Hechscher

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Kosher salt, which is used, among other things, to hide meat
Hechscher of the Orthodox Union

A Hechscher ( Hebrew : הכשר), plural Hechscharim , derived from the Hebrew word kascher (כשר), (Yiddish: kosher , German: suitable , pure ), colloquially also kosher stamp , is a kosher certificate that is applied to food and other products in the form of a seal , in the case of meat as a seal , is attached and displayed in shops and restaurants. A Hechscher certifies that the corresponding products are made in compliance with the Jewish laws, the Halacha , and approved for use and consumption in accordance with the dietary laws, the kashrut . (: Hebrew with a hechsher certified products of a trained supervisor, under the supervision Mashgiach ) have been prepared for the kashrut guaranteed by the listed on the hechsher or from the icon used erkenntliche with Haschgacha entrusted, under rabbinical standing regulatory organization. In addition to the Hechscher, food is usually also indicated whether it contains milk, meat or parve (neutral).

There are several hundred organizations and rabbinates around the world that award over 1000 different hekharim. In addition, there have also been hechsharim for a number of years who take ethical and ecological criteria into account.

Commitment and acceptance

In principle, all processed foods must be checked for their kashrut so that they are suitable for consumption by religious Jews who observe the Jewish food and purity laws. The needs for stricter and less stringent interpretation of religious laws are very different among religious Jews, so that, due to modern food production and changes in the diet and lifestyle of religious Jews, different standards of kashrut have developed. Accordingly, not all hechsharim are considered to be equally binding or accepted to the same extent.

The liability of a Hechscher depends on the trustworthiness of the rabbis or organizations entrusted with the hashgacha , the strictness with which the religious laws are applied, and the intensity of supervision. The trustworthiness in turn depends on the religious orientation of the consumer , possibly also on local conditions, which is why several organizations or rabbis are often entrusted with the hashgacha and the products are brought onto the market with several hechsharim accordingly.

particularities

The stricter form of kashrut , best known among Ashkenazi Jews , is designated with the Yiddish expression smooth kosher (Yiddish: hלאט כשר, Hebrew: chalak (חלק)). "Smooth" refers to the lungs of the dead animal, which, according to Sephardic and strict Ashkenazi interpretation, must be examined after slaughtering and must not have any bumps that indicate a possible disease from which the killed animal might have suffered. The term smooth kosher only applies to meat from larger animals, but is often used in general as a term for "strictly / strictly kosher" . The name that meets the strict requirements of the Sephardic Jews is chalak Bet Josef (Hebrew: חלק בית יוסף), or Bet Josef for short , after the work of the same name by Josef Karo , the author of the Shulchan Aruch from Spain .

Hechscher with the addition israel (Hebrew: ישראל), especially for pastries (Hebrew: פת ישראל) and dairy products (Hebrew: חלב ישראל), indicate that Jews were involved in the production, which, according to ultra-religious Jews, is purity of products increased. However, these stricter provisions generally apply to wine and are not noted.

For baked goods you can choose between jaschan , Ashkenazi pronunciation joschon (Hebrew: ישן, German: old (in relation to the grain used)), and chadasch , Ashkenazi pronunciation chodosch (Hebrew: חדש, German: new (in relation to the grain used)) , can be distinguished.

Hechscher: Badatz (Bet Din Tzedek) kosher le'mehadrin, Israel

Especially in Israel , but partly also in other countries, hechsharim, which are based on an interpretation of the religious laws that go beyond what is strictly necessary, with the addition le ' mehadrin (German: decorated ) as kosher le'mehadrin (Hebrew: כשר למהדרין) Mistake. There is also another increase, which is called le'mehadrin-min – ha'mehadrin (Hebrew: למהדרין מן המהדרין).

The agricultural products grown in Israel are subject to their own laws based on biblical specifications, which are taken into account in kosher certification.

