, Israel’s wines have found a home inmany of the finest restaurants in North America and eu-rope. “Kosher wine” no longer refers only to the sweet wineof the Seder table but also to find Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs,and Cabernet Sauvignons.

In the 21st century, the world has begun to feast at Israel’stable. It is a feast we can all celebrate.

Kosher products and Israel . . . a match made in heaven!

As we turn the final page on the 2008 calen-dar, we salute the miraculous achievementsof Israel’s 60 years of independent statehood,even as it has faced trials and tribulations noteasily tolerated by other countries around theworld. The Orthodox Union’s close bonds toall that is Israel are natural. Israel is theworld’s major kosher consuming locationwhere over six million inhabitants consume

> > C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 5

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he brand name “Aunt Berta’s”refers to a real person. She was born

about 94 years ago in a small mountainvillage in europe and is still enjoyinggood health today. She took the freshbounty of her family’s fruit orchardsand turned them into brightly coloreddelicious preserves.

The tradition began with hergrandmother, who had a large kettleresting on an open fire in the kitchen’sheart. She developed her own formulabased on fruit, sugar and tender lovingcare. She knew exactly how long to stirthe bubbling fruit in order to bring outits natural flavor and when to stop inorder to preserve its natural color. Test-ing the blend for taste and texture, she’dgive an approving wink and immedi-ately pour it into jars.

Today, Aunt Berta is sharing herpreserves, marmalades and sauceswith you.

The once small kitchen has beentransformed into a family-sized state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with adaily output of thousands of jars. In ad-dition to a spacious area for hand-preparing the fruit, this enlargedfarm-sized factory is equipped withthe latest cooking, filling, pasteuriz-ing and cooling systems.

With an eye to the fu-ture, Aunt Berta has developed an all-naturalproduct range, that in-cludes preservesm a r m a l a d e s ,

spreads, sauces, crackers, cookies,chocolates and pasta—all of whichare free from preservatives and foodcolorings.

Aunt Berta’s products are OUkosher, an important reason for thecompany’s success.

Aunt Berta’s is manufactured byBeth-el Food Ltd, a companyfounded by a group of OrthodoxZionist Christians from differentcountries who came to Israel approx-

imately 40 years ago and decided tolive there, to help the people of Israelany w a y t h e y could.

The company’s goal is tostrengthen Israel economically bybuilding factories in places of high unemployment; developing andmanufacturing new products;supporting farmers with their cropsand orchards; exporting its prod-

ucts for sale; and employing Israeli workers.

And of course, all care istaken to ensure that the prepara-tion process preserves the full

natural and original aroma andcolor of the fruit as far as

possible. Aunt Berta’s

grandm o t h e rwould haveliked that.

Aunt Berta’sStirs the Pot

for a of

COMPANY PROFILE

Name Beth-El Food Ltd.Address1 Avshalom Road30951 Zichron Yaacov , Israel

Tel +972-4-6397733Fax +972-4-6292224Email [email protected] www.be-food.comVat registration no 513536789General Manager Mr. Stefan LinkExport Department Mrs. TovaKeys, Mrs. Doris Heymann

Exporting to Europe, USA,Canada, Australia

No. of employees 45

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SpansGlobe

MATZOT AVIV

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thatthe

Matzot Aviv is a leading matzah factory in Israel. Thisfamily business, located in a factory in the heart of

Bnei Brak, produces matzah and exports it to 25 countriesaround the globe.

It all began in 1887, when David Zelivansky emi-grated from Russia to the new neighborhood of Neveh

Tzedek in what would grow into the city ofTel Aviv. he opened a small bakery there toproduce matzah for Passover. his grand-daughter Sarah Wolf recalled that she wouldaccompany him daily to synagogue andthen to the bakery, where she began work-ing when she was 12 years old. She hasworked there ever since, arriving everymorning at 7:00 a.m. In 1946, her father andhusband opened the factory in its current lo-cation and named it Matzot Aviv. During theBritish Mandate period, underground fighters would hide their weapons in thefactory’s cellar.

Matzot Aviv grew along with the new State of Israel tobe a leader in the matzah industry. Today, three generationsof the Wolf family are working in the factory: Sarah Wolf, thetreasurer; her two sons David and Noam, the CeOs; RoyWolf, vice president; and Michal Wolf-Kutchinsky, vice pres-ident. Roy and Michal are the sixth generation of matzahbakers in the family.

The Process of Making MatzahThe process starts with a fully computerized mixing sys-

tem that pours the right amount of flour and water into themixers. After a very fast mixing stage, the dough is carefullytransferred onto a conveyer belt that takes the dough into theforming system which is made of a series of thick presses. Thedough is formed into sheets and the final press creates rowsof pin holes in the sheets to allow steam to escape from thedough and to prevent it from rising.

The dough is then transferred into a 30 meter (97 feet)oven and baked for about two minutesat 380°C (716ºF). After passing througha cooling tunnel, thematzahs are then

packed in sealed bags and boxes. Although the process isfully automatic, a kosher supervisor is stationed near everymixer, dough press and oven exit to make sure the matzah ismade within the limitation of 18 minutes and that no leaven-ing occurs.

The factory begins to bake matzahs for Passover, whichusually falls in April, in November so that it has time to pro-duce sufficient quantity and to ship it to Jewish communi-ties abroad. “Wherever there is a Jewish community, you arelikely to find Aviv matzahs” says vice president Roy Wolf.“We are distributing matzahs to large communities in theUnited States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom,but also to Wallis, a small island in the Pacific where onlyone Jew lives.“ Recently Matzot Aviv stared shipping toKorea and Singapore as well.

After completing shipments abroad, around February,the factory starts baking for the local market in Israel. The fac-tory works 24 hours a day from Saturday night to Friday untilPassover evening at noon, when the Passover baking is overuntil the next year.

From April to November, when the matzah market isrelatively slow, the factory produces daily matzahs andmatzah meal as well as a wide selection of cookies that aresold in Israel and around the world.

“We began to carry OU certification on our productsmany years ago, as it is a must for acompany that sells its products in theUnited States,“ says CeO David Wolf.

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The Tnuva dairy cooperative was al-ready a household name among

pre-State Jewish pioneers in the holyLand nearly 80 years ago, as a group ofdairy farmers provided milk, butter andother products to thousands of peoplewho worked and lived in the pastoralJezreel and Galilee Valley regions.

With the birth of the modern Jew-ish State, Tnuva rapidly expanded itsoperations across the country, provid-ing a growing range of dairy productsthat addressed the changing dietaryneeds of Israel’s growing population.Today, Tnuva is a billion dollar foodconglomerate that statistically-speak-ing, is also the largest kosher food com-pany in the world.

In 2003, Tnuva en-tered America’s lucrativekosher food marketplace,setting up offices and adistribution network inthe Metropolitan NewYork region, headed byTnuva USA President,Yoram Behiri. The com-pany, which wasrenowned in Israel for itsexacting kashrut standards, immedi-ately engaged the Orthodox Union inan effort to expand its horizons in theUnited States.

“The OU, which is renowned forboth its reliability and visibility amongkosher and mainstream American con-

sumers, enabled Tnuva to quickly ex-pand into the marketplace. Amongmany American consumers, the ‘OU’is not only a kosher symbol, it is also amark of distinction,” noted Mr. Behiri.

Since its entry into the Americanmarketplace, Tnuva has acquired a

ISRAEL’S NUMBER ONEDAIRYCONGLOMERATEMAKES AN IMPACT IN AMERICA

The

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reputation for offering a wide-range ofpremium dairy and frozen pastryproducts that appeal to consumers ofall ages and varying lifestyles. Thisbuttresses the company’s slogan of“Try Something Fresh” and innova-tive. Tnuva’s successful product list inthe USA includes a line of Creamy SoftWhite Cheeses; emek Yellow SlicedCheeses and Bites; Mediterranean FetaSheep’s and Goat’s Cheeses;Kashkaval Balkan Cheese; PuddingSnacks; Butter and Non-Dairy top-pings; as well as Ma’adanot FrozenPastries and Pizzas.

During the past year, Tnuva be-came the first Israeli company tooffer its premium cheese products inthe DeLI department at selectShoprite supermarkets throughout

the Metropolitan New York area.The company plans to expand bothits kosher and mainstream food op-erations in 2009 by highlightinggrowing lines of low-calorie, zerograms trans-fat products, address-ing the “healthier lifestyle” trendthat is sweeping the country.

Tnuva brand products are manu-factured at a phalanx of hi-tech facto-ries across Israel. The company’s mainfactory, located at Alon Tavor just out-side of Afula, is the largest and mosttechnologically advanced dairy pro-duction facility of its kind in the entire

Middle east. During the entire pro-duction process, which is closely mon-itored by kashrut supervisors, not asingle, human hand touches the prod-ucts, as every part of the operation iscomputerized.

According to food industrysources, Tnuva brand products havealready begun to register impressivesales figures in America. Mr. Behiriadded, “Our stated goal is to be-come a household name in both thekosher and mainstream market-places, where Tnuva brand productsare associated with being healthyand delicious for American con-sumers of all ages. Our associationwith the OU has allowed us to reachmany of our objectives in a short pe-riod of time.”

At the Grand hyatt New York, dur-ing its 110th Anniversary National

Dinner, the Orthodox Union honoredIsraeli company Osem USA with theNational Kashrut Leadership Award,in celebration of their fine productsand Israel’s 60th Anniversary. Accept-ing this prestigious honor on behalf ofthe company was Osem USA Presi-dent, Izzet Ozdogan.

CAPTION: LEFT TO RIGHT: DR. STEVEN

KATZ, CHAIRMAN, OU KOSHER; IZZET

OZDOGAN, PRESIDENT, OSEM USA;

STEPHEN J. SAVITSKY, OU PRESIDENT; RABBI

MENACHEM GENACK, CEO, OU KOSHER;

EMANUEL J. ADLER, DINNER CHAIRMAN.

OsemHonored

is

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Kvutzat Yavne Food productswas established 60 years ago on

the religious kibbutz – communalsettlement – of the same name. Withall of its products OU certified, thecompany is a leader in the qualityof its line in Israel and the worldover. Thousands of tons of a widerange of items are manufacturedeach year under exacting qualitystandards, as proven by our ISO9002 certification, as well as by our GMP , FDA and haccpapproval.

