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~~\~-·~~~ 4q_-$' &~~ ,;., . • <\'..~.• . /~"' S) .. •• ·•• ···•·····•··.·.·.·.•.·.••·•·.·.· •• ·.•••······.·~."' ~<....•••• •• ·.•.·•• ··<'(~·.. ··.:~.· .. ·~· ..· ....• ·.····• ... ; ..·.······~~ ·s,~?...••\)-<;··· •• ··<j.\j .•.. $."" ~&7 ~·~~··· Jewish history may be lying around in your basement. Don't let it be lost to thew d. Thousands of documents and photos are languishing in trunks, attics and forgotten drawers in private homes and basements. Now is the time to retrieve this precious material before it becomes dust instead of history. Your help-the public's help-is needed in this effort. Do you have any relevant old photos, documents, or records? THE CATEGORIES OF ITEMS REQUESTED: • Documentation of Orthodox ,Jewish rescue work dur "' Document<;: and photos pertaining to Orthodox activ~ ing the Holocaust. ism in the social service and civic action fields. • Photos depicting life in the shtetl, the Orthodox com ~ Photos of Gedolei Yisroel past and present. munities of the eities, the yeshiva world, and Chassidic • Sets of Orthodox journals and periodicals. centers of Europe before the Holocaust. • Documents and photos relating to the religious Yishuv '" Documents, records 1 letters, 'journals and newspapers in Eretz Yisroel 1 its institutions and struggles for that portray Turah life in Europe as it was, and cast Jewish life. light on the issues and problems facing Jews at the time. • Documents and photos pertaining to world-wide Agudath Israel hisfllry, all Knessios Gedolos, and the "' Documenl<>, records 1 correspondence, newsclippings, development of the American Agudah movement since journals, memorahilia, and phows depicting Orthodox 1922. life in the U.S. from colonial times to the present. ({f you arr hesitant to pa.rt with cheri._<;hidiU>m..i;, arrange· .. Documents and photos pertaining to the development me11t.s can bf' m.adt' fo reproduce certain kind.<; of documents of yeshivos throughout the country. and phfJtos, leaving the original in your pos,-;ession.) AS A COMMUNITY, WE MUST PRESERVE THIS LEGACY THAT WILi. OTHERWISE BE LOST TO FUTURE GENERA'l'IONS. If you have any items in the above categories in your possession, or know where they can be obtained, please write or phone: ORTHODOX JEWISH ARCHIVES Agudath Israel of America 84 William Street, New York, N.Y. 10038, 212-797-9000 R THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021 ·6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of America, 84 W\lllam Street, New York, N.Y. 10038. Second class postage paid in New York, N.Y. Subscription $22.00 per year; two years, $36.00; three years, $48.00. Outside of the United States (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Singlecopy$3.00; foreign $4.00. Send address 4 changes to: The Jewish Observer, 84 William Street, N.Y., N.Y. 10038. Tel: (212) 797·9000. The Making of an Educated Kashrus Consumer Printed in the U.S.A. Rabbi Yaakov Reisman RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR 8 EDITORIAL BOARO DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER The Sword And The Sefer Chairman THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF RABBI MoRDECHAI WEINBERG, ?")IT RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Rabbi Yaakov Feitman JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN 13 MANAGEMENT BOARD When Children Are Poisoned With Criticism... AVIFISHOF Miriam Adahan NAFTOLI HIRSCH ISAAC KIRZNER RABBI SHLOMO LESIN 18 NACHUM STEIN "Whose Homework Is it, Anyway?" RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Eliyahu Mayer BU$iness Manager Published by Agudath Israel of America Second Looks: RABBI MOSHE SHERER PRESIDENT SCA AT THE CROSSROADS SOLE U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE Feldheim Publishers M.T. Bibelman Postscript: 200 Airport Executive Park Grosvenor Works Spring Valley. N.Y. 10977 Mount Pleasant Hill "WHEN WOMEN'S PRAYERS ARE WELL RECEIVED .. '" London E5 9NE. ENGLAND ISRAEU DISTRIBUTOR AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR Hechemia Rosenberg Gold's Book & Gift Co. 26 Kiryat Telshe Stone, 108A 36 William Street And Thou Shalt Love O.N. Harei Yehuda. ISRAEL Balaclava 3183. Vic., AUSTRALIA Libby Lazewnik THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus 27 of any product, publication, or service Letters to the Editor advertised in its pages ©Copyright 1993 37 APRIL 1993 Dateline: VOLUME XXVt I NO. 3 NEWS FROM AGUDATH ISRAEL Rabbi Yaakov Reisman YOUARETHEFINALAUTHORITY that although hashgachos are essen commands to distinguish between tial (they communicate information to that which is permitted and that en we talk of the Kashrus the consumer). the process does not which is prohibited to eat. It would ene, we think of the entire stop there. The consumer must re seem, then, that the mere research w.alphabet of codes. the ceive the information, evaluate