Food products under the supervision of the Badatz Shearis
Yisroel are currently in great demand in Europe, especially
in the French chareidi community, according to Shearis
Yisroel Director Rabbi Yekusiel Dershowitz. Rabbi Dershowitz
made this statement during a visit to the Euro-Kosher
exhibition in Paris.
At the exhibition of various European and American kosher
food products and hechsherim that took place in the
giant Paris Expo Center at the Porte de Versailles, the
Shearis Yisroel booth aroused considerable interest. Several
suggestions for joint projects were discussed.
This was the first kosher food exhibition to take place in
France. Until only a few years ago, the only chareidi
supervisory organizations were small, local ones throughout
the country. It was only twenty-seven years ago that a
mehadrin kashrus network was set up in France by
HaRav Chaim Rotenberg, zt"l. Today there are many
more chareidi hechsherim, and foods under their
supervision are sought after throughout Europe.
Rabbi Dershowitz noted that the purpose of the exhibition
was to encourage European food manufacturers to accept
chareidi kashrus supervision and to encourage
marketing of their products throughout Europe. Many Israeli
products were on display.
According to the organizers, more than 5,600 buyers attended
the two-day event. The attendees represented 35 countries,
including the United States, Israel, Australia, Argentina,
Uruguay, Russia, and most European Union countries. Among
those attending were many chareidim. A beis knesses
that was set up in the exhibition hall was packed to
capacity, and minyanim were continuous.
Einav, an importer of Shearis Yisroel products to Europe,
distributed the Glatt guide to kashrus at
their booth. At the beginning of the booklet, words of
chizuk of Maran the rosh yeshiva HaRav HaGaon
Menachem Man Shach, shlita, appear. The letter notes,
"One must vigorously strengthen oneself in keeping the laws
of kashrus of food. Each person must limit what he
puts into his mouth and restrain himself." Since Shearis
Yisroel was set up to provide products that meet these
strict standards, these words serve as testimony to the
quality inherent in the Shearis Yisroel hechsher.
Pierre Levy, director of the exhibit, stated that its
purpose was to strengthen kashrus and encourage the
distribution of kosher food in large food stores outside of
the Jewish-populated areas, to enable Jews to purchase food
with mehadrin hechsherim throughout the country. The
kosher food market has a turnover of some five billion
dollars annually.
During the exhibition, there were discussions on the process
of going kosher, the opportunities in Europe, the impact of
Mad Cow disease and Foot and Mouth disease, and cooperation
between kosher and Hallal, the Muslim food requirements.
Some of the speakers represented the rabbinate, the Muslim
community, manufacturers, American food experts and
others.
The main European hechsherim are striving to unite to
form one common hechsher. Shearis Yisroel, as the
quality hechsher for Israeli bnei Torah, is
widely sought after by the growing chareidi communities
throughout Europe.
Rabbi Dershowitz reported that Shearis Yisroel in Paris
enjoys close cooperation with the Kehal Yirei'im bnei
Torah community under the leadership of HaRav Yitzchok
Katz. The community imports many kosher products. Several
products, such as olive oil and wine, will soon begin
production under the joint supervision of Shearis Yisroel
and the moreh horo'oh and dayan of Kehal
Yirei'im, HaRav Michael Benita. Several other joint
projects are in the planning stages. The numbers of European
bnei Torah are growing, and consequently, the call
for mehadrin products.