The product line, packaged in various sizes of cansand jars, includes: cucumbers in brine; cucumbers in vine-gar; green olives — Manzanillo, Queen (Novo) and Suri ina variety of styles, pitted, sliced and cracked; black olives— natural, black, marinated in wine vinegar, pitted and

sliced; pickled vegetables — hotpeppers, red sweet strips pep-pers, mini-eggplants, green toma-toes and red tomatoes; and oliveoil, a unique product extractedfrom Syrian olives. This entireline can be purchased at deli-catessens, the best chain stores,and prestigious food shops.

Kvutzat Yavne Food Productshas been exporting to five continents for many years under itsown and private labels, and is especially proud of its ability tomeet the specific requirements of its clients regarding packagesize and labeling.

In 1997 the plant was enlarged and improved. A newand modern process was established for incoming vegeta-

bles utilizing some of the most advanced available tech-nologies. The filling of the tins, the adding of spices, the pas-teurization process, are all done using the newest equipmentwith the most advanced automization. Sophisticated videocameras view the olives from all sides in order to sort themaccording to size and quality for continued processing. Thishi-tech sorting is designed to replace the manual variety andenables our company to add special qualitative lines to ourregular products.

Another means of assuring the quality of our pickledproducts is the use of original, authentic and natural mate-rial, not artificial substitutes. Our taste additives are naturalessences and not chemical emulsions.

Kvuzat Yavne Food Products has been officially ac-knowledged for its high quality standards, passing two for-mal examinations in unprecedented fashion, therebyaffirming what our customers have long recognized: Thatour quality has no competition.

Our company was the first firm in the Israeli food in-dustry to pass the ISO 9001 International Standard on its firstattempt, as well as the GMP (production standards) tests ofthe health Ministry, also on the first attempt. Our plant recently received international hACCP accreditation for

SoilIsraeli KibbutzComes a Wide Variety of HighQuality Products

From theof an


quality control, also on the first attempt, something the ex-aminers claimed was quite rare in food-production facilities.

The plant includes a modern oil-press, with the latestin olive-crushing equipment. It was purchased in Italy,widely known as the home of the modern oil-press. Thepress is capable of producing up to 30 tons of oil daily dur-ing the olive-harvest season.

The establishment of the pickling factory was the re-sult of combining two sources of kibbutz income from itsinception in the years before Israel Statehood. In the 1940s,the kibbutz built a food-processing plant that producedvarious canned foods and jams. The plant also packedmeat for the British army during the period of the BritishMandate in Palestine (1922-1948). Kibbutz members alsoplanted a large number of olive trees, generating an addi-

tional source of income.Over the years, there was

a decline in the activity of thefood-processing plant; at thesame time kibbutz memberswho worked in the olivegroves came to the conclusionthat the main profit in the oliveindustry lay in marketing thefinished product.

1966 brought with it thefirst attempt to pickle olives.Kibbutz members purchased100 used wooden barrels inJaffa and began by pickling10 tons of olives. No addi-

tional manpower was allocated to the food-processingplant and at first the olive pickling was part of the workof the olive growers.

The first product was natural olives, with its advan-tage that growers could harvest from the same tree threetimes, each time picking only those olives that had reachedthe optimal size and color.

In those days sorting was done by hand with the trans-fer of the olives to the barrels done with buckets. The firstsorting machine was a handle with a manual operating de-vice that caused diagonal nets to move up and down, withthe olives falling through holes according to size. Later, anelectric motor was connected to the sorting machine but thenoise was so loud that it could be heard all over the kibbutz.

Transfer of the olives from the barrels was also up-graded and an automatic machine was built that could turnover an entire barrel at once, thus saving a great deal ofmanual work.

Over the years the activity of the factory was ex-panded. At first additional types of olives were added. Af-terwards the company began to pickle cucumbers and othervegetables; in the 1990s an oil-processing plant was added.

And of course, all of these products are certifiedkosher by the Orthodox Union.

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> As part of thewww.OUKosher.org website, weare highlighting OU Kosher certified companies and brands asan “OU Featured Company.” Eachfeatured company or brand on thewebsite includes a corporate orproduct image, a description ofthe company, product or brand, aswell as a link to the company orbrand website. Over 650 compa-nies have already been posted.

>If you are interested in having your company be one ofour OU Kosher featured compa-nies, please contact Rabbi EliyahuSafran, Vice President of Market-ing, at [email protected] [email protected]

>Currently featured companies can be seen at:

http//www.oukosher.org/index.php/consumer/featured companies/

T he cost of energy is some-thing that is on everyone’smind these days. The recentrun up in the price of oil has

left us all scrambling to find ways to re-duce energy consumption and cut costs.Small inefficiencies that in the past havegone undetected or overlooked have be-come much too expensive to ignore, par-ticularly when what might otherwise bea tiny loss of energy could cost a planttens of thousands of dollars a year. Thisis particularly true in companies that uti-lize the same boiler to run both kosherand non-kosher products and need tolook at some of the inefficiencies thatarise in the necessary maintenance oftheir kosher program and deviseclever ways to combine the needs forboth a sterling kosher program anda reduction in overall energy costs.

One such company that pro-duces kosher and non-kosher ap-proached the OU with the followingdilemma. Their factory currentlygenerates condensate from both theirkosher and non-kosher productions.The OU would not allow the plant torecycle the condensate from the non-kosher productions back into theirboiler, as the condensate from a non-kosher production is treated by theOU as non-kosher too. At the timethe system was set up, the plant de-cided the only way to deal with the situ-ation was to drop the condensateproduced during non-kosher runs. Intoday’s market, however, the cost to theplant of dropped condensate was esti-mated at almost $100,000! What couldthe experts at the OU come up with toaddress this condensate catastrophe?

The engineering team at the OUsuggested two potential fixes for thisproblem. One would be the introduc-tion of an embittering agent (usually Bi-trix or pine oil) which renders the waternon-potable. So long as the chemicallevels are maintained, the “spoiled

water” is rendered incapable of nega-tively affecting any kosher production.however, in our situation since the con-densate would pass back into a systemwhich had direct contact with food, theembittering agent remedy was too bit-ter a pill to swallow.

Next our tireless staff poured overrabbinic texts dating back hundreds ofyears to offer a second suggestion,which turned out to be a solution ofwhich both company and the OU couldbe proud. Jewish law says that while asingle layer of metal does not providea sufficient barrier to separate betweenhot kosher and non-kosher products, adouble layer of metal does. Why not

transfer the BTUs from the non-koshercondensate into fresh water throughthe use of a double walled heat-ex-changer? Practically, if the companywould have non-kosher condensatepass through a system of double metalwalls (either two plates back to back ortwo pipes one inside the other) the am-bient water heated on the other sidewould be 100% kosher! This systemcan be implemented in almost any sit-uation where the preservation ofkosher status of the product on the op-posite side of a heat exchanger needs tobe preserved. This would also be true

in the case of dairies looking to producenon-dairy orange juice or bottledwater. A company looking to segregateits grape juice, clam juice or sausageand cheese tomato sauce could employsuch a system as well!

There are few issues that the ex-perienced professionals here at the OUhave not had to address before. Ourteam is well-versed in nearly everyarea of food production and can becounted on for innovative ideas ofhow to address potential systems forcost reductions and efficiency. Whenit comes to saving your company’smoney, the OU’s motto is a pennysaved is a dollar earned!

Rabbi Eli Gersten has been a rabbinic co-ordinator at the Orthodox Union since2007, serving as recorder of OU policy. Inthat capacity he works closely with the

OU’s senior rabbinicteam that formulatesOU Kosher policy. Priorto joining the OU heserved as a senior fellowat The Ner Israel Rab-binical College where hereceived his ordination

in 2003. Rabbi Gersten lives in Passaic, NJwith his wife and children.

EnergyEnergyDEVOTING

TO SAVINGBy raBBi eli gerstein

WINTER 2009 | 11


he long-accepted fact that people can’t survivemore than a few days without water doesn’t seem to

wash anymore. As more and more of America’s thirstycan’t seem to function without their chic bottles in hand

for more than an hour, life’s basic necessity has turnedinto a primary accessory.

The New Wave water trend, which includes enhancedwaters, energy drinks, function drinks and ready-to-drink teas, started a few shortyears ago, when several innovative individuals decided to dress up their h2O byadding a dose of exotic fruit flavor, vitamins, polyphenol L-theanine, electrolytes,or just about anything alluringly healthful. entrepreneurs are cashing in on thissurefire way to both whet and satisfy the American consumer’s desire for conven-ience and healthful living. According to Nutrition Business Journal, fancy watersales are forecast to double to $5.6 billion by 2010.

TH2Ohhhhhh!

By Bayla Sheva Brenner

WINTER 2009 | 13

Fancy WaterS Stir Up the Beverage Boom

These successes have not gone unnoticed by the in-vestment community or beverage biggies. The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s largest beverage company,bought Glacier and Fuze and a 40 percent stake in hon-est Tea. In hopes of keeping the market trend fluid, in-spired startup companies continue to search for newtwists on the fancy water concept.

Say Low to Sugar and hello electrolytes! Consumers might remember Tom First, CeO of O

Beverage Inc., Concord, MA, as cofounder of NantucketNectars, (sold to CadburySchweppes Bottling Group in2002 for $100 million). An irre-pressible industrialist and self-proclaimed “fitness nut,” hejumped back into the market in2004, eager to create a drink forthe sports minded and sportsminded wannabes. he re-searched the sports-drink mar-ket and found its offerings

wanting in some areas and overly generous in others.“They were loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners andcoloring,” says Amy Mueller, Director of Public Relationsat O Beverage. “So, he decided to mix it up himself.Friends liked it and he saw he was onto something.”

First invested three-and-a-half years perfectingthe product, Owater. evidently, his efforts paid off.BevNet, a Web site that reviews non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink beverages, voted Owater as the “Best en-hanced Water” of 2007. Owater’s water products are

cleaned through two-pass re-verse osmosis (RO) and dis-tillation or deionization thatremoves any impurities. Thewater, enhanced with elec-trolytes, comes in a variety ofnatural fruit flavors. “We area great example of where thebeverage market is heading,”says Mueller. “People arelooking for more healthful

H2Ohhhhhh!

