Kashrut guidelines
It is important to have a united, enjoyable and open Shul community, and food is an integral element of many Shul functions. At the same time, it is paramount that the entire community feel comfortable taking part in these events and no one should feel excluded.
In order to do so, Rav Ezra and the Vaad have decided to change Shul policy and allow members to bring homemade food to Shul events. We are fully confident in the kashrut standards of everyone in our community.
To these ends, we have instituted the following kashrut guidelines that must be adhered to when food is brought into the shul for communal and private functions.
The guidelines are meant to create a consistent standard in order to make more and exciting events in the future.
Shul events, kiddushim, communal and teen meals – The general rule to be followed is that products that are served to the community must be Mehadrin. Details of specific types of foods below:
Cakes and baked goods:
Flour must be sifted or purchased in pre-sifted packages.
Eggs must be checked. (Open egg into a glass cup or bowl and briefly check there is no blood; boiled eggs may be made without checking.)
All baking products and ingredients must be Mehadrin (even Rabbanut Mehadrin. Most of what is bought in main supermarkets is fine, just important to check there is a Mehadrin Hechsher or Badatz). This includes cake mixes, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, almond extract, frosting, and other raw ingredients.
Anything purchased from bakeries should have a Mehadrin Hechsher. (Examples: the bakeries in Rami Levy, Co-op, Maafe Neeman, and Bon Pat are all Mehadrin – but the Bon Pat restaurant is not).
Likewise, purchased cookies (dairy and pareve), biscuits, snack foods, and the like should have a Mehadrin Hechsher.
Fruits and Vegetables:
All fruits and vegetables must be purchased at a supermarket with a Kashrut certificate (for trumot and maaserot). All stores that are under the Maaleh Adumim Chief Rabbinate are acceptable. (This includes Rami Levy, Co-op, Maayan 2000, etc.)
Leafy vegetables including lettuce, dill, scallions (spring onions), cabbage, parsley, coriander, celery, beet leaves and baby leaves may be purchased from the following companies: Chasalat (available at Rami Levy), Glatt Alim, Yarok Min Hateva, Hod Vehadar and any other company listed on the “Kosharot” website.
https://www.kosharot.co.il/index2.php?id=281&lang=HEB
Before serving, these leafy vegetables must be rinsed with water and preferably also with detergent.
Broccoli, spinach, cauliflower must be purchased from either Sunfrost, Bodek or Glatt Frost. String beans are fine.
Chickpeas, beans for cholent, rice, quinoa, bulgur and the like must be checked (put on a plate and examine).
Techina and hummus with a mehadrin Hechsher.
No strawberries.
Milk products:
All milk products must be Mehadrin. This includes Tara and Tnuva.
All milk products must be Chalav Yisrael, including milk powder. (OU-Dairy is not acceptable because it is not always chalav yisrael).
Please check that any dairy snacks (cookies, wafers, biscuits, etc.) are Chalav Yisrael.
Chicken and meat:
Beef must be Glatt (this includes Badatz Machpud, “Chalak” Chief Rabbinate, Atara and others)
Chicken: mehadrin chicken may be found in most supermarkets among the frozen foods
The following mehadrin Hechsherim for chicken are acceptable: Rabbanut Netivot Mehadrin, Of Hagalil, Of Oz, Oz Hadar, Fleish, Hod Chefer, Auerbach (Mehadrin Tverya).
Chicken with Badatz Hechsher is acceptable including Badatz Harav Machpud and Landau. (can be found in Osher Ad)
In addition, any of the companies listed on the “Kosharot” website (link above) are acceptable:
Hechsher of Or Yehuda for chicken is not acceptable.
Fish:
Almost all frozen fish has a Mehadrin Hechsher.
Fresh fish may only be bought at a store that has a Kashrut certificate.
Alcohol:
Any of the following certifications are acceptable: OU, Star-K, CRC, London Beit Din, Manchester Beit Din, Eida Charedit. All other alcohol purchases for the shul must be cleared with the Rav on an individual basis.
Other general guidelines:
Any products that contain gelatin must be Mehadrin.
The Triangle-K Hechsher is not acceptable in the shul
Obviously, not all situations can be covered in these guidelines. If questions arise, Rav Ezra is available and can be reached at 054-2161429