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A day in the Life Of 20-35 c.qxd 11/19/2009 2:59 PM Page 24 A day in the life of... Rabbi Sholom Adler By Moshe Epstein The Kashrus Scene— As Seen from Toronto e live in a world with constantly evolving technological advances. These advances have caused many changes in the food industry, making W kashrus supervision a greater challenge and responsibility. The COR, Canada’s primary kashrus agency, was founded over fifty years ago by Rabbi Gedalia Felder, zt”l. Today, the COR has grown and expanded to accommodate the growing food industry, ensuring quality kosher food for the Jewish consumer. The acronym “COR” stands for Council of Orthodox Rabbis, which is how the organization was originally referred to at its inception. Today the organization is known as the Kashruth Council of Canada, yet is still widely referred to as the COR. Rabbi Sholom Adler, the COR’s Kashrus Administrator, was born in Brooklyn and raised in Toronto, where his parents moved in 1964. He attended Yeshivah Shaarei Yosher, and later the yeshivos of Brisk and Lakewood. Rabbi Adler graciously related a typical day at the COR with Hamodia. Some Background Info: my kabbalah as a shochet from the Debrecener supervises over 130 community Canada’s official 2005 census reported a Rav, Harav Moshe Stern, zt”l, and from, establishments such as restaurants, caterers, population of 370,000 Jews, 190,000 of whom ybl”c, Harav Yechezkel Roth, shlita. As a bakeries and retail stores. This is managed live in Toronto. Although only a small bachur I was interested in the field of separately by Rabbi Tsvi Heber, Director of percentage of Canadian Jews are strictly shechitah, and so during bein hazmanim I often Kashrus, Foodservice Division. observant, a majority keep kosher. Toronto, accompanied shochatim to observe the the base of the COR’s operation, is home to process. Before becoming affiliated full-time About the COR tens of thousands of frum people. I feel with the COR, I worked for twenty years as Being Toronto’s primary kashrus agency privileged to serve the Toronto kehillah, as a mashgiach with various kashrus agencies has its challenges. Large metropolitan areas well as the numerous other communities worldwide, so I brought along to the COR might have choices of multiple agencies, so whose families consume products under our both firsthand acquaintance of the shechitah establishments can shop around for a hashgachah. process and on-site industrial knowledge certifying agency that will suit their needs, At the COR, I am responsible for seven and experience in establishing and both culturally and financially, or for any hundred companies across Canada. I work maintaining sophisticated kashrus other reason. In Toronto, the COR balances with a team of capable and experienced standards throughout the food industry. all of these issues to satisfy a wide range of Rabbinic Coordinators and I’m also The COR has the largest foodservice constituents, catering to the full spectrum of currently in charge of shechitah. I received department in North America that Canadian Jewry. 24 HAMODIA SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... A day in the Life Of 20-35 c.qxd 11/19/2009 3:02 PM Page 25 As well, in cities with more than one And it doesn’t typically end with one food cooked by a Jew, for which an kosher-certifying agency, what can happen crisis: While waiting on hold to resolve the observant Jew must at the very least ignite is that when one agency removes its Halifax dilemma, another call came in from the fire that begins the process. certification from an establishment due to a local bakery with a new predicament. The Studying the machinery, I realized that if non-compliance, within hours, the bakery had run low on bagels and needed a an electrical blackout would cause the establishment has signed up with another special production to take place on boiler to shut down, there were two agency. The consumer, often unaware of the Monday, under the supervision of a options. One would be to halt everything switch in certification and why it took place, mashgiach. While still negotiating for the until someone from the COR could be is put at possible risk for less-than-optimum Halifax company, I called our in-house summoned to the site — a situation that kashrus. scheduler and asked that he take care of the could incur substantial financial losses due This type of switch to another kashrus local matter, which he accomplished to “down time.” The other option I came up agency in Toronto would prove to be an successfully. with was much better: I segregated the unsuccessful move, as kosher consumers bishul Yisrael egg cooking system so that here place their trust in the COR, which Afternoons even if someone at the company does turn provides them with the high standards they On a typical afternoon, I handle many on the boiler to enable the operation of the enjoy. interesting issues. One example I’ll share rest of the equipment (which does not As Canada’s largest kashrus with you is my experience with a company require “bishul Yisrael”), the “hard-boiled organization — with 70% of the “market that produces boxed juice drinks that you egg” cooking system is not affected. I also share” — the COR’s mission is huge. As its might send along with a school-age child to assisted in designing a dial-in code system administrator I can say that no “one” day is drink during recess. The company that to remotely restart both the boiler and the “typical,” since new situations are owns the brand that has the formula for the “egg-cooking” system. constantly arising, but I will do my best to product sends it to a specialized processing describe a “typical” day at the COR. facility for production and packaging. This is because the machinery used in that Mornings process, referred to as “Tetra®,” is very As morning dawns, my busy day at the expensive to own and maintain. The COR begins, as I and other staff members specialized processing facility serves a wide reply to the constant phone calls and email variety of juice drink and non-kosher liquid requests. This correspondence with the food producers, making it challenging to many companies and restaurants under the kasher the machinery. Researching the COR’s supervision range from routine to sophisticated technology involved, and unique. One Friday we received a phone resolving the problems that arose due to the call from one of our companies located near machinery not being dedicated to only Halifax, Nova Scotia, asking that a specific kosher juice, was a challenge that proved piece of equipment be kashered by the extremely rewarding once overcome. following Tuesday. They needed this Another scenario of a company equipment right away to fill an order. Since that uses a preparation process it was Friday, when our office closes at 3:00 with complicated halachic p.m., the task seemed impossible. But prior ramifications relates to a experience has taught me to “never say manufacturer that markets never,” so I picked up the telephone and hard-boiled eggs. The system did my hishtadlus. Fortunately, I located the they use for the preparation of mashgiach who was scheduled to be in other kosher foods and for Halifax a week later for a different job, and boiling the eggs is a steam I asked him to change his itinerary to enable boiler that, in turn, heats the us to accommodate the client. water that cooks the eggs to While relating this story took me mere such a degree that they become minutes, actually engineering these “hard-boiled.” Understandably, arrangements took several hours and many a mashgiach must turn on the boiler phone calls — but that’s a good part of to begin the cooking process. This will what I do! ensure that it will be bishul Yisrael — Rabbi Adler on his way to inspect a facility A day in the Life Of 20-35 c.qxd 11/19/2009 3:03 PM Page 26 Rabbi Sholom Adler The Low-down The RVH has tackled policy decisions on undocumented foreigners, or otherwise On High-Level Meetings a variety of interesting questions. For contravene provincial or federal regulations. On a typical day I also attend several instance, if we kosher-certify a caterer at an If one of our contracted companies would meetings. One such meeting may take place affair attended by both Jews and non-Jews, face such a situation, our problem with them with the Rabbinical Vaad Hakashrus (RVH), after which food and drink will be awarded would not center on the political issue of which meets about four times a year, barring as prizes to attendees — a gift certificate to a whether undocumented workers should or any major issues that demand emergency restaurant, a case of wine, or the like — must should not have the right to work in Canada. sessions. One of the important topics this the prizes also be kosher? The psak halachah Instead, it would focus on the fact that the board addresses is COR policy. was, yes: prizes that would be consumed, people managing that company have A recent interesting case was a question albeit after the event, must also be kosher in proven themselves to be less than 100% posed by a non-Jewish businessman who order for the event to be under COR trustworthy. People who don’t hesitate to had signed a contract to lease a store in a certification. cheat, on any issue, are not the best mall.