Letters To The Editor

Kosher Klash

Elnekave’s First Law states that for any number of Jews, “n”, there will always be a number of opinions, “p”, where p>n.

We are fortunate to have some of the most outstanding kashrut organizations serving us in our communities today. COR and Badatz Toronto, who work in both industrial settings and restaurants in Toronto, or MK, OU, or a plethora of other highly-regarded supervisory organizations, all built around a need that our communities have for guidance, and all striving to help our communities grow, spiritually.

It’s unfortunate that Zane Caplansky’s grandfather had such an unfortunate experience with his kashrut supervisors. We don’t know the whole story — we are only able to hear one side, and from a third party, albeit a close relative. If Caplansky’s grandfather was stripped of his kashrut supervision because of political leanings, that would be unfortunate, and a breach of the trust that our kashrut organizations strive so hard to build. But for organizations such as MK or COR to be unwilling to work with him today unless he makes certain changes, simply shows that they are working within the system of rules that they have in place, rules that Caplansky or others may not understand, but rules that are in place for a reason. And for these organizations to be unwilling to waver just shows their dedication to the communities that they are charged to protect.

My personal experience is that while we might not understand why certain policies are fair — or even downright convinced that they are, in fact not – sometimes keeping the dialogue open goes a long way. Having grown up in a family working in the food industry, I learned at a young age to be wary of the kashrut organizations. And it came to a climax a couple of years ago, when a particular policy put in place seemed absurd and unfair. 

I contacted Rabbi Heber and the COR to vent, and after giving me the time to get off my chest what I had to say, he calmly explained that he understood where I was coming from, and drew back the curtain on a whole side of the tapestry that I hadn’t even considered, because it never would have occurred to me. 

I hope Caplansky can keep the dialogue open. I hear wonderful things about his culinary delicacies from friends of mine who patronize his establishment, and it would be wonderful to see the world of Caplansky’s Deli and the world of organized kashrut supervision meet. And he may well find a kashrut organization whose rules he feels he can follow. After all, even for kashrut organizations, Elnekave’s Law applies. 

– Chuck Elnekave

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Letters and messages for publication should be addressed “Dear Editor” and can be sent through our online form or emailed to marty@thej.ca . I look forward to your comments.