News from Israel

Israel’s Tourism Surges For Succoth But Future Is Still Uncertain

(Tel Aviv) El Al Israel Airlines is flying at capacity this week with all seats virtually sold out. The same is true for Continental, Israir, and Delta, the other carriers with regular service to Tel Aviv. An estimated 30,000 American Jews will be spending the Succoth/Shemini Atzereth/ Simhat Torah holiday (October 7 – 15) in Israel, some arriving via European carriers that were offering lower fares than the direct flight carriers. Hotels in Jerusalem are taking full advantage of the demand, charging as much as $800 a night and $130 a meal (excluding beverage and tips) in a preferred Succah. Before this summer’s hostilities in the North, Israeli tourism officials were projecting that some 2.6 million tourists would visit Israel, but now officials are re-examining their estimates. Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Isaac Herzog, was in New York last week trying to stimulate both Jewish and Christian tourism to Israel. The minister helped kick off new television spots and met with Christian leaders while in the US. The visitors to Israel for Succoth include many well-known wealthy Orthodox Jews from around the country. Officials are trying to stimulate tourism during the last quarter of 2006 to make a serious effort to come close to their original projections.

Permission give by koshertoday.com to republish

Jewish Recipes and Jewish Cooking

Many New Products on Shelves for Succoth

(New York) Many consumers were amazed at the array of honeys sold in kosher sections this year. Favored honey, gourmet honey, and even organic honey made some consumers ask store clerks, “where’s the regular honey?” But grocery shelves carried many other new items going into the holiday of Succoth, which begins this Friday at sundown and ends at sundown on October 15th with Simchat Torah. The HKS/Kedem family has been one of those large distributors that have given customers new choices like Tivi Valley vegetarian selections for the growing number of people who wish to stay away from meat or dairy. The frozen dishes include vegetarian patties, schnitzels, drumsticks, and burgers. The health conscious could wash down the meals with Kedem's pomegranate and grape blend of juices. Yehuda Matzos is no longer a Passover staple. It is now on shelves all year long along with the popular domestic brands of Streit’s and Manischewitz. The matzos are available in whole wheat, egg & onion, garlic & poppy together with salted or unsalted pack. Yehuda also offers garlic-flavored humus. This being a snack season for kids, there were many new candies from Paskesz, Elite and Gedilla. Retailers say that they were quite surprised with the many new items, which were previously reserved for the Passover season. Retailers expect sales to grow by 12% - 15% over the holiday period.

Permission give by koshertoday.com to republish

Jewish Recipes and Jewish Cooking

US Hotel Industry Pays Increasing Attention to Kosher Clientele

(Chicago) The new Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel located in Wheeling, Illinois, scheduled to open this month, will include two totally independent kosher kitchens, one for meat functions and another for dairy, all under the supervision of the Chicago Rabbinical Council(CRC). This may very well be the first major hotel chain to offer both kosher meat and dairy. Many hotels in major cities have designated kosher kitchens to serve the growing demand for kosher catering. Mr. Rupert Spies, Senior Lecturer, Hospitality Facilities and Operations, School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, is preparing his students for a career in which they are destined to come into increasing contact with kosher. He recently took his students on a tour of New York hotels including the Waldorf Astoria and the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge to learn more about kosher catering. Addressing the students, Menachem Lubinsky of KosherToday explained the intricacies of the kosher market and the implications on kosher foodservice: “With 15%-20% annual growth, kosher catering is rapidly becoming a key driving force of the kosher market in general.” Mr. Jorge Vargas, the Food & Beverage Director at the Brooklyn Marriott said that kosher represents about 20% of the hotel’s catering. Most New York hotels are said to do approximately 10%-20% of their food and beverage service as kosher. Passover is a key profit period for resort hotels in the US with new hotels being added each year. One source put annual kosher catering sales in the US at nearly $1 billion. Many hotels are investing into their kosher programs by not only designating kosher kitchens but training staff, purchasing special utensils and equipment, and offering individual meals to business clients.

