KOSHER page 15
MKC Supervises
Dairy, Pareve Items
R
abbi Jack Goldman be-
gan his kosher supervi-
sion business with a
bakery in Philipsburg,
Pa., a one-shul town where he
served as the rabbi. When he
moved to Jacksonville, Fla., then
to Memphis, Tenn., then to De-
troit, he built his client base to
include organizations in sever-
al states.
An entrepreneur with a doc-
torate in English, Rabbi Gold-
man heads an organization that
provides kosher certification to
manufacturers of over 100 dairy
or pareve products and ingredi-
ents, items requiring less su-
pervision than meat products.
"Meat requires constant su-
pervision," he said. "We have the
supervision personnel but no
[meat] products."
To provide the supervision for
the many items to which he
lends his hashgachah, Rabbi
Goldman assigns and pays oth-
er mashgichim to make period-
ic inspections of his clients'
plants or establishments.
Although the company pulls
in over $100,000 annually in
fees, Rabbi Goldman maintains
that his religious work is total-
ly voluntary. He says his per-
sonal income is derived from his
position as a professor of Eng-
lish at Macomb Community Col-
lege.
"Most of my time is preoccu-
pied with kashrus even though
"I don't hesitate
for a minute if
someone steps out
of line. I knock him
out with vigor."
— Rabbi Jack Goldman
it is the one thing I don't make
anything from," he said. "But I
feel that it is something I want
to do because I want to benefit
the Jewish community, not only
this Jewish community but
wherever I can make kosher
food available for the masses."
However, when asked about
information from the MKC's
1990-92 tax returns, which stat-
ed he earned a salary of between
$20,000 and $35,000, Rabbi
Goldman said that he no longer
earns a salary from the MKC
but is reimbursed for travel and
business expenses. In addition,
he acknowledged that the MKC
makes regular annual contri-
butions to a pension fund which
he can access upon his retire-
ment.
It is because he does not cur-
rently draw a salary that Rabbi
Goldman feels he is in a better
position to pull certification if
kashrus is jeopardized.
"Anyone who works for the
MKC is paid. I am the only one
who is not paid. My hands are
clean," he said. "And therefore,
I don't hesitate for a minute if -
someone steps out of line. I
knock him out with vigor."
Shirlee Bloom owns one of the
places that had MKC certifica-
tion removed. She currently op-
erates Bloom Catering out of the
Vineyards Deli in Farmington
Hills.
Ms. Bloom said the problems
with supervision began around
the High Holidays in 1994 with
the inadvertent sale of a
nonkosher candy on a kosher
tray.
Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg is a
member of the Vaad Harabonim's
presidium.
That was followed by an inci-
dent that occurred shortly af-
terward when Ms. Bloom was
out of town, her mashgiach was
delayed and a customer wanted
to purchase something from her
showcase. Ronnie Asmar, the
owner of the Vineyards, sold the
prepared product as Rabbi Gold-
man was walking into the store.
Rabbi Goldman said the sale
was against an earlier directive
not to sell anything when the
mashgiach or Ms. Bloom was
not present.
Ms. Bloom said she under-
stood the directive to mean that
while nothing could be prepared
in the kitchen while she was
away, prepared items could be
sold from the case.
"I could understand if he came
in and saw a chicken cooking or
a fire going, but we were doing
what he said," she said. "We
were selling out of the case. Our
kitchen was cold."
Rabbi Goldman fined the
business $500 and told Ms.
Bloom she would lose supervi-
sion for three months. Mr. As-
mar offered to re-kasher the
kitchen, a punishment he
thought fit the "crime."
"We could afford to pay the
$500, but I didn't feel that it was
right," Mr. Asmar said. "I felt
it was a slap on the wrist."
The yanking of her certifica-
tion meant a loss in synagogue
bookings for Ms. Bloom's cater-
ing business and her over-the-
counter traffic has dropped 5
percent. But the money she used -
to pay for supervision have made
up for that, she said.
"It really hasn't made that
much of a difference," she said.
"I maintain my kitchen the
same way I did when there
was a mashgiach. The people
who trusted me then trust me
now."
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