AI

I


drink options; even high school-age students are start-ing to ‘get it’ and are buying our infused water.”

An adept manufacturer, First saw the value of OUKosher with his initial entry into the beverage marketand made sure to continue that with his new product.“Our sales people are asked to show our kosher certi-fication on a routine basis,” says Laura Minchello, VicePresident of Supply Chain. “It holds our plants to a

higher quality standard and is defi-nitely something we are excited tohave on our label.”

“There are no short cuts,” writesTom First in the September/October

2008 issue of Cape Business. “Just be-cause I was Tom of Nantucket Nectarsdoesn’t mean I can launch anotherbrand and be instantly successful. Itmust stand on its own merits.” Ap-parently, it has. In 2008, O Beveragewill reach about $5 million in sales,

an 85 percent increase from lastyear’s sales of $2.7 million.

oFF to a Sippy StartIn 2005, motivated by his con-cern for his toddler daughter’sdeveloping taste buds, DavidGlasser, CeO and founder ofFirst Juice Inc., in Randolph, NJ,took his business acumen to thedrawing board to create ahealthy juice drink for children.“I wasn’t happy giving them 100percent juice; it has too muchsugar,” says Glasser. “And Iknew I was not alone.” he was-n’t happy with the juice boxes ei-ther. “They squirt and spill andmake a mess.” he decided to getbusy designing a more practicalpackage and filling it with a lesssweet-tasting juice.

Involved with startupbeverage companies in the1990’s, Glasser knew that prepa-ration was critical to successful

presentation. It took him two yearsto complete a custom-built, spill-proof sippy cap able torun on a filling line at one hundred bottles per minute.he worked with a juice-concentrate supplier creating

a custom vitamin blend and con-centrate blend, which includesfresh fruits and vegetables. “Ourjuices are in the 40 percent juicerange, not 100 percent,” saysGlasser. “Parents want juice thathas already been blended withwater; that’s what they were (al-ready) doing at home.”

With nationwide distribution,Glasser receives a steady stream ofaccolades from grateful parentsacross the country. “One womanwrote us from Mississippi,” hesays. “She told us that she drovefifty-five miles to the nearestBaby’s R Us (the product sells fromevery Baby’s R Us in America) to buy atwelve-pack for her daughter’s birthday party.”

Although Glasser’s intent was to encouragehealthy drinking habits in children, he reports thatgrownups enjoy First Juice, too. “every adult we lettaste it says: “Why don’t you put this in a 16 oz. bottle?I would drink this!’”

Proudly displaying the OU on its labels, First Juiceproducts are featured at all Whole Foods locations, aswell as establishments such as Food emporium storesand Fairway in Manhattan. Glasser hopes to distributeto the mainstream chains soon. he also plans to intro-duce two additional flavors by January 2009. “We’ll beusing purple carrots,” he says. “It tastes like a cross ofcarrot and cranberry. We’re creating aromatic juices thattaste different from anything we’ve had thus far.”

The idea of a healthy, low sugar beverage for chil-dren also made sense to Cricket and Brian Allen,founders of “bot beverages,” of Stone harbor, NJ, a low-sugar vitamin water for children. “It was a practical wayto hydrate our children throughout the day, says BrianAllen. “You could have four bot’s and it still wouldn’tequal the sugar or calories in juice. Voted by BevNet asBest Children’s Product of 2007, bot is available in Grape,Orange and Berry and can be found at Whole Foods (na-tionwide), Wegmans, Jewel, and Lowes, among otherpopular venues and is under OU supervision.

therapeUtic thirSt QUencherIn 2004, during his surgical training, Dr. Alex hughes,cofounder of Function Drinks, came upon the idea toincorporate his knowledge of medicine into a tastydrink to “cure what ails you.” Partnering with his

A

WINTER 2009 | 15

friends, Dayton Miller and Josh Simon, hughes hireda team of physicians to help concoct a functional drinkline. Their eight patented formulas include UrbanDetox, a “tonic for city living” designed to supporthealthy lungs and sinuses; house Call, intended topromote a healthy immune system; and Vacation,meant to reduce mental and physical signs of stressand anxiety. The lineup also features Alternative en-ergy, an all-natural alternative to the popular energydrink movement. “everything we put in the drinks isbased on independent clinical science,” says Simon,head of marketing. “We’ve come up with somethingtotally different from anything else on the market.”

Currently distributed to 85 percent of the country,on the shelves of Target, Whole Foods, and supermarketchains, Function Drinks won BevNet’s vote for Best NewFunctional Beverage 2007. The company believes that itsdecision to go OU Kosher facilitated its success. “A lot ofthe market research we read showed how powerfulkosher certification is and how many consumers are in-terested in kosher products,” says Simon. he says manymembers of his own family keep kosher and he wantedthem to enjoy the product as well. “We wanted ourdrinks to be available to everyone.”

All this interest in healthful drinking is also shak-ing up America’s thick and frosty favorites. Noticingthat the tea smoothie category was growing at coffeeestablishments and cafes, Beverage Innovations, inDelray Beach, FL, decided to produce a healthier ver-sion. TeaWAVe, an OU-certified, more robust render-ing of the high fructose tea smoothies, combinesgranulated sugar, antioxidant-rich rooibos red tea, andfresh fruit, minus the caffeine.

it’S all a matter oF taSteAlthough vitamins, healing herbs or energy boostersmay be the coveted goals, the New Wave of water man-ufacturers know that the bottom-line moti-vator for the thirsty consumer istaste. So, they take it tothe taste experts –the flavor compa-nies. Over the pastfive years, Wild Fla-vors, in erlanger,KY, has been busyproviding hundredsof appealing flavorsfor the enhancedwater and energy

companies. “(Currently), they areour top items,” says Pat Penter,kosher administrator, and 17-yearemployee. According to Penter,while the staff of chemists andtrained flavorists deal with bothartificial and natural flavors, therequest for organic ingredientscontinues to rise. “I don’t thinkit’s going to go away,” assertsPenter. She says the same aboutkosher. “The motivation is de-mand. The demand is out therefor kosher both in the industryand public. We produce over16,000 OU-certified items and appreciate the OU im-mensely; we are a good working force together.”

According to harvey Krohn, director of researchand development at Allen Flavors in edison, NJ, flavorcompanies don’t only concoct flavors; they also add therequested dosages of certain elements, such as vitamins,nutraceuticals and minerals, without compromising theproducts’ tastiness. “We design a system so that it cancontain [the given] components.” explains Krohn, a 40-year veteran of the company. Allen Flavors also conductsshelf-life tests by placing the solution in a hot box andthen a cold box to see how it holds up for a certain periodof time. Sometimes the flavorists are asked to “tweak”the taste to give it more aroma, less aroma or make itsappearance more colorful, less cloudy or more cloudy.

“People are going for drinks that offer themsomething,” says Krohn. And that continues to includethe seal of kosher approval. All the components areOU kosher before the flavor company receives them.“Our major customer, most of whose customers arenot Jewish, uses OU,” he says. “They wanted a symbolthat non-Jews also recognize.”

Water remains a key necessity of life. As Ameri-cans continue to respond to these handy,

healthful and mouthwatering waysto enhance their daily seven toeight glasses, it looks like fancywaters will be around for manymore bottles to come.

Bayla Sheva Brenner is SeniorWriter in the OU’s Departmentof Communications and Mar-keting and a frequent contrib-utor to BTUS.

A FLAVORIST AT ALLEN FLAVORS “TWEAKING” A PRODUCT.


PROPHETof the

The BOOK OF The PROPheT SAMUeL records theanointment of Saul as the first king of the united tribes of Israel.

Shortly after his anointment, Saul failed to achieve the Di-vinely ordained objectives. The failures culminated in

the prophet Samuel being secretly sent to anointDavid as the next king. Upon realizing that he

was to be replaced by the future King David,Saul spared no effort to destroy David, the

would-be successor. David was forced toflee before the forces of Saul who inces-santly pursued him in a game of cat and

mouse, which David referred to as apartridge hunt.

In the words of David (SamuelI:26:20) “Why has the king of Israelgone out to hunt a flea, as one were

to hunt a partridge in the hills?”A few years ago, Zachary

Thurm, a seventh graderat a Lawrence he-

brew school onLong Island, wasstudying these

passages inthe Book ofS a m u e l .

ThePARTRIDGE

CRESTED-WOOD PARTRIDGE, NOT

ACCEPTED AS A KOSHER PARTRIDGE

By Rabbi Chaim Loike

WINTER 2009 | 17

PROPHETPARTRIDGE

Recognizing that there were several species of partridge,Zach wanted to know to which species of partridge Davidwas referring.

Based on the biblical imagery and exegesis, it was clearthat it was a species of alectoris partridge. There are seven recognized species of red-legged partridge,which range from europe, through North Africa and theMiddle east. Upon inquiring as to the kosher species, Zachwas told that the OU does not discuss the permissibility ofspecies unless the species is presented live. Zach arrangedto have a number of species of alectoris partridges sent tothe Orthodox Union. Subsequently, more specimens wereprovided by restaurants which were searching for exoticmeats to add to their menus.

Saul was not the last king to hunt partridge. For thou-sand of years, partridge hunts were one of the leisured ac-tivities of the nobility through the Middle Ages and intomodern times. There were countries in which laws werepromulgated limiting the hunting and consumption of thepartridge to the royalty. In modern times, many europeancountries invest considerable resources to propagate alec-toris partridges to supplement the regional populations,which are subjected to intense hunting pressures.

The species which most closely resembled the bird towhich King David was referring are either the chukar orthe rock partridge. Both these species are almost identical,although geographically isolated from each other. Thesepartridges were common in Israel in the 1800s, as noted byJohn George Wood in his book Birds of the Bible, whichwas published in 1887, and they are still common in Mod-ern Israel, especially in the remote mountainous rocky out-croppings, which dot the Israeli landscape.