it, and into permitted and prohibited foods is plethora of Kashrus symbols, the full then act upon on it. The educated con in keeping with the wishes of the To range of supervising agencies. We sumer can make all the dtfference in rah, quite apart from the information also think of the producers, the food the world. He can accept or reject one gains regarding what one may or handlers. and the providers. But we shoddy merchandise-and sloppy may not put into one's mouth. When leave out what is perhaps the most Kashrus supervision. The laws ofsup one studies and investigates the ac important ingredient-the consumer. ply and demand can apply to quality ceptability of foods. one is mekayem For except for the kal. who will accept hashgachaas they do to specific prod mitzvos asei. anything (even the butcher shops ucts. Witness, for example, the prolif with signs that call out -w:i -w:i). we eration of Cholov Yisroel dairy prod STARTING Nr THE BEGINNING: regularly make decisions as to what ucts and glatt Kosher meats in re THE HECHSHER we will accept and what we will not. sponse to consumer demand. People must eat every day. several The consumer's role as a key his article will attempt to times a day. Whenever someone puts player in the Kashrus scene would, present a basic outline of a morsel of food into his mouth, he on its own, make it incumbent upon T some of the things one must ar she-is making a halachic decision the consumer to learn and become an learn to become an educated con that the item is Kosher. It follows, then, educated consumer. There is, how sumer. The starting point of every in ever, another reason why one should vestigation into Kashrus is the Rabbi Reisman, who is Rav of Agudath Israel of learn as much as possible about the hechsher. At present, the biggest Long Island, is connected With the Association for Kashrus of available products: The hechsher in the world can be found Reliable Kashrus, a supervising agency. His Rambam in the beginning of Hilchos on the street corners of cities in every ~School and Home: Partners or Adversaries?tt ap Maacholos Asuros lists four positive country on every continent on earth. peared in JO May '88. 4 The Jewish Observer. April 1993 It covers the whole gamut of volved, as well as other halachic fac Rabbanim. The agencies are not Kashrus-the manufacturer, the tors in the hechsher. The Rav bound to them, so they can do as the packer, the restaurant-eveiything. It hamachshir or supervising agency young girl did, and shop around for a is called "Reb Alleh." Who checked has to be the type of authority you Rav with a lenient approach. into it? Reb AUeh: "AUeh esseTL .. AUeh would ask your other she'eilos. You •Company B has a hashgacha but koifeTL Everyone is buying and eating must ask yourself, "What are my has violated the terms set by the the product, so I am buying and eat standards? Am I a 60, or 80, in other agency a number of times. The ing it, too." areas of halacha?" hashgachaagency says, ''You will lose A prominent out-of-town Rosh Ye When you see a particular symbol our certification," to which the com shiva attended a New York wedding. or hechsher, do you know the posetk pany says, "I'll find a different When the meal began. the Rosh Yeshiva behind that symbol? Would you be hashgacha." Or if the hashgachade asked the person to his right, 'Men ken embarrassed to introduce this person mands changes in a certain product, doh essen ?" The guest shrugged his to your guests at your wedding or bris the company may say, "No other shoulders and turned to the fellow next as the person under whose authority hashgacha demands it; so I can go to to him with the same question. And so it they are eating? If the answer to this someone else if you won't give the went around the table. until thefellow at question is "yes," then perhaps you hechsher." In contrast to days gone the left of the Rosh Yeshiva asked htm shouldn't be serving his food. by, when the Rav set the criteria for 'Menken doh essen7' So the Rosh Yeshiva picked himself up and asked the chassan's father re The educated consumer can make all the difference gordmg the acceptability ofthe catering. who turned lo themechuten and put the in the world. He can accept or reject shoddy question to him "Alleh essen doh!-Ev eryone eats here!" he replied, sweeping merchandise-and sloppy Kashrus supervision. The his hand across the ha1L People seem to believe that com laws of supply and demand can apply to quality munities are a hechsher. "I bought ~~'· this in Boro Park." "I picked it up in hashgacha as they do to specific products. New York." The previous Skverer Rebbe once remarked, ''The yeitzer hara (evil in MOVING TARGETS Kashrus, today everyone else but the clination) doesn't need a passport to Rav seems to be doing so: either the get into New Square." Entzy is unob mother asks her daughter to certifying agency, or the store owner structed.