Special provisions apply to the time of the Passover festival . Food and other products during Passover may be used, with the addition kosher le'pessach (Hebrew כשר לפסח) provided, at best even with the symbol P . Differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic observance can come into play.

Regional differences

There are sometimes significant differences between the individual countries and regions when it comes to kosher certification.

European countries

In the countries of Europe , the local Orthodox rabbinates or a rabbinical court (Hebrew: Beth Din (בית דין)) are usually responsible for the Hashgacha . Since in Europe kosher-certified food is only intended for observant Jews, the hechsharim assigned by local rabbinical organizations mostly meet very high requirements for the strict interpretation of the ritual regulations. Food that is not intended for consumption by religious Jews is usually marketed in European countries without a kosher stamp. In most European countries, lists of non-certified foodstuffs, cleaning products, etc. that are available on the local market and approved for observant Jews are issued by the local rabbinates. The local rabbinates are also responsible for assessing imported foods with a Hechscher. The Israeli chief rabbinate is responsible for the certificates for exports to Israel.

Smooth kosher le'pessach turkey, USA

Israel

In Israel, most grocery stores and many restaurants are kosher certified. Since the rabbinate's goal is to ensure the widest possible range of kosher food and catering, the certificates issued by local rabbinates cannot conform to the strictest interpretations of religious law. As a result, a double kosher standard has established itself in Israel: normal kosher for the non-religious and moderately religious Jewish population, kosher le ' mehadrin for the strictly religious minority. Some rabbinates, such as that of Jerusalem , award both a normal and a le'mehadrin Hechscher .

North America

In North America, and especially the United States , kosher foods are considered better, healthier, and more hygienic by large parts of the population. The number of kosher certified products in the US rose from around 3,000 in 1970 to 10,000 in 1985 and has now exceeded the 100,000 mark. Kosher products accounted for around 40% of the food sold in the USA in 2009. According to a survey from 2008, 13% of those questioned buy kosher products specifically, of which only 14% because they follow Jewish dietary laws, and another 10% because they observe other religious dietary regulations. According to a market trend study from 2009 sales of have kosher-certified food in the US with an increase of just over 50 billion dollars from 150 billion in 2003 to over 200 billion dollars in 2008, twice the growth rate of like the general food sector. A further growth to 260 billion dollars is expected, the proportion of kosher products bought for religious reasons is estimated at 14 to 17 billion dollars.

Hechscher Tzedek

On the initiative of Morris Allen, a rabbi of the conservative direction , the Heksher Tsedek (Hebrew: הכשר צדק, German: Hechscher for justice, correctness) was created in the USA in 2007 , a certification system that includes ethical requirements in the production of kosher food taken into account and supported by the umbrella organizations of conservative rabbis and synagogues in the USA. The reason for the launch of Heksher Tsedek were grievances at the largest kosher meat producer in the USA, the now bankrupt AgriProcessors company , which was run by members of the Lubavitch Hasidic movement and repeatedly made negative headlines in the USA. Since 2010, the hechscher called Magen Tsedek has been awarded in addition to a traditional hechscher certifying kashrut.

Also in response to the violations of the law by AgriProcessors , Tav HaYosher (Hebrew: תו היושר), an ethical seal for kosher restaurants in the USA, was created. The Hechscher has been awarded by the moderate Orthodox organization Uri L'Tzedek (Hebrew: עורי לצדק), founded in 2007, since May 12, 2009. A year earlier, on 12 May 2008, the so-called " Postville Raid " almost 400 mostly from Guatemala stemming illegal workers from AgriProcessors in Postville, in the American state a 2000-site souls Iowa arrested; Most of them were sentenced to prison terms in an express trial and then deported , which led to numerous protests and solidarity rallies with the arrested workers, not least from the liberal Jewish side. Tav HaYosher is based on the Israeli seal of approval Tav Chevrati for "social kashrut ", which has been awarded since 2005 .