There are seven recognized species of alectoris par-tridge: the Arabian, Barbary, Philby’s, Rock, chukar, Preze-valski’s and red-legged partridge. The biblical definitionof a species is often based on the twenty-second verse in

the Book of Genesis “Be fruitful and multiply.” This is un-derstood to mean that for individual animals to be consid-ered members of the same species they must be able toreproduce. As evident from the case of the sterile mule, theBible defines successful reproduction as one resulting infertile offspring which are in turn able to themselves “befruitful and multiply,” to the exclusion of sterile hybrids. Inthe case of the red-legged and chukar partridge, there is nonoticeable impact on fertility when the species hybridize.

After interviewing a number of farmers and gamewardens at various hunting lodges, it was noticedthat farmers raising chukar partridge for the tableoften hybridize them with red-legged partridge, toinsure genetic diversity. The meat market preferredthe chukar partridge, so their genetics were empha-

sized, meaning that the majority of the parentage werechukar (one formula is that three of the grandparents arechukar and one red-legged). The reverse was true of thehunting lodges. The flighty red-legged partridge is the pre-ferred quarry of hunting lodges, and as such the majorityof the genes in the genetic stew were those of the red-legged partridge. These hybridizations were so common,some of the breeders interviewed doubted there were anypure red-legged or chukar partridge in the United States,but rather that all had been hybridized at some point.

The chukar partridge is indigenous to Israel, whilethe red-legged partridge is found in many parts of europe.With the upheavals of the last century, a large number of Is-raeli rabbis migrated from europe to Israel and were thusfamiliar with both the red-legged and the chukar partridge.One of the preeminent Israeli experts on kosher birds,Rabbi Yisroel Meir Levinger, immigrated to Israel fromSwitzerland. Rabbi Levinger visited the Orthodox Union’sNew York office last year and shared his knowledge of par-tridges with Rabbi Loike and Rabbi Mandel of the Meat

THE CHUKAR PARTRIDGE

(RIGHT) IS OFTEN

HYBRIDIZED WITH THE

RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE

(FAR RIGHT) TO INSURE

GENETIC DIVERSITY.


Department. Rabbi Levinger explained that based on hisobservations of the chukar and the red-legged partridges,the birds were not distinct species, but rather regional vari-ations of the same species.

Of the seven species of alectoris partridge, only theBarbary, Philby’s, chukar and red-legged are extensivelykept by American aviculturists. The chukar partridge (alec-toris chukar) is common in the New York meat market andis accepted by the OU as kosher. The red-legged partridge(alectoris rufa), Barbary partridge (alectoris barbara), anda pair of Philby’s partridges (alectoris phibyi) were pre-sented to the rabbis at the OU. The chukar, red-legged andBarbary partridges were presented side by side for the rab-

bis (the Philby hadbeen presented in-dependently withinconclusive re-sults) to observe thebirds as a unit.

each bird wasthen further ana-lyzed independ-ently. As had been

previously decided in Israel, the OU rabbinical authori-ties concluded that based on the similarities in featherand bone structure, patterns, and size, combined withtheir propensity to hybridize and the reported fertility ofthe hybrids, the three species from the vantage of Jewishlaw, were actually regional variations of the same species.Thus, since the chukar partridge is accepted as kosher bythe New York Jewish community, the red-legged and Bar-bary partridges should be accepted as well.

The OU does currently certify the species of alectorispartridge discussed in this article in addition to the hun-garian Partridge (perdix perdix) which despite its name isnot considered to be the same species as the alectoris par-tridges. Partridges are seasonally available at some OUrestaurants. (editor’s Note: The birds presented at the OU were sub-sequently donated to a children’s zoo in upstate NewYork, were they serve as ambassadors of their species tothe delight of thousands of children.) Also: “The Ortho-dox Union would like to thank Dr. Filippo Barbanera forhis help identifying the partridges whichwere common in the Livorno (Leghorn) re-gion of Italy in the 1800s.”)

Rabbi Chaim Loike has been a Rabbinic Co-ordinator at the Orthodox Union since 2007,serving egg, spice and chemical companies.His Birds of the Bible – Solving the Mysteryof Which of the Species Are Kosher andWhich Are Not,” which appeared in the BTUS Summer 2008issue, has elicited much interest and positive feedback. Prior

to joining the OU full time, he researchedkosher birds on behalf of the OrthodoxUnion and presented at ASK OU confer-ences. Rabbi Loike co-stars with his exoticbirds in the much acclaimed classroomDVD “Kosher Birds Who Are They”(which can be ordered from

[email protected]), partof OU Kosher’s ex-panded educationaloutreach to schools,synagogues and com-munities. Rabbi Loikereceived his BS and rab-

binical ordination at Yeshiva University,where he now teaches a course on biblicalornithology. He lives in West Hempstead,NY with his wife, children and numerouskosher birds.

THE BARBARY (LEFT), CHUKAR

AND PHILBY PARTRIDGES

(BELOW) HAVE BEEN STUDIED

BY OU RABBIS TO DETERMINE

IF THEY ARE KOSHER.

Ask the RabbiDear Rabbi,

We do not produce any product in our plant; we

merely package and/or repack products produced e

lsewhere.

Can you give me the parameters of what OU Kosher

certification would entail in these situations?

Dear ________________________:

Thank you for your inquiry and your inte

rest in OU Kosher certification.

Much the same as product quality or safe

ty systems, the kosher integrity of

a product is assured only if the koshe

r monitoring system extends through

final packaging and labeling.

The kosher program at your facility wi

ll need to:

Verify the source of the materials pro

cessed. Kosher verification can

easily be accomplished by obtaining the

OU certificate from the supplier of

the product;

Make certain that any repackaging not re

sult in non-kosher contaminants.

We will be happy to review a composite o

f materials processed in your equip-

ment and alert you to any concerns tha

t may exist; and

Corroborate the appropriate use of the k

osher symbol on final labeling.

The OU will review proposed labels inc

orporating its symbol and upon ap-

proval issue a kosher certificate auth

orizing its use.

During an initial evaluation of your loc

ation, our rabbinic field rep-

resentative will be happy to discuss det

ails for a kosher program that would

be customized to your operation.

Please do not hesitate to contact me w

ith any questions or concerns.

With regards,

Rabbi Nachum Z. Rabinowitz

Senior Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kosher

POST THE OU LOGOOn Your Website

WINTER 2009 | 19

>> Post the OU logo — one of theworld’s best-known symbols of added attention to quality — on your website.Ask Suzanne Beck at [email protected] to send you a beautiful, hi-res OU logo

It’s 3:00 in the morning andRabbi Moshe elefant, OUKosher’s executive RabbinicCoordinator and COO, rises

to begin another day. What pos-sesses this rabbi to get up way be-fore dawn, when even theroosters are savoring their lastround of ReM sleep?

This abrupt change insleep habits started three-and-a-half years ago, wheneliezer edelman, National

Director, Administration andManagement, approached

Rabbi elefant with the idea of histeaching the Daf Yomi (a schedule ofdaily Talmud study) at the OU of-fices to be broadcast over the OUWebsite. Aside from Rabbi elefant’sjam-packed OU Kosher schedule, henow had a 45-minute, in-depth Tal-mud class to prepare,with one thousandstudents from acrossthe globe anxiouslywaiting to hear it –365 days a year.

The concept ofthe Daf Yomi datesback to 1923, whenRabbi Yehuda MeirShapiro, a revered eu-ropean scholar, en-couraged Jews to take

on the practice of studying one daf,consisting of two sides of a page of theBabylonian Talmud (the oral law thatexplains the written laws in the Bible)per day. It received an immediate andenthusiastic response. In 1930, at theend of that first seven-and-one-half-year learning cycle, having completedthe entire 2,711 pages of the Talmud,european Jewry celebrated the mo-mentous accomplishment with aSiyum haShas (lit. “the completion ofthe tractates”).

For over eight decades and run-ning, thousands of Jews worldwidehave continued to undertake the pro-gram; the most recent Siyum haShastook place in 2005 at approximately70 locations throughout the world.Some of the largest celebrations, heldat Madison Square Garden in NewYork City and Continental Airlines

Arena in New Jer-sey, were also tele-cast to overflowlocations, includ-ing the Jacob K.Javits ConventionCenter. An esti-mated 120,000 p a r t i c i p a t e d ,worldwide. Rabbielefant’s classescommenced withthe beginning of

Not a DayClass.

Without

OU Kosher

By Bayla Sheva Brenner

ELABORATE TITLE PAGES GRACE

TALMUD TEXTS. THIS VOLUME IS

BABA METZIA, DEALING WITH

LAWS OF COMMERCE.20 | BEHIND THE UNION SYMBOL

WINTER 2009 | 21

the new cycle in March of 2005; theOU employed the expertise of DanJeselsohn, WebRadio Content Man-ager and Producer, to encode theaudio and video of each class, creat-ing an audio streaming version to en-able online participants to click andlisten, as well as an MP3 version tofacilitate downloading for iPods andcell phones. “I never knew all of thisexisted,” says Jeselsohn. “I’mamazed by how much is covered bythe Talmud and at the dedication ofthe people doing this every day.”

“It’s a fantastic commitment,”says Rabbi elefant. “When RabbiShapiro started the Daf Yomi, peoplejokingly referred to him as a ‘toughboss’ who gives no vacation and nosick days.” In addition to preparingfor the OU’s in-office 12:55 p.m. class,Rabbi elefant also conducts a DafYomi at a neighborhood Brooklynsynagogue every morning at 5:30 a.m.“It’s become a crucial part of my day,”says Rabbi elefant. “It keeps me con-nected in a very strong way to learn-ing. I learn new things every day.”

OU Web Enlightens and Unites

Apparently, the OU’s Daf Yomibroadcast seems to have spread thatlearning fervor. “The response from

the public has been incredible,” saysRabbi elefant. “We receive emailsfrom all over.” According to the In-ternet department, the Daf Yomi reg-ularly receives 600–1,000 hits per dayfrom across the globe, including theUnited States, Canada, Israel, theUnited Kingdom, Australia, Switzer-land, Brazil, Norway, Spain, SouthAfrica, and Denmark among manyother countries. Listeners have cometo associate the rabbi’s face and voicewith their daily spiritual uplift. “Iwas attending a kosher food showlast week and as I walked down theaisle, two men approached me.‘Rabbi elefant, I’m your biggest fan! Idon’t miss a day. This is my partner;we share an office. Because of me,he’s also listening every day.’” An-other avid listener found Rabbi ele-fant in a Toronto restaurant. Therabbi was dining with an OU Kosherclient, when he heard a fellow dinerbellow from across the room, “That’sthe voice. That’s my rabbi!” The manmade a bee-line to the rabbi’s table.“Rabbi elefant, I watch you everysingle day! I love the class.”

