Washington Watch

here from 10 minutes before the chef
gets here and stays until closing."
Rabbi Mordechai Katz will serve as
kashrut administrator, while retaining
a 12-year-old position as a rabbi and
secular studies teacher at Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah in Southfield.
"What he brings to the table for
me," Kohn says, "is the trust of the
Orthodox community who know
• hi m . "
"We're inventing the role," Kohn
says. "The mashgiach here will not
be just the eyes and ears of supervi-
sion, they will also be hands-on."

Nationwide Changes

In the Detroit area, the move from
supervision by a local agency to a
national one was unheard of until
now. In other areas, it is not that
uncommon.
"There are over 450 kosher super-
vising agencies worldwide, with over
350 in the United States. Often peo-
ple switch from a local to global
supervision when they wish to mar-
ket over a greater area," says Rabbi
Eliezer Eidlitz, rabbinic administra-
tor for the Kosher Information
Bureau in California.
For Kohn, that may introduce an
unanticipated bonus to the sphere of
his business.
"One of our successes has been our
Passover program. Now that we have
a national symbol that people will
recognize as a world-class symbol of
kosher at its highest standard, we
can go beyond the Detroit borders."

Consumer Effect

It is too early for the Vaad to pro-
vide a statement of how consumers
will be affected by Quality Kosher's
move to the Star K, but they have
concerns.
While Rabbi Krupnik describes
the Star K as "very reliable, with our
policy being to accept Star K prod-
ucts," he now says he will have to
"wait and see how they deal with
some of the specific issues that we've
encountered" before passing judg-
ment.
Among kosher certification agen-
cies worldwide, Rabbi Eidlitz says,
"the top four in the world remain
the OU (Orthodox Union in New
York), the OK (Organized Kashrus
Laboratories in New York), the Star-
K and the Kof-K (Kosher
Supervision in New Jersey)."
Rabbi Krupnik sees the supervi-
sion of a business that serves the

local community taking on national
certification as "a very big pity.
"We are one of the last cities to
have had a totally unified picture
and we were very proud of it. This is
a very big trauma on that level."
The hope is that others will not
follow suit and leave the Vaad,
whose budget comes almost solely
from what businesses pay them.
While the 32-member Vaad serves
50 businesses in the Detroit area,
including bakeries, butchers, cater-
ers, factories, a slaughterhouse and a
brewery as well as Tamarack Camps
and Michigan Milk Producers, there
are also independent kashrut super-
visors in Detroit.
Under the direction of administra-
tor Rabbi Jack Goldman, the
Metropolitan Kashrus Council of
Michigan in West Bloomfield certi-
fies kosher products of food manu-
facturers in 38 states, Ontario and
France, with 12 non-Michigan-based
rabbis.
Kosher butcher Sherry Gilman's
Dexter Davison Kosher Meats in
Oak Park is supervised by Rabbi
David Nelson of Congregation Beth
Shalom.
Six months after Gilman pur-
chased the business two years ago, its
Vaad certification expired and was
not renewed.
After irreconcilable differences
between the Vaad and Gilman, she
gained the supervision of her rabbi,
David Nelson of Congregation Beth
Shalom in Oak Park.
"He did his own research and
knows the process," she says. "He
sits for hours each time he comes
here and makes sure everything is
done like it is supposed to be done
— and he doesn't accept payment
from me."
Gilman says before making
arrangements with Rabbi Nelson,
she had searched for kosher certifica-
tion from outside agencies, but was
unable to find one that would come
to the Detroit area. She says if she
had been aware that Star K would
supervise in Detroit, she would have
contacted them.
"Good for Paul," Gilman says.
"I'm proud of him that he has found
reasonable business people that he
can work with."
Kohn, too, has taken the change in
the most positive light. "We've made
new tracks in the snow," he says.
"This move and the resources it
gives us will prove to be a much bet-
ter shiduch (match)." ❑

Making A Point

Israel's Capitol Hill friends fight missile sale to Egypt.

JAMES D. BESSER

Washington Correspondent

which opposes the sale. "It materially
changes Israel's qualitative military
edge." Far from seeking weapons to
help them defend the Canal, the
Mubarak government is "looking for an
offensive capability," she said.
And the proposed sale is part of a
military buildup that can only increase
discontent among an impoverished,
oppressed population.
Some members of Congress question
whether Egypt deserves to be rewarded
for cooperation in the anti-terror war
that has been grudging, at best.
"It's giving them a reward for the things
they haven't done in the war against ter-
rorism — and for the bad things they've
done," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.
"We're very concerned about them get-
ting these weapons."
Israeli officials have quietly raised
their concerns about the sale in talks
with administration officials, but they
have avoided direct criticism.

ro-Israel groups are mostly
delighted with the Bush
administration's public sup-
port for Israel's intensified war
against terrorism. But ironically, their sat-
isfaction may make it even harder to
fight a dangerous arms sale to Egypt.
Officially, pro-Israel lobby groups
are "concerned" about the proposed
sale of Harpoon Block II missiles,
which Israeli defense experts worry
will blunt their country's qualitative
military edge and encourage Egyptian
military aggression.
But anxious not to make waves with
an administration that is doing the
right thing in a dicey Mideast crisis,
most pro-Israel groups are taking pains
to operate well below Washington
political radar screens.
Some Jewish officials are also work-
ing with congressional and Defense
Menorah Lighting
Department officials to find a way to
Washington may still be a city under
"dumb down" the Harpoons sold to
siege, with many public events canceled
Egypt — to neutralize some of their
more threatening offensive capabilities. , or severely restricted, but that won't
detract from the public celebration of
The sale involves 53 of the advanced
Chanukah, which begins on Sunday.
missiles originally intended as sea-to-
On the contrary: this year's official
sea weapons. But the new version of
Chanukah
observance will be particular-
the Harpoon can be used with great
ly
high
profile,
thanks to an event in the
accuracy against targets on land —
White House family quarters.
which would put much of Israel with-
On Sunday, Deputy Secretary of
in their range.
Defense Paul Wolfowitz will light the
The administration claims that
giant menorah on the Ellipse outside the
Egypt needs the missiles to protect
White
House. Despite heightened secu-
Suez Canal shipping.
rity
precautions,
American Friends of
"The sale of Harpoons is part of an
Lubavitch, which has arranged for the
ongoing, long-standing cooperation
national menorah since 1979, expect
we've had with the Egyptian military,"
1,000 people to attend.
State Department spokesman Richard
President and Laura Bush will host a
Boucher said recently. "This is a follow-
Chanukah
party at the White House on
on to a system that they already have."
Monday
with
a menorah lighting in the
U.S. officials are also eager to pro-
White
House
residence,
a first.
vide military goodies to keep Egypt
American Friends of Lubavitch will
onboard the anti-terror coalition.
also hold a Chanukah party for House
Boosting the sale was high on the
and Senate staffers on Capitol Hill on
agenda of Egyptian Foreign Minister
Wednesday.
Ahmed Maher last week.
"Every American has a bit of bin
But pro-Israel forces say Egypt faces
Laden
shrapnel in their soul, and has
no real external threats, and that the
to make an individual contribution to
sale is part of a military buildup with
the collective battle against evil," said
only one real target: Israel.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the Lubavitch
The sale "opens a sea front against
representative in Washington.
Israel," said Shoshana Bryen, special
"Participating in Chanukah activities
projects director for the Jewish Institute
is
a way to that."
for National Security Affairs (JINSA),

po

❑

12/7
2001

25