The kashrus network of Shearis Yisroel was markedly
successful in its extensive efforts for the yomim
tovim, whereby it provided bnei Torah throughout
the country with a large variety of food products as well as
additional services. In this way, it was able to meet the
tremendous demands of the Torah-observant community,
particular with regard to the purchase of food products and
arba minim with its premium kashrus seal.
In the period of the yomim tovim, the activities of
the Shearis botei horo'oh in all chareidi centers were
significantly expanded. Many more reception hours by morei
horo'oh were scheduled. On erev Succos, vast
amounts of people approached the botei horo'oh with
questions regarding the yomim tovim and the arba
minim.
Despite this year's tremendous dearth of arba minim,
the organizers managed to fill the vast numbers of orders
which had been made on time. The bnei Torah were very
pleased with the choice sets, which continued arba
minim of the highest quality. The sets were distributed
by Degel HaTorah at reasonable prices.
Throughout the country, bamboo sechach was distributed
with much success, despite the difficult competition in this
area. Those who are meticulous about mitzvah observance
preferred this sechach to others, because it has an
additional hiddur: the filament binding the reeds is
natural and has not been processed. Distributors of the
sechach told our reporter that despite the great
demand, which far exceeded all expectations, the project
coordinators filled all of their orders, reaching chareidi
communities throughout the country.
In conjunction with the Alshi organization, special sales on
meat and poultry were held in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Kiryat
Sefer, as well as in chareidi communities in the south.
This past summer, two Shearis shechita teams went
abroad to prepare a sufficient supply of meat with a top
quality hechsher. By erev yom tov, the entire
supply of hundreds of tons of meat had been sold out. In the
Of Hakfar slaughterhouse in Israel, teams of shochtim,
headed by the director of the shechita department,
Rabbi Boruch Weiss, made all-out efforts to meet the public's
demands. The Taam Man and Hacker Brothers companies relate
that they were able to meet the great demands.
A meeting of the rabbinical committee of the Badatz of
Shearis Yisroel held a few days before Succos noted the
preparations being made for this year's separation of
ma'aser oni. It will be carried out with special
hiddur. At the meeting, varied topics were discussed,
in light of the significant expansion of the activities of
the kashrus network, founded by maranan
verabonon,, the gedolei haTorah vehaposkim, headed
by Maran HaRav Eliezer Menachem Mann Shach, shlita.
At the meeting, reports of the tremendous awakening to the
importance of hiddurim in kashrus during the
recent period were heard. This arousal comes in the wake of
the call made by HaRav Chaim Kanievsky a number of weeks ago
to prefer food products with the Shearis supervision because
of their superior standards, and to demand that storekeepers
stock food products with this outstanding hechsher,
with which no other existing kashrus network can
compete.
HaRav Kanievsky made these statements in response to
questions of avreichim from the south who asked
because a local bakery was being transferred by its new
owners from the Shearis supervision to another supervision
also regarded as mehadrin. He stressed that the
hechsher of Shearis Yisroel is much stricter and more
mehudar than any other hechsher. He also
clearly and resolutely told the avreichim that they
should prefer products with a Shearis certification over all
others. These resolute statements were expressed by the high
rise in the extent of food products and arba minim
with this hechsher purchased this year, and by the
extensive amount of services provided by Shearis.
On chol hamoed Succos, the gaavad of Shearis
Yisroel, HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz, and the members of its
beis din, HaRav Tzvi Friedman, HaRav Tzvi Weber and
HaRav Eliezer Dunner, visited Maran, HaRav Yosef Sholom
Eliashiv, received his blessings.
A lengthy discussion on various halachic questions took place
in the Succah of Maran HaRav Eliashiv. After making a
lechayim, Maran HaRav Eliashiv blessed the
gaavad and the members of the Badatz very warmly, and
expressed the hope that they merit many more years of success
in enhancing the Torah world with the kashrus
hamehuderes of Shearis Yisroel.
The rabbonim also visited HaRav Aharon Leib Yehuda Leib
Steinman in his Succah, where they were also received very
warmly.