“Learning Torah is an integralpart of a Jew’s day and this is a way toaccomplish that,” says Rabbi elefant.“We are obligated to know what is re-quired of us in our religious obser-

vance and moral behavior; all this isincluded in the Talmud. We are alsosupposed to be unified as a people;the Daf Yomi accomplishes both.”

For the OU colleagues who in-vest their lunch hour at the on-siteclass, the Daf Yomi’s unifying effectscome with a welcomed spiritualrecharge for their workday. “It en-ables me to refocus, to step back fromthe intricacies of my work and putthings in perspective,” says AharonGrenadir, Internet Programmer.

Rabbi David Gorelik, RC, enjoys theadvantages of learning with thegroup. “If there’s a question after-wards, we can always discuss it.”And, of course, Rabbi elefant’s elo-quent delivery doesn’t go unnoticed.“The rabbi explains it so smoothlyand mellifluously,” says Rabbi MayerWaxman, Assistant National Directorof Yachad/NJCD (National JewishCouncil for Disabilities), who hadtried Daf Yomi on his own and foundit took him three hours per Daf.

> > c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 3 5

Talmud,That Is

AN IMPASSIONED RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT

IMPARTS HIS DAILY WISDOM

I


In what may be considered the KentuckyDerby of cheese competitions, OUkosher-certified cheese manufactured byBluegrass Dairy & Food/Glasgow Divi-sion of Glasgow, KY recently won firstplace gold in all three classes at the Ken-tucky State Fair for its Natural Cheddar(Wilderness Trails brand) and its NaturalGouda (Bluegrass Dairy & Food brand).

And to prove that Bluegrass thrivesfar from its old Kentucky home, its Colby(Bluegrass Dairy & Food brand) tookthird place at the Wisconsin Cheese Mak-ers Association 2008 World CheeseChampionship.

The company’s OU-certified Nat-ural Cheddar (Wilderness Trailsbrand) also achieved first place at the2007 Tennessee State Fair and was rec-ognized as the best dairy product atthe competition – honors which Blue-grass expects to be awarded again atthe 2008 Fair this month.

Bluegrass Dairy & Food is a manu-

facturer of OU-certified cheese andcheese powders, as well as hundreds ofdairy and non-dairy specialty powdersof all types, including maltodextrin,honey, molasses, yeast, flavors, emulsi-fiers, shortenings, sour cream, creamcheese, yogurt and creamers. The com-pany is also a full-service dairy, featuringbutter and all fluid dairy products, and itprocesses OU-certified Cholov Yisroel(special rabbinically-supervised) liquidand powdered milk upon request, in-cluding Cholov Yisroel whole milk pow-der for the confectionary industry.Kosher for Passover milk and cheeseproducts are also manufactured.

Currently, Bluegrass provides thedairy and snack industries with the fol-lowing OU-certified kosher natural (or-ganic and regular) cheeses and cheesepowders: Cheddar, Colby, Colby Jack,Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Muensterand Parmesan.

“Working with Bluegrass Dairy &

Food is always exciting,” remarkedRabbi Andrew Gordimer, OU RabbinicCoordinator (account executive) for Blue-grass. “The company’s full-time OU cov-erage enables it to produce almostanything as kosher, and all types of newcheeses and various projects are devel-oped and introduced on a constant basis.The flexibility of Bluegrass’ infrastructureand staff is amazing, and the company’scommitment to break ground and estab-lish top-quality product in so many areas,while maintaining the highest of kosherstandards, has made it a rising and shin-ing star in the kosher and general foodindustries.”

Rabbi eliyahu Safran, OUKosher’s Vice President of Communi-cations and Marketing, noted, “It isgratifying to watch Bluegrass Dairy &Food grow and develop into a much

OU Certified

Bluegrass Dairy

hits the finish line first

at The Kentucky

State Fair

DOWN IN OLD

KENTUCKY

WINTER 2009 | 23

sought-after producer of so manyindustrial dairy products and nowto equally excel in the productionof these fine Natural Cheddar andNatural Gouda cheeses. Undoubt-edly Bluegrass production capaci-ties and know-how, coupled withthe Orthodox Union’s meticulousand professional guidance, haswon honors and recognition forthis great Kentucky company.”

Rabbi Yosef Capland, who isthe Orthodox Union’s rabbinic fieldrepresentative at the plant and whois deeply involved in the productionof the prize-winning cheeses, de-clared, “Working at Bluegrass hasbeen a wonderful experience. Beingpart of a winning team, which hasrisen to such heights with its presti-gious and popular kosher products,demonstrates the effectiveness ofthe OU program and its appeal.Coming to work at the Glasgow fa-cility, with the complexity of theplant and the kosher-sensitivity ofits products, is something I enthusi-astically enjoy and look forward toevery day. The Bluegrass staff’sclear and total commitment tokosher compliance in all waysmakes it such a pleasure.”

The Bluegrass OU Koshercheese story does not end at thecompany’s Glasgow plant. One

must travel eastward across thegreat state of Kentucky to Spring-field, for Bluegrass’ Springfield fa-cility is a major manufacturer oftop-quality OU Kosher cheesepowders. Unlike most cheese pow-der operations, whose offerings arelimited to a handful of product va-rieties, Bluegrass-Springfield offersOU Kosher Swiss, Cheddar, Parme-san, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack,Provolone, Romano, Bleu and eMC(enzyme-Modified Cheese) pow-ders, straight and blended, regularand organic! This stellar array ofkosher cheese powders is in highdemand by the flavor, snack andseasoning industries, and Blue-grass has committed to continue todevelop new varieties of cheesepowders for those companieswhich seek them.

Bluegrass-Springfield is also anaward-winning butter manufacturer,and it is the source of over 250 other(non-cheese) kosher dairy and spe-cialty powders

Bluegrass-Springfield’s OUkosher program is supervised byRabbi Yosef Levy (OU RFR –Louisville), who tirelessly visits thefacility throughout the week to su-pervise its production and to re-view its formulas, ingredients,labels and equipment.

BE SURE TO DISPLAY

WE AREPROUD TO BE AN OUCOMPANYSIGN.

“

When attendingyour industry conferencesor exhibiting atshows

> Your marketing people and show organizers should always have thesigns in their show kits. They aresure to attract the kosher buyers toyour booth. > If you need more copies of the sign, we will be glad to supply them.

EMAIL [email protected]

“

PICTURED (LEFT TO RIGHT) WITH MEDALS FOR THE WISCONSIN AND KENTUCKY

CHEESE COMPETITIONS: BILLY JOE WILLIAMS, PRESIDENT OF BLUEGRASS DAIRY & FOOD;

RABBI YOSEF CAPLAND, THE COMPANY’S FULL-TIME OU RABBINIC FIELD REPRESENTATIVE (WHO

PERSONALLY SUPERVISED AND SET THE AWARD-WINNING CHEESES); RICKY GULLEY, PLANT

MANAGER AND DIRECTOR OF CHEESE DEPARTMENT.


L’CHAIM

Nestled among the quiet villages in the Austrian countrysideoutside Vienna lies Moosbrunn. It is a sleepy little town witha history dating back hundreds of years. But its rural roots

belie the cutting edgetechnology of the newfacility on the edge ofthe town — the OVALvodka production fa-cility in Moosbrunnis one of the mostmodern spirits pro-duction plants inthe world. Big newsin the world ofvodka has comefrom Moosbrunn.

OVAL America,importers of

the new super-pre-mium vodka from Aus-tria, has announced thatit has received koshercertification from theworld’s largest andmost widely recognized

kosher certification, the OU. OVAL Vodka launched into selectUnited States markets starting in August. Beginning in No-vember, the OU symbol has appeared on OVAL Vodka bottlesin select cities.

“having OU certification is a widely recognized state-ment of quality,” says OVAL International Sales Manager,eugen Schwarz. “even for people who do not follow kosherlaw, the symbol alone is a very positive quality cue. Also, notall spirit products carry the OU certification so it is an impor-tant way to differentiate our brand and make a quality state-ment at the same time.”

The U.S. launch represents a major expansion for thebrand beyond its successful start in Germany, UK and Austria.Positioned as “Vodka’s Natural evolution,” OVAL redefinesthe current vodka category. This is because a patented techno-logical breakthrough is used to produce OVAL – a process that

is a radical change in the wayvodka has traditionally

been produced for thelast 600 years. “Ameri-can consumers expect-ing the same oldthing from anothervodka introductionare in for a veryp l e a s a n t s u r -prise,” says Mr.Schwarz.

In a culmina-tion of 30 years ofresearch, renownedhomeopathic sci-entist Prof. ValeryS o r o k i n h a s

patented an 11-dayprocess that structures OVAL. The structuring process com-bines water and alcohol in a way that is different from everyother vodka—it arranges the vodka so that the water sur-rounds the spirit. The result...water prepares the palate for auniquely smooth taste experience with every sip. This canonly be accomplished at 48, 84 and 112 proof. At 84 proof,OVAL is a vodka that tastes great straight and makes evenbetter cocktails, “or as we like to say, ‘vodka that isevolved,’” says Mr. Schwarz.

OVAL is packaged in an elegant decanter, winning a de-sign award at the 2007 vodka festival held concurrently withthe Cannes film festival. Representing the vodka’s structure,where water surrounds the alcohol, the clear glass is artfullyblown into three symmetrical surfaces. The sleek OVAL logo,silver cap and copy embossed on the bottle reflect the brand’sbasic values—clarity, design, luxury and perfection. OVAL willinitially be available in a 750 ml size, with a suggested retailprice of $36.99, underscoring the unique smoothness of the liq-uid resulting from this ground-breaking production process.

