A V
COMMUNITY VIEWS
Vaad: No Goon Squad
employ people with a capacity to work
would like to offer a perspective
in an ever-changing environment, and
on the Council of Orthodox
often not at usual working hours. No
Rabbis of Greater Detroit differ-
one should question the need to pay
ent from the articles presented
for the individual representative of the
in the Aug. 4 issue ("Kosher Losses,"
Vaad (the mashgiach) for his
page 7; "Kosher Conclusion,"
time or the Vaad's service as
page 35).
the licensing agency, which
My business relationship
has direct cost and overhead
with the Vaad Harabonim of
associated with it. Most of
Greater Detroit goes back
the active members of the
more than 20 years. The
Vaad are community and
Vaad fulfills many important
pulpit rabbis who volunteer
roles in the Jewish life of the
their time at the Vaad and
Detroit community, but my
receive no remuneration for
focus is on their role as a
their services; in fact, it is
kashrut (kosher) supervising
PAUL G. KOHN often a thankless job.
agency.
The national kashrut
Special to
To supervise, verify and
organizations charge signifi-
Jewish News
the
abet the kashrut of a diverse
cantly more for their super-
group of business establish-
vision and the use of their
ments requires the Vaad to
symbols than the Detroit Vaad
Harabonim.
I've been at loggerheads with the
of
Southfield
owns
Paul G. Kohn
Vaad on numerous issues over these
Quality Kosher Catering in South-
many years, but I have not found their
field and La Iyerence, a kosher
emphasis or overriding focus to be
restaurant in West Bloomfield. He
monetary.
can be reached via e-mail at
To address some of the points made
paulgkohn@aol.com
I
in the article, Rabbi Moshe Elefant of
the Orthodox Union compares the
relationship of the supervising agency
to a marriage to explain the differ-
ences, which arise from time to time
between the agency and those it super-
vises. The relationship is not that
complex; it is a business-to-business
service relationship. The Vaad is both
a regulatory and a supervising agency,
acting as a guarantor of the veracity of
the claims made to the consumer by
the service or manufacturing compa-
ny.
The Vaad provides this service
through the work of Rabbi Joseph
Krupnik and his staff to the local busi-
ness community in a capable and
competent manner, and, in compari-
son to other national agencies, at a
very reasonable price.
Protective Umbrella
I've often heard the term "under the
Vaad," where the connotation was
an oppressive burden. But, in reali-
ty, the correct interpretation should
be as a protective-umbrella organi-
zation that maintains, for the
kashrut-observing community, stan-
dards that are national in scope and
global in reputation. Some in the
article referred to the Vaad as a
"monopoly" and that it "knocks
out" its competitors. I believe that
the Vaad has taken on a very diffi-
cult fiduciary responsibility for
kashrut in our city. I've yet to meet
a rabbinic "goon squad" roughing
up the competition.
The reference to "fear of the
Vaad" in its relationship to the busi-
ness community sounds a little hol-
low when the only clout the Vaad
has is the trust it engenders with the
people in this community that have
come to rely on its knowledgeable
kashrut supervision.
Any service organization must
strive for improvement but the best
motivator is encouragement and
support. The Vaad, and its cadre of
volunteer rabbis, should be applaud-
ed for the time and devotion they
have invested. They also should be
encouraged to continue to improve
this much-needed community ser-
vice. ❑
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