Have you ever wondered if your medicine really needs to be kosher? Or, what it takes to set up a kosher restaurant? Wonder no more about these and other questions you may have about the world of kosher, thanks to STAR-K Kosher Certification’s new podcast series “The Kosher Conversation.”
“The Kosher Conversation” is the brainchild of STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Chananya Jacobson. “People have come over to me and said things like, ‘I wish I could spend a day as a fly on the wall at STAR-K’,” he shared. “People are very interested in having firsthand knowledge regarding what is going on behind the scenes of a kosher food production. Who knows those details better than the supervising rabbis and others privy to the production?”
The podcasts are another means of fulfilling STAR-K’s mission of educating kosher consumers. They are available on all major podcast players, such as Google Podcasts and Apple iTunes, and run between 30 and 60 minutes. What better way to optimize your time while exercising, washing the dishes, or driving a carpool?
“They fill a niche we weren’t filling before,” said Rabbi Jacobson. “Boruch Hashem, STAR-K has a lot of formal classes—shiurim and webinars—but when you give over ideas in a casual way, with just two people talking and getting answers to questions you never had the chance to ask, it gives a different view of what is going on.”
One of early episodes of “The Kosher Conversation” revealed how a matzah bakery operates. “Even after hearing a shiur about the halachos of matzah, hearing how things happen on the ground in an actual matzah bakery sheds a whole new light onto the topic,” said Rabbi Jacobson. “When I interviewed Rav Shmuel Heinemann, we discussed every aspect of the matzah-baking process—hand and machine—and what happens when things go wrong.”
To get the behind-the-scenes scoop on Cholov Yisroel, food service kashrus, Pesach hotels and more, subscribe to “The Kosher Conversation” or visit: https://anchor.fm/kosher-conversation.
Future planned podcast topics include: Standards of kosher meat production, behind-the-scenes of a kosher nursing home facility, and keeping kosher in smaller Jewish communities. “We hope to satisfy your curiosity about all areas of Kashrus,” says Rabbi Jacobson, “It’s an intriguing and multi-faceted field.”
Concludes Rabbi Jacobson, “These are amazing people, who have dedicated their lives to bringing kosher food to your table. The aim of this podcast is to tell their stories – the story behind the symbol.”
Questions, comments, and suggested topics are welcome at [email protected].