According to Rabbi Yisroel hollander, OU RFR through-out europe, “Production manager Konstantin Bolgna is veryproud of their system of producing vodka which they call

Super-PremiumVodka

OVALThe Brand New

Announces OU Certification

WINTER 2009 | 25

Cherry HeeringHeering Coffee

JOIN THE ORTHODOX UNION

and

NOVeMBeR 2008 (MIAMI, FL) — Kindred Spirits of NorthAmerica, Inc. announced today that the iconic CheRRY

heeRING® liqueur and soon to be released heeRING COF-Fee® liqueur have been OU (Orthodox Union)certified. The OU, termed a “coveted sealof approval” by The New York Times, isone of the world’s best-known trade-marks. Comparing it to the UL®, ForbesMagazine wrote, “If you want to knowyour food is kosher, you can look for theOrthodox Union’s OU symbol.” Thereare more than 500,000 approved OUproducts located in 80 countries aroundthe world.

“The heering liqueur brandsare among some of the most rec-ognizable and credible brands inthe world, stated Adéle Nilsson,CeO, The Xanté Company/PeterF. heering. “The heering highbrand standards are now alignedwith the highest standards ofKosher Certification.”

The heering brands havemore than two centuries of history,beginning with the CheRRYheeRING liqueur, which has beenproduced in Denmark since 1818.Since the re-introduction of

CheRRY heeRING liqueur, the brand is making its presenceundeniably known in the U.S. amongst discerning consumersand talented mixologists. CheRRY heeRING liqueur, pur-

veyor to h.M. Queen elizabeth II and to theRoyal Danish Court is the original“Cherry Brandy.”

CheRRY heeRING liqueur is soldin more than 100 countries all over theworld and is the essential ingredient inthe world famous Singapore Sling and

Blood and Sand cocktails. CheRRYheeRING liqueur has debuted newpackaging, just as classic as the orig-

inal but with a modern day touchof fashionable style.

The re-introduction ofCheRRY heeRING liqueur inthe U.S. along with the an-nouncement of heeRINGCOFFee liqueur being intro-duced in March 2009, bringwith them new campaignswhich will reinforce the brandsauthenticity and style.

For more information onCHERRY HEERING & HEER-ING COFFEE liqueur, pleasevisit http://www.heering.com.

structuring alcohol in the shape of a tetrahedron and the bottleis also in such a shape. he is likewise very proud of being as-sociated with the OU in having such a quality vodka with sucha quality kashrut certificate.”

Initially, OVAL will launch in the New York, Los Angeles,Chicago, Miami, Boston, Atlanta and Dallas metropolitan areas,with national expansion to follow. “Our goal is to focus onsampling in these taste-setting markets,” says David Stringfel-low President of Beacon Beverage Imports, which will repre-sent OVAL in the U.S. Schwarz agrees with this strategy.“Instead of doing one-off drink promotions in a broad range ofaccounts nationally, we will concentrate on building interestand traction at the local level in order to gain brand recogni-tion and establish a track record for when we go national.”

The introduction of OVAL Vodka will be backed by an ag-gressive on-premise marketing, education and sampling effortspearheaded by Beacon Beverage Imports, which will enlist

brand ambassadors for individual markets to work with tar-geted accounts and local distributors. A wide array of publicrelations and non-traditional marketing communication initia-tives led by Brand Action Team will support the OVAL intro-duction, including influencer events, celebrity outreach andonline and blogosphere communications.

Additional information on OVAL vodka is available on-line at: http://www.ovalvodka.com.

ABOUT OVAL VODKA Based in Vienna, Austria, OVAL Getränkeproduktions-

und Vertriebs GMBh was founded in 2004 and launched theproduct in Austria, Germany and UK in 2007, with U.S. entryset for summer 2008. Principal production facilities are locatedin Moosbrunn, Austria and company headquarters are in Vi-enna. OVAL Vodka is imported into the U.S. by OVAL America, Manhasset, NY.


WheN We BeGAN TO LeARN about the kosher market in 1995 as consultants, we never thought we would end updedicating a great part of our lives to the production of premium kosher wines,” declares horacio Bercún, CeO ofMarumatok, discussing the origins of the Argentinean winery whose kosher products have become popular in theUnited States as well in Argentina and other Latin American countries.

“Marumatok S.A. is a family business established in Argentina eight years ago,” Mr. Bercún explains. “Since thevery beginning it has focused on the trading of premium quality kosher wines. In 2003, we became involved in theproduction of kosher wines in Argentina, becoming one of the major producers there. The constantly growing mar-ket and the eagerness to pursue new challenges made our family decide that it was time to produce our wines in ourown winery, but that the winery should produce exclusively kosher wines.”

“The plant is located in the Province of Mendoza, next to the Andes Mountains, the most important winemak-ing region in Argentina,” adds Martín Bercún, in charge of production and exports. he adds proudly, “This is one ofthe few wineries in the Americas that produces only kosher wines. We have purchased the most modern machinerythat is used exclusively for kosher wine production.”

As company Director Diana Atri makes clear, “Such a large and important project required the highest standardsof quality and kashrut throughout. That is why we thought the best choice was the Orthodox Union. The OU is a verywell known and respected kashrut agency worldwide, and this would certainly make it possible for us to adopt theexport profile we were seeking for our company.”

According to Lara Bercún of the export department, “The OU, rabbis, employees, and directors have worked to-gether to produce premium quality kosher wines, showing the world the virtues of Argentinean wines. Not a singledetail was left aside. everything from the selection of the finest grapes to the choice of the best packaging was takeninto consideration. Although we encountered some difficulties, we reached our goals.”

Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz, OU Kosher Senior Rabbinic Coordinator who is involved with OU certification of

ArgentinaMarumatok Winery

Quality KosherWines

to the World

WINTER 2009 | 27

wines throughout the world noted, “Marumartok is the only winery in South America produc-ing kosher wine exclusively. This winery has a uniquely excellent system of kosher manage-ment. The rabbinic staff solely controls access to the premises.”

Director of Marketing Gabriela Bercún reviews the product line. “In 2007 we launched themost complete selection of kosher Argentinean wines that has ever existed. Under the brandnames “emuna,” “Castello D’ Atri,” and “Tekiah” wines for everyone’s taste have been pro-duced. The wines were produced using different grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah,Tempranillo, Malbec, Chardonnay and Pedro Ximenez, among others.”

“Special care and a brand new system for the mevushal process have enabled us to ob-tain high quality mevushal wines that do not contain a smoked bouquet and that retain thearomas of the fruits,” she says, attributing the success of the wines, in Argentina and else-where, to this process.

“Since 2008 the market share of the winery in Argentina has increased in an amazing way,”Garbriela adds. “In the other countries where our wines were introduced, the consumers havealready appreciated the quality of the wines, adopting them as part of their lives.”

“What started as a dream of a few people has become a reality,” declares Gabriela. “Thewines of Marumatok winery are available on the tables of thousands of people around the worldand we are really proud of that! Our aim is to keep growing in a gradual and steady way, butwithout forgetting that our main goal is always to maintain the high standards of quality wehave pursued from the beginning.”


AtlanticCanada

Vacationer’sDelight,

OU Kosher Paradise

By Rabbi Chaim Goldberg

WINTER 2009 | 29

Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince edward Island and New

Foundland/Labrador) is quite the place to vacation. Whether your fancies are tick-

led by golfing, bluefin tuna fishing, whale watching, hiking, snowmobiling, caribou

hunting or just about anything you can do outside in either warm or cold weather,

then Atlantic Canada is the place for you (no, I do not work for the Chamber of Commerce… yet).

When OU personnel visit Atlantic Canada, however, we are not likely to engage in any of

these activities. We do our sightseeing on production floors, in label warehouses and plant re-

ceiving areas! It might not sound as exciting as hunting caribou, but it’s pretty interesting indeed.

Let me take you on an OU tour of Atlantic Canada, a tour of gastronomic proportions!

Some of my favorite plants to visit are potato processing facilities, and Atlantic Canada

has more OU potato processors than almost anywhere else. We have OU certified French fries

made by Cavendish Farms in PeI and McCain Foods with OU kosher plants in PeI as well as

NB. Dehydrated potatoes are made under OU supervision at hSF Foods in NB, Agrawest in

PeI, and potato chips are prepared by humpty Dumpty in NB and PeI. And you thought

potatoes are from Idaho?!?

Now that we have got our side dishes covered, let’s talk OU certified “center of the plate”

products which are made here in Atlantic Canada. Want something healthy, full of Omega-3s and

easy on the wallet? Look no further than Blacks harbour, NB to the Connors Bros. canned sardine

plant or head out to NS to IMO Foods in Yarmouth and enjoy some of the best canned herring (and

amazing views of the harbor) anywhere!

RABBI ROSEN AT THE BRUNSWICK SARDINE FACTORY


Speaking of herring, do you like yours pickled? Try theBarry Group’s Blue Cove plant in NB, or Comeau’s Sea Foodsin NS for the tastiest fish ever to come out of a jar. When you’rein the mood for something more exotic, stop by Neptune Sea

Products in NF and view their wideline of OU kosher smoked fish andspreads. If you’re ready for dinner,you must not miss True NorthSalmon’s beautiful farmed Atlantic

salmon processing plants in NB and NF,and their smokehouse in PeI which ishome to arguably the best hot-smoked maple salmon on theplanet…with an OU on it of course! Just be careful: after seeingwhat salmon is supposed to look like, you might just find your-self turning up your nose at the fare in your local fish store.

While you’re enjoying your OU-inspired menu, do not for-get to serve it together with a bottle of Markland Cottage Win-ery’s famous Rodrigues brand fruit wine, or stop by the liquor

commission for a bottle of Canadian IcebergVodka’s finest (remember to stick it in thefreezer before the meal, so that you can enjoyit properly at iceberg temperatures!).

Are you stuffed yet? I hope you left atleast some room for some Amazin’ Fruits fla-vored raisins and a thick slice of Sarsfield pie.

All of these just touch on the many fac-tories visited by the OU when we go sight-seeing in Atlantic Canada. Now that we’vefinished with our work day, is anyone up forsome caribou hunting?