Permission give by koshertoday.com to republish

Jewish Recipes and Jewish Cooking

Rabbis Debate Role of Mashgiach Temidi

(New York) Rabbi Zev is a mashgiach temidi at a local kosher restaurant. The rabbi has the key to the freezer where the meat is stored, he turns on the oven when he arrives just before 10 in the morning and he checks shipments of meat and other ingredients when they arrive. If Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, who heads the Brooklyn-based OK Kosher Certification agency had his way, Rabbi Zev would be doing a lot more. “I believe that the mashgiach temidi must have a full record of what comes in and what goes out,” he noted. In meetings following the Monsey scandal (where non-kosher poultry was sold by a “respected” kosher butcher) last month, one of the main proposals to prevent a reoccurrence was to require a mashgiach temidi (full-time kosher supervisor) in establishments where kosher food was repackaged. Rabbi Levy said that the “mashgiach must be fully engaged, totally involved with other staff persons, and be accountable to a senior rabbinic supervisor.” Some rabbis complained that many supervisors like Rabbi Zev spend most of their day reading a newspaper or actually studying the Talmud. According to Rabbi Moshe Elefant, the COO of the Orthodox Union (OU), the passive rabbi was common many years ago “when rabbis were severely underpaid and not given much authority. Today the OU encourages their mashgichim to be involved in other aspects of the plants they supervise without ever loosing sight of their main mission.” To assure that rabbis are fully engaged, the OU dispatches senior supervisors to check on their mashgichim. Like the OK, the Orthodox Union requires that mashgichim have the keys to the kosher products and in some cases, to the establishment itself. Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, the Nierbarter Rav, recently informed consumers that mashgichim in a Brooklyn kosher butcherie falsely rumored to be involved with the Monsey butcher actually had “the keys to the butcher store.”

Most of the rabbis who spoke to KosherToday agreed that a mashgiach temidi should be fully involved in the operations they supervise. Rabbi Levy even suggested that they maintain a relationship with staff members if only for the reason that “the workers are the best source of information.” One rabbi said that the “rabbi must be kept busy so that he is alert to any possible violation of kosher food laws.”

Permission give by koshertoday.com to republish

Jewish Recipes and Jewish Cooking

Kosher Food Industry

FEATURE: New York’s Kosher Restaurants Vow to Adjust to Trans Fats Restrictions (New York) Kosher restaurants say that they will adjust their menus to meet proposed restrictions on the use of trans fats, although some were clearly unhappy. The New York City Board of Health last week unveiled a proposal that would sharply limit the use of ingredients that contain the artery-clogging substance, commonly listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated oil. If the ban goes into effect, offenders could face fines of up to $2,000 for each violation. A similar plan to restrict trans fats in restaurant food has been proposed in Chicago and is still under consideration, although it has been ridiculed by some as unnecessary government meddling. The latest version of the Chicago plan would only apply to companies with annual revenues of more than $20 million, a provision aimed exclusively at fast-food giants. New York's health department had asked restaurants to impose a voluntary ban last year but found use of trans fats unchanged in recent surveys. Under the New York proposal, restaurants would need to remove artificial trans fats from cooking oils, margarine and shortening by July 1, 2007, and all other foodstuffs by July 1, 2008. It would not affect grocery stores. It also would not apply to naturally occurring trans fats, which are found in some meats and dairy.

Elan Kornblum, publisher of Great Kosher Restaurant Magazine commented, “if all (kosher) restaurants have to do it, they will all be on same playing field.” He added: “Chefs will have to be creative in order to provide the same great taste as before. This ban would be healthier for consumers and therefore it’s a good idea.” Hyam Maryles, the Food and Beverage Director of the Prime Grill Restaurant, located in Midtown Manhattan, said that his restaurant has always focused on providing clients with a healthier menu while acknowledging that it also included fatty foods. “If the ban were to be instituted it would not pose a great problem for us. We have talented chefs who are able to change recipes on a whim.” Brocha Landau, Manager of Dougies in Brooklyn, felt the ban “would have a negative impact on kosher restaurants, especially the franchise restaurants.” She added: “A lot of restaurants have items on the menu with trans fats. We would have to change our recipes, change the way our foods are prepared and change how we buy our foods.” Michael Weltz, General Manager Park East Grill & Park East Caterers, said: “I think the proposed ban on trans fats ingredients is a step in the right direction. Even though it is more expensive to do without them, we stopped using trans fats months ago.” Yuliya Mazur, owner of Grill de Paris, told KosherToday correspondent Sarah Cohen, “We are no longer using trans fats at all in our restaurant and therefore this proposed ban poses no problem to our restaurant.” Scott Magram, CEO of My Most Favorite Dessert in Midtown Manhattan, was concerned whether certain products could be made for Passover. “If the ban becomes a reality and there is not a Passover product available, it will impact us tremendously.” Author, Chef and restaurateur Jeff Nathan was also amongst the group of restaurants who thought the proposal was “absolutely ridiculous.” He noted “We're permitted to buy cigarettes, cigars and alcohol, but not trans fat?” Nathan said that he rarely uses trans fats. “By chance, we use very little of it...it's part of the margarine spread offered before every meal, and as a part of ingredients like Crisco shortening to be used in our baked products. After all, as a meat restaurant, we often substitute shortening and margarine for butter.” Nathan felt that the ban would have a very detrimental effect on desserts.

Permission give by koshertoday.com to republish

Jewish Recipes and Jewish Cooking