literature

  • Eliezer Eidlitz: Is it kosher? Encyclopedia of Kosher Foods. Facts & Fallacies . Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem 2004, ISBN 1-58330-616-1 . (English)
  • Sue Fishkoff: Kosher Nation . Schocken Books, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-8052-4265-2 . (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Samantha M. Shapiro: Kosher Wars . The New York Times Magazine, October 9, 2008 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  2. ↑ Lutz Lorenz: Happy Christmas - but where does it come from on the table? When kosher can no longer be kosher in Berlin . ( Memento of May 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Jewish newspaper , December 2008. Accessed: August 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Orthodox Rabbinical Conference Germany, ORD: Explanations on Kaschrut , Rabbi Tuvia Hod: Kosher - Information sheet for the European food industry . ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 26, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.koshergermany.com
  4. ^ What's the Truth About ... Glatt Kosher. A column devoted to researching commonly-held beliefs. By: Rabbi Ari Z. Zivotofsky . Published in: “Jewish Action”, Winter 5760/1999 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  5. ↑ The London Board for Shechita: Shechitat Bet Yosef and Glatt Kosher ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English). Retrieved August 27, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.shechita.co.uk
  6. ↑ Jewish cuisine. Berlin's kosher inspector looking for clues . Spree-Aviv.de. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ Avrom Pollak: Yoshon and Chodosh. Something Old Something New . Star-K Kosher Certification, online (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ Glossary www.hechshers.info (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  9. ↑ Still not a matter of course: Particularities when observing kashrut in Germany . From the afterword by Dov-Levy Barsilay in: “Kosher through the year” , haGalil onLine. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  10. ↑ ORD kosher list ( Memento of the original from August 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Swiss kosher lists of the SIG. ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 26, 2010.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ordonline.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.swissjews.ch
  11. ↑ Everything kosher or what?  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Germany Trade and Invest, February 1, 2009. Accessed: August 26, 2010.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.gtai.de  
  12. ^ Gil Student: The Concept of Mehadrin . Hirhurim Musings, December 13, 2007 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  13. ↑ Hechscher “Rabbanut Yerushalayim” and “Rabbanut Yerushalayim Mehadrin” . Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  14. ↑ Bethany Halford: Favored Flavors. To ensure kosher dietary standards, rabbis need to account for every molecule .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Chemical & Engineering News, March 29, 2010, Volume 88, Number 13, pp. 25f. (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.@1@ 2Template: dead link / pubs.acs.org  
  15. ↑ Kim Severson: For Some, 'Kosher' Equals Pure . The New York Times, January 12, 2010 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  16. ↑ 3 in 5 kosher food buyers purchase for food quality, not religion Mintel Press Release, February 2009.
  17. ↑ MarketTrend: Kosher- and Halal-Certified Foods in the US . ( Memento of the original from November 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. companiesandmarkets.com, April 1, 2009 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.companiesandmarkets.com
  18. ↑ United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly: Hekhsher Tzedek (2007) ( Memento of the original from December 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.uscj.org
  19. ↑ Sue Fishkoff: Fair on the assembly line. USA: Conservative movement wants ethical standards for kosher food production . Jüdische Allgemeine , December 13, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  20. ↑ United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly: The Hekhsher Tzedek Commission Announces the Creation of Magen Tzedek. Conservative Movement's Ethical Certification Seal To Be Introduced to Kosher Food Industry in Coming Months ( Memento of the original of September 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. December 22, 2008 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.uscj.org
  21. ^ Corinne Ramey, The Forward: Is your kosher restaurant ethically certified? New Orthodox group gives seal of approval to seven New York restaurants who treat workers fairly and obey labor laws. Ha'aretz , May 17, 2009 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  22. ^ Julia Preston: Iowa Rally Protests Raid and Conditions at Plant . The New York Times, July 28, 2008 (English). Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  23. ↑ The Tav Chevrati. Cuisine with a Conscience . ( Memento of the original from October 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Bema'aglei Tzedek website . Retrieved August 26, 2010.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mtzedek.org.il