Let’s Talk Kashrus

Kashrus 101 Sometimes when we think of certain products we assume that they are very basic simple products, so what can go wrong with them. We will focus on 2 such products today, olives, and olive oil. Rabbi Menachem Fishbane - Rabbinic Coordinator at Kof-K explains to us what goes into these 2 products. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/olive-beis Join a Let’s Talk...

חמץ שעבר עליו הפסח Chometz? Who’s thinking about Chometz now? Pesach isn’t for another 4 months. For some Mashgichim like Rabbi Akiva Niehaus (Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc), it is a year round worry. If the owner of a liquor company is Jewish, there can be some serious concerns in regard to aged liquor. Specifically when i...

Croutons, Bagel & Pita Chips In this final segment of our Brachos series Rabbi Dovid Heber - Kashrus Administrator at Star-K breaks down the various breads that aren’t necessarily homatzi once they are in their final stage. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/breaking-bread Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates https://wa....

Can Alcohol Be Avodah Zara? What’s the possible connection between alcohol and avodah zara? From Saké which plays an integral part in Japanese culture to Trappist beers created in monasteries by monks, Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc discusses the various drinks and the halachic ramifications. View it in...

Unwrapping the World of Chocolate Is it true that chocolate factories are sometimes kashered with molten chocolate? Is chocolate labeled dairy equipment, truly dairy free? Let’s find out the answers in this fascinating conversation with Rabbi Dovid Oppenheimer, Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRc. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/melted-gelt Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus Wh...

At A Non-Kosher Venue Have you ever been to a hotel for an event, or for a Shabbos program? Did you ever think about the details on how the kitchen becomes kosher? Kashering a non-kosher kitchen is a very complicated process, yet it is done very often. Let’s listen to Rabbi Aaron Mendelson from Kosher Services, as he explains what the consumer should know before partaking in any event in a hotel....

Kosher Cocktails Many cocktails use vodka or rum as their base. While these 2 alcoholic drinks are seemingly innocuous, occasionally they can be distilled from problematic ingredients. Let’s hear from Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc what to look out for. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawar...

What’s The Main Ingredient? Let’s listen in to Rabbi Dovid Heber - Kashrus Administrator at Star-K as he walks us through the complicated sugyos of ikar and tafel in regards to Brachos. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/blended-blessings Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates https://wa.me/message/HWKKNR7VBI77L1

Challah Edition. Ever wondered how things are done on a commercial scale? What’s the process of taking challah for an entire bakery? Does everything in a bakery need hafrashas challah? These questions and more, answered by Rabbi Dovid Oppenheimer, Rabbinic Coordinator at the cRc. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/the-knead-for-a-mashgiach Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus Wh...

Saké, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Let’s listen to Rabbi Akiva Niehaus, certified saké sommelier and Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc, as he walks us through this fascinating topic. View it in its entirety...

What's the Proper Bracha? Let’s listen to Rabbi Dovid Heber - Kashrus Administrator at Star-K as he does a deep analysis on one of the most complicated cereals in terms of its correct Bracha: Crispix. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/cryptic-crispix Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates https://wa.me/message/HWKKNR7VBI7...

Cereal Edition Although not directly related to kashrus, the kashrus agencies are the ones who can help us figure out exact ingredients in products. Let’s listen in to Rabbi Dovid Heber as he guides us through various breakfast cereals and their proper brochos. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/a-bowlful-of-blessings Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educa...

Is Milchigs Better? One of the more common assumptions people mistakenly make, is that dairy products are easier to certify than meat. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ll just have the breakfast at this establishment. Their hechsher isn’t the greatest, but it’s just milchigs. What can be the problem?” Let’s listen in to Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, Kashrus administrator at the cRc, and Execu...

Shopping in a kosher supermarket is not necessarily a stamp of approval on everything sold inside. A cookbook displaying raspberries does not vouch that they are free from infestation. Many times we subconsciously associate things that we buy as being kosher. Rabbi Yosef Wikler, the editor of Kashrus Magazine, walks us through various situations where assumptions should not be made. View it in its...

The Uninvited Guests Why are there so many bugs in produce? Is this a new problem? How come there was never such issues 100 years ago? If my grandparents ate strawberries why can’t I? All these questions and more, answered by Rabbi Yosef Wikler, editor of Kashrus Magazine, who has seen these issues come and go over the last 50 years. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post...

Who Can I Trust? With 1,493 different Kashrus organizations all over the world, how can someone know who to trust? Let’s listen in to Rabbi Yosef Wikler who has been collecting data on the various organizations for over 40 years, for some guidance on whom to trust. More information can be found on his website www.kashrusmagazine.com View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/...

Made In Mexico Whether you drink your tequila straight, or you do the whole ritual with the lime and salt, it’s worth finding out the kashrus of tequila. Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc, goes in depth to explain the variations of tequila. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/l...

With A Sherry On Top. A closer look at the complexities of all types of whiskies and bourbon with Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/vintage-whisky Check out the cRc’s liquor list on their website https://consumer.crckosher.org/liquor/ Join a...

Iced Tea. Frappuccino. Cold Brew. Ice Shaken Espresso. These are just a few of the items on Starbucks cold drinks menu. Let’s explore the kashrus status of these drinks and others with R’ Sholem Fishbane, Director of Kashrus for the Chicago Rabbinical Council and Executive Director of AKO as he breaks down the menu for us in this fourth and final installment of the Starbucks series. View it in its...

Many options on the Starbucks hot drink menu. Mocha. Cappuccino. Hot Cocoa. Lattes. But are they kosher? R’ Sholem Fishbane, Director of Kashrus for the Chicago Rabbinical Council and Executive Director of AKO breaks down the menu for us in this third installment of the Starbucks series. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/starbucks-there-s-a-latte-options Join a Let’s...

What can be wrong with a plain black coffee? Apparently it isn’t that simple. R’ Sholem Fishbane, Director of Kashrus for the Chicago Rabbinical Council and Executive Director of AKO gives us guidance in this second installment of the Starbucks series. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/Starbucks-just-a-black-coffee Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educati...

A walkthrough of your local Starbucks store from a kashrus perspective with R’ Sholem Fishbane, Director of Kashrus for the Chicago Rabbinical Council and Executive Director of AKO. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/Starbucks-an-introduction Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates https://wa.me/message/HWKKNR7VBI77L1

A Deep Dive into Hard Seltzer Seltzer with a twist - analyzed by Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc. https://consumer.crckosher.org/liquor/hardseltzer/ View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/kosher-carbonation Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kas...

Tapping into the Flavors of Kosher Brews A deep dive into the vast world of breweries and microbreweries with Rabbi Akiva Niehaus - Director of Kashrus Operations at the cRc and the Rabbinic Coordinator of the Liquor Industry at the cRc. View it in its entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/hold-my-beer Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates...

Don’t Do as the Romans Do Rabbi Nochum Rabinowitz, Senior Rabbinic coordinator at OU Kosher takes us on a world tour of Kashrus overseas. View it in it’s entirety at https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/when-in-rome Join a Let’s Talk Kashrus WhatsApp Group for educational content and kashrus updates https://wa.me/message/HWKKNR7VBI77L1