Rabbi Chaim Goldberg has been managingthe accounts of OU certified fishcompanies for six years, in ad-dition to specializing in OU cer-tified processed potato, oil andflavor companies and variousTurkish manufacturers. RabbiGoldberg recently co-starredwith some piscine pals in amuch acclaimed class-roomDVD, “The Kosher Fish Primer– The Secrets Revealed,” which can be or-dered from Safrane@ou. org), part of OUKosher’s expanded educational outreach toschools, synagogues and communities. Rabbi

Goldberg is married withthree children, and resides inBrooklyn, NY.

OU RFR PROFILE | On the road with rabbi rosen

He easily runs up the odometer on a rental car 1,300 kilometers (800miles) in three-and-a-half days. He stays in bring-your-own-fly-swatter mo-tels, knows Air Canada’s flight schedule by heart and is recognized by thehard-working people in the Maple Leaf Lounge at every airport betweenQuebec and Gander (by name no less, I can testify to it after having seen itmyself). If he visits your plant, he probably knows how your favoritehockey team did last night (“They might be contenders this year, eh?”);how your father’s Alzheimer’s treatments are progressing (and whether tobring it up or wait for you to offer good news); and how hard your son hasbeen working to keep out of trouble with the law. When he drops into your

facility (often during the graveyard shift), hedoesn’t just bring a smile for himself, he bringsenough to share with everyone he meets in thebuilding.

For those of you whose manufacturing siteis not located in the northeast corner of thiscontinent, let me introduce you to Rabbi DavidRosen, an unsung hero of kosher supervisionand rabbinic field representative extraordinaire.With one of the largest routes (geographically

speaking) of any OU RFR, Rabbi Rosen is responsible for OU plants in Ver-mont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as Quebec, Ontario, NewBrunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Covering such a large swatch of real estate means that in order to ef-fectively visit each of the plants for which he is responsible, Rabbi Rosenhas to be constantly on the move. No wonder the good rabbi can almostplot every Tim Horton’s (the Starbucks of Eastern Canada and Maine) on theEastern seaboard (“Coffee really helps,” Rabbi Rosen confesses). “Now thatyou’re awake, what keeps you going?” I wondered. “The people out hereare really terrific,” answered the rabbi simply.

This past June, I had the opportunity to accompany Rabbi Rosen on atypical week-long route through New Brunswick and northern Maine, wherewe visited herring plants owned by the Barry Group; fried potato plants ofMcCain Foods; canned sardines at Connor’s Bros; spices, batters and bread-ings at Hydroblend; starch at Aroostook Starch; potato flakes at HSF Foods;and farmed salmon at True North Salmon. To a pencil-pushing “nine-to-fiver,” the 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. day of an RFR started feeling more like amarathon than a typical work day!

Rabbi David Rosen, a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and AlexanderKeith (the local beer in Nova Scotia), is a graduate of Yeshiva University inNew York. A native of Montreal, he continues to live there with his wife, fourchildren, and a beautiful dog, which he loves very much.

WINTER 2009 | 31

At MolliCoolz, we’re passionateabout ice cream. Not just any icecream - cryogenically frozen beads ofdelectable ice cream. It all began in2005 when MolliCoolz acquired theexclusive global license to manufac-ture, use and sell frozen beads of icecream that are stable atnormal ice cream tem-peratures. Since then,MolliCoolz has intro-duced ice cream loversto new flavors and prod-ucts with a goal of providingthe coolest way to eat ice cream.Currently, MolliCoolz is thelargest producer of its kind and isavailable in 14,000 grocery storesand hundreds of stadiums,arenas and movie theatresthroughout America.

Mol l iCoolzwanted to makeproducts easilyident i f iable askosher by food industry person-nel, kosher inspectors and con-sumers throughout the world.MolliCoolz realizes the major rolethat kosher food plays in the food in-dustry and sought OU certification inorder to increase market reach andshare. OU certification has become avery important element of the Molli-Coolz marketing plan.

“OU certification makes ourproducts available to a larger groupof consumers than if we did not havethis certification, said Bill Jachthuber,Chief Marketing Officer of Molli-Coolz. “Kosher food consumers rep-resent a loyal customer base for us. Italso shows that our products are safeand reputable.”

MolliCoolz uses patented tech-nology to produce small beads ofcryogenically frozen ice cream andsherbet that are freeflowing at normalice cream temp-eratures.

Cryogenics is thestudy of very low

temperatures, howto produce them and how

materials behave at those tempera-tures. During the cryogenic process,MolliCoolz ice cream is frozen at atemperature far below its actual freez-ing point. This allows the beads to be“free flowing” at normal ice creamtemperatures. Previously, cryogenicice cream was not sold in stores be-cause of the sub-zero storage require-ments. The beads would begin to stick

together in a home freezer. The cryo-genic process creates richer andfresher tasting ice cream and allows itto remain in a beadlike shape.

Based in Stockton, CA, the com-pany’s new state of the art 50,000square foot facility is the largest of itskind and produces millions of cupsper month. The plant, which em-ploys 150 workers, has been running

24 hours a day, seven days a week,producing 400,000

cups a day tokeep up with

national demand.I n 2 0 0 5 ,

company PresidentBryan Freeman acquired

the exclusive global licenseto manufacture, use and sellfrozen beads of ice creamthat are stable at normal ice

cream temperatures—found-ing MolliCoolz. Raised

in Fresno, CA, Bryancame to Los Angeles to

attain an undergradu-ate degree at UCLA

before receiving an MBAin Finance from Loyola MarymountUniversity and a law degree fromLoyola Law School.

After graduating from lawschool, Bryan recognized the grow-ing trend in soft pretzels movingmore upscale from a traditionalsalted product and founded Snack-Works, LLC. In less than four years,Bryan took the business from a smallregional operator located in the backof a pizza parlor to a national com-pany selling more than 40 millionpretzels annually to large customersincluding Wal-Mart, Target Corp.,

Good Golly!Ice Cream

MOLLICOOLZ CRYOGENICIS NOW OU KOSHER


AMC Theatres and Regal entertain-ment Group.

According to Rabbi MordechaiMerzel, OU Kosher New CompaniesRabbinic Coordinator, “One of themore rewarding aspects of my workat the Orthodox Union is the satis-faction of helping a company that isnot kosher certified to obtain OU cer-tification. It is even more exciting

when that com-pany is producinga product that isunique and new tothe market. WhenI first received thecertification appli-cation from Molli-Coolz, it wasobvious that thiswould be one ofthose companies.”

From the be-ginning of theprocess, he contin-ued, “ValerieCearley at Molli-

Coolz was a pleasure to work with.her professionalism and courteousmanner were key to our ability tocertify MolliCoolz’ productsquickly and efficiently. She demon-strated a commitment to the kosherprogram that was and still is essen-tial to its running smoothly.”

“After a good deal of work and afew visits by local OU Kosher Califor-

nia RFR’s to kosherize the facility, Mol-liCoolz was pronounced kosher certi-fied by the OU,” added Rabbi Merzel.Since then I have had the pleasure ofcontinuing the relationship betweenthe Orthodox Union and MolliCoolzas the company’s Rabbinic Coordina-tor. It has been gratifying to assist thecompany in maintaining its kosherprogram as it expands its product lineand grows its business.”

MolliCoolz is committed tomaintaining the highest standardsby using fresh cream and qualityingredients to make its premiumice cream novelties. Unlike conven-tional ice cream, MolliCoolz freeflowing beads offer multiple fla-vors and colors of beads that pourinto your mouth and deliver aunique and unforgettable flavor ex-perience. The company offers awide range of products for stadi-ums, arenas, amusement parks,grocers and schools.

For more information, visitwww.MolliCoolz.com.

Account ManagementTool

ADDS ENHANCEDONLINE INGREDIENT AUTOMATION ASNEW FEATURE

for OU Kosher Companies

OU DIRECT, the six-part websitewhich OU Certified companies

use to manage their accounts, becameeven more direct today with the en-hancement of Online Ingredient Au-tomation. This newest feature willenable companies to easily managetheir Schedule A’s and add ingredi-ents via the web – avoiding the pa-perwork that registering theseingredients used to entail.

Companies will be notified bye-mail within six business hours iftheir applications have been ac-

cepted or if further review is neces-sary. The ingredients are then avail-able for view and printing on thecompany’s Schedule A (ingredientlisting per plant).

The website, www.oudirect.org,includes each company’s SchedulesA and B (Schedule B lists a com-pany’s products); Letters of Certifica-tion (LOC) affirming that a product iscertified kosher by the OU; a finan-cial overview of the company’s ac-count; applications for new plants,products and ingredients; varia-

WINTER 2009 | 33

tions of the famed OU symbol foruse on labels; and the OU’s Univer-sal Kosher Database (UKD), whichcontains a record of tens of thou-sands of products that are certifiedby the OU and participating koshercertifying agencies.

Now, with the development ofthe Online Ingredient Application,OU Direct has advanced even fur-ther in its state of the art capabilities.

“OU Directhas been ex-tremely well re-ceived by ourcertified compa-nies,” declaredRabbi Moshe ele-

fant, Chief Operating Officer of OUKosher, who has played a major rolein the development of OU Di-rect. “In our constant aim to betterservice our clients and to enhanceour kosher certification programs,this new attractive feature on OUDirect will make those goals evenmore achievable.”

The operation of the OnlineIngredient Application is very easy

and provides the fol-lowing benefits:>>Using very simplescreens, the companyapplies for ingredients.>>Clients can selectfrom thousands of OUapproved ingredientson the UniversalKosher Database. TheUKD contains close to340,000 approved in-gredients with morebeing added all thetime. All productsfound on the UKD have

been approved for use by the OU.>>Clients with multiple plantsmay view and select approved in-gredients from their current Sched-ule A’s and attach them to theirother facilities.>>Clients may apply for new ingre-dients by using a simple web form.>>Ability to upload attachments invarious formats

each ingredient is processedbased on a series of validations andis either approved for use or re-ferred to the OU Kosher rabbinic co-ordinator assigned to the companyfor further review. Companies willbe notified via e-mail on the statusof each ingredient. Newly applied-for ingredients will appear on theSchedule A within six businesshours. The updated Schedule A canthen be viewed on OU Direct.

The OU Direct help Desk isavailable by phone or e-mail for anyquestions regarding the website. Inaddition, a help Manual with in-structions on how to utilize andtake full advantage of the OU Directwebsite is available online.

The new feature is now up andrunning and available for use by thethousands of satisfied OU certifiedcompanies.

THE ONLINE

INGREDIENT

AUTOMATION

FEATURE HAS BEEN

ADDED TO OTHER

USEFUL

COMPONENTS OF

OU DIRECT.

Rabbi Dovid Polsky, the remarkablypatient and knowledgeable manag-

ing attendant of the OU’s ever-ringingKosher Consumer hotline, does not seea day go by – or even a morning —-without receiving a call that touches onthe overlap between kosher certificationand allergen concerns.

“I see that Miller’s heavenlyChocolate is labeled OU-pareve. Yet Ialso see a declaration of ‘may containdairy.’ how could this be?”

“The soy milk I just bought statesthat there is no dairy or lactose in theproduct. And yet the kosher label saysOUD. I’m confused.”

The answer to both of these ques-tions, of course, is that although kosherand allergen considerations often con-verge, they are not identical.

A production line that churns outnon-dairy chocolate may be adjacent to a

staging facility formilk powder. Kosherlaw does not obligatea certifier to be con-cerned about thepossibility that air-borne particles ofmilk powder migrateinto chocolate. how-

ever, the sensitivity of some allergen suf-ferers to even the most minute presenceof milk is so great that the manufacturerof the non-dairy chocolate may decide itis necessary to inform consumers of thepossibility of dairy, even if the possibilityis remote and the amount miniscule.

On the other hand, there are casesin which Jewish law understands thereto be a connection, or interaction be-tween two entities while allergen con-siderations are completely ruled out.Soy milk, pasteurized on a heat ex-changer that just processed genuinemilk, is an example. Unless the heat ex-changer is kosherized, the soy milk is

considered as though it “absorbed” theflavor of the milk that had beenprocessed on it immediately before-hand. The OU is obligated, in these cir-cumstances, to label the product asOUD. Such an absorption is real accord-ing to Jewish law but immaterial tosomeone with a dairy allergen.

The confusion stemming fromthese apparently contradictory labelsbegan over ten years ago as food manu-facturers became better aware of thehealth ramifications of failing to declarethe presence of an ingredient on alabel. There were 121 recalls in theyear 2000, as opposed to 35 a decadeearlier, according to the FDA. healthexperts provided statistics demonstrat-ing growing allergen problems and foodlabels began including possible aller-gens that may have unintentionally (e.g.,airborne) migrated into a food product.

Food allergen labeling becamemandatory in January, 2006. The FoodLabeling and Allergen Protection Act of2004 was motivated by widespread al-lergen reactions (over 30,000 Americansrequire emergency room treatment an-nually ) and on studies that showedthat many parents of children with afood allergy were unable to identifymajor food allergens on ingredients la-bels. For example “whey” on an ingre-dients label meant that “contains dairy”must be communicated (readers inter-ested in learning more about the regu-lations should consult the FDA’shelpful website, www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgact.html).

Labeling of kosher products has re-mained, of course, essentially un-changed. Dairy products should alwaysbe labeled OUD and pareve productsshould be identified as OU. (Quick re-minder and potentially huge headachesaver for OU companies: All labels, bothfor certified and uncertified products,

should be carefully screened to ensurethat dairy products are labeled OUD andthat uncertified products do not bear theOU symbol at all. Too often companieshave released uncertified products intothe marketplace bearing an OU symbolsimply because their internal label reviewprocedure was lax and did not catch thesymbol on the label).

The many consumer calls showus that people do, indeed, read labels,and that they care about the productsthey buy. (As the saying goes, for

every one person that calls us, thereare probably ten people…)

Although kosher and allergen con-cerns are not identical they do, of course,intersect. Several years ago foundingmembers of the Gluten IntoleranceGroup (GIG) visited the OU and trainedseveral of our experienced inspectorshow to evaluate a facility for gluten-freestatus. This training was part of the de-velopment of the Gluten Free certifica-tion that GIG provides. In the lastseveral years the Gluten Free symbolhas enabled many members of this im-portant, and unfortunately growing,group of people to purchase productswith confidence that what is not listedon the label is not on the product.

Rabbi Gavriel Price services the trans-portation, ingredients,and flavors industriesat the Orthodox Union.He received rabbinicordination fromBreuer’s RabbinicalSchool in New York,and lives in Passaic,NJ. In his spare time he plays marbleswith his children.

By Rabbi Gavriel Price

KosherAllergen Issues

DO NOT CONVERGE

WHEN

and

A PRODUCTION LINE THAT CHURNS OUT NON-DAIRY CHOCOLATE MAY BE ADJACENT TOA STAGING FACILITY FOR MILK POWDER.

{


WINTER 2009 | 35

only what is meticulously defined as kosher, produced in Israel’sthriving food plants as well as imported from some of Amer-ica’s leading food manufacturers — many of them OU certified— as well as from kosher certified plants throughout the world.Moreover, the Orthodox Union is wholeheartedly committed toIsrael’s continued economic growth and stability and is consis-tently inclined and supportive of Israel’s fine OU kosher certifiedproducts filling the shelves of America’s supermarkets.

Born simultaneously with Israel’s statehood as bombsshattered the windows of the Tel Aviv hospital room I was inwith my mother, my craving for chocolate began early on. I re-call looking in the back of the drawers in my mother’s modestkitchen for a treat — or at least “a little piece of chocolate.” There

was little to be had, other than rationed pieces sent several timesa year from the “uncle from America.” (Keep in mind the lim-ited choice of kosher chocolate 50-plus years ago!) Today, mygrandchildren living in Israel’s fastest growing town of Mod-i’in, need not wait for American treats. The abundance of Israel’sOU kosher delicious snacks and treats can now be enjoyed bymy American grandchildren. Yours too!

Best of blessings and good wishes for 2009.

> >EDITOR’S LETTER C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 4

www.ou.org/jobs. It includes positions in accounting; ad-ministrative support; communal work; education; human re-sources; the legal field; pharmacy; the rabbinical field, andnumerous others. The positions range from assistants to CeOs.

The Job Board also holds Job Fairs throughout the year, atwhich candidates meet prospective employers live or throughvideoconferencing at OU headquarters. Paying special atten-tion to Americans who have made aliyah, i.e.moved to Israel,the Board recently held a Job Fair in Jerusalem that drew over1,000 candidates. The Job Fair was covered in depth by news-papers in Israel, which treated it as a major story.

In addition to its many offerings, there are archived sem-inars available for free viewing at www.ou.org/jobs, that teachpeople how to go about getting a job, how to prepare for in-terviews, and how to handle the credit crisis.

For example, shortly after the Dow’s fall, the Job Board

presented two liveweb-casts that focusedon the new economicclimate and some of theissues involved; bothare archived and avail-able on the website.

One of the recentofferings, “Credit Meltdown and Practical Solutions,” featured apanel of experts who addressed topics such as the warning signsof too much debt; practical solutions to debt problems; and de-bunking the complexities of credit restoration and student loans.

Mr. Rosner, “The Job Board’s relevance becomes moreapparent as we try to stay on top of the current markettrends and inform our constituents about the way to avoidtoday’s pitfalls.”

> >OU JOB BOARD C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2

> >TALMUD C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 2 1

“I thank the OU for a great serviceto the staff and public. Your whole dayis different when you’re a Daf Jew,”said Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, RC.

On the occasions when Rabbi ele-fant needs to travel on OU business, RabbiYosef Grossman, RC and Director ofKashrut education, pinch hits. Interestedin getting to know his “unseen listeners,”Rabbi Grossman sometimes poses a Tal-mudic-related question, prompting thepublic to respond. he’s received emailsfrom as far as Paris, France and Mel-bourne, Australia. A recent email illus-trates the motivating impact of this OUonline offering. “Daf Yomi was somethingI wanted to do, but never thought I couldinvest the time required on a daily basis,”he writes. “It was the birth of my son, two-plus years ago, that gave me the incentiveI needed. I looked ahead in time and

thought that this boy will not see his fa-ther learning regularly. So, I said to my-self, let me at least try it. I jumped right inand never looked back. . . . If it were notfor you and Rabbi elefant, I don’t think Icould be sticking with it as long as I have.You have my heartfelt thanks. I hopemaybe to come join you ‘live,’ but for nowI am grateful that technology allows meto carry your wisdom in my pocket.”

“We at the OU are amazed daily byRabbi elefant’s untiring service,” saysRabbi eliyahu Safran, Senior RabbinicCoordinator and Vice President of Com-munications and Marketing for OUKosher. “he brings the same profounddedication to his OU Kosher work plate,which is constantly filled with every as-pect of the agency’s responsibilities andconcerns, as to his commitment to thedaily study and teaching of Torah. he’s

an inspiration to all of us who work, in-teract, and hopefully learn from him.”

Regular listeners take comfort inthe fact, that if they miss a day, they canalways call on the Daf Yomi archives,dating back the full three-and-a-halfyears since its inception. Mr. Grenadirencourages those who haven’t yetjoined the Daf Yomi learners to starttoday. “everyone with basic learningskills can learn on his own level andgain enormously,” he says. “The OUhas drawn the best from modern tech-nology by using it as an effective toolfor focused and sustained spiritualgrowth.” One Daf at a time.

Bayla Sheva Brenner is Senior Writer inthe OU’s Department of Communica-tions and Marketing and a frequent con-tributor to BTUS.

Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu SafranEditor-in Chief/Vice President,Communications and Marketing, OU Kosher

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

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PERMIT NO. 301ELEVEN BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004

HERE IN 20 MINUTES is everything you need to know about the procedures and requirements necessary toproduce an OU Kosher product, and how todesign an effective system at your company. Recommended for personnel in management, production and quality control and for in-house training.

To order extra copies:

> Call 212.613.8115> Email [email protected]> Visit www.ou.org

Is there anyone else at your company (in management, marketing, production) who should be receiving a copy of

Do let us know at [email protected]. We will gladly add them to our mailing list.

FOR APPLICATIONS TO CERTIFY NEW COMPANIES OR ADDITIONAL PLANTS,call Suzanne Beckat the OU ApplicationsDesk, 212.613.8372or email [email protected]

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