STAR-S Passover Kitniyot Selection Grows Again This Year

(This is a press release from the Star-K but contains much newsworthy interesting information for Sefardim and Ashkenazim interested in the process of certifying kitniyot for Pesach use in America)

(By Judah Levi) When the major American Kashrut agencies were developing, the Sephardic communities were not well-represented in American Jewish communal life. Over the last 30 years, Baruch Hashem, American Yeshivot have been filled with many of the best and brightest boys of our communities. In addition to Syrian and Morrocan boys studying at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn, many Persian boys studied in Ner Yisrael in Baltimore, MD where the President, Rabbi Herman N. Neuberger, ZT”L, was instrumental in helping tens of thousands of Jews escape after the Shah’s fall in 1979.

One of the earliest of those  talmidim is Rav Emanuel Goldfeiz Shlit”a, who arrived in Baltimore as a refugee from Shiraz almost 30 years ago.  Rav Goldfeiz now occupies a major position of Torah leadership in Baltimore’s Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities as the Rav of Beit Knesset Beit Yaakov, a revered and beloved halacha teacher in the local Bais Yaakov of Baltimore, and as a member of the hanhala of Ner Israel.  He also answers hundreds of shailot every week from people of all backgrounds and levels of observance.

STAR-S Seeking to Serve The Needs of U.S. Sephardic Communities

Rav Goldfeiz shared many conversations with Dr. Avrom Pollak, President of STAR-K Kosher Certification, during his weekly visits for shatnez checking (another of his many talents!) concerning the kashrut needs of Sephardic communities worldwide.  As the presence of Sephardic communities continued to grow, he felt that the particular chumrot required in the Edot Hamizrach for centuries should be offered in the United States as well.  A logical extension of the growth of Sephardic communities would be caring for their kashrut concerns.  During these discussions, Dr. Pollak pointed out that  there was also a major need for this in the New York/New Jersey area that could – the Syrian communities in Brooklyn and Deal.  These communities have grown with incredible speed into a large community of Bnei Torah, with representation in all the major yeshivot in the U.S. and Israel.  With two strong communities sharing these common kashrut needs, a solution to this issue was realized. Rabbi Zvi Holland the newest Kashrut Administrator for the STAR-K, formerly the Rosh Kollel in Phoenix, AZ, and Rav Goldfeiz,  mapped out a plan to create a hechsher  identified as STAR-S.  This new hechsher would utilize the STAR-K’s international network of kosher certified companies, to address the needs of all Sephardic  communities by providing them with much needed products at the highest standards of Sephardi minhagim and Bnei Edot Hamizrach.

It was agreed unanimously between all the Rabbanim that rice  for Pesach was the highest priority. Finding rice with the highest level of kashrut for Pesach was to be the first STAR-S project.

Starting with “Carolina Mehadrin” Rice for Pesach

Rice for Pesach with no kashrut concerns was no simple feat. One of the greatest ongoing challenges for Sephardim is finding properly supervised kitniyot foods for use on Pesach.  For many years, national kashrut agencies debated as to whether commercially available rice could be used for Pesach.  One of the main issues concerned the enrichments used in U.S. rice mills to replace the vitamins removed in the polishing steps of rice milling. Another issue was that rice is often packed in facilities that also pack Chametz products on the same equipment. For national Pesach certification this almost always requires some type of meaningful Hashgacha beyond just assuming that it is acceptable.  Last year Rabbi Zvi Holland, STAR-K’s Kashrut Administrator assigned to the STAR-S project,  assisted by Rabbi Tzvi Rosen, STAR-K’s Kashrut Administrator for U.S. rice production, determined that much of the enrichments could not be endorsed for Pesach according to national kosher standards and that the vast majority of rice packed in the U.S. shared lines with enriched rice and packaging at plants that also pack chametz .

Due to a big demand the rice selection for this year has been expanded

Carolina Mehadrin-Extra Long Grain White Rice
Carolina Mehadrin Brown Rice

Goya Mehadrin Medium Grain Rice

After discussing the project with the STAR-S Rav Hamachshir Rav Goldfeiz Shlit”a Rabbi Rosen and Rabbi Holland, along with Rabbi Moshe Cohen of Ateret Torah, who agreed to serve as mashigiach temidi at the rice production ,  traveled to rice country to find a way to produce extra long grain white rice for Pesach.   They arranged for a run of this rice for Pesach, L’Mehadrin.  Carolina Mehadrin is  unique, as it will be the ONLY American  rice that STAR-S can endorse for Pesach with the following Hiddurim:

·         The rice is grown and transported in fields dedicated exclusively to rice that is located hundreds of miles away from other grain fields;

·         The rice transported in trucks dedicated exclusively to rice

·         The rice is packed in specially dedicated clean lines without concerns of chametz additives;

·         The rice is produced under hashgacha temidit from beginning to end.

Despite the fact that these rice products are meticulously cleaned in the factories with advanced machines, the Gedolei Haposkim of the Sephardic kehillot feel that the established custom of checking the rice, grain by grain, three times is still required.  Therefore, STAR-S-P certified rice products should be checked, grain by grain, three times prior to its usage on Pesach.

For information on how to order Carolina Mehadrin, please contact Quality Frozen foods at (718) 256-9100 or for more information contact STAR-K at (410) 484-4110.

Jasmine and Basmati Rice

Two other very popular kinds of rice used by the Sephardim are the basmati variety from India, and the aromatic jasmine rice from Thailand.  While fundamentally a pure product, when packed in the U.S., these products can present Pesach issues with regard to transport and packing.

Himalayan Pride Basmati Rice (Brown &

White) (No STAR-S P Req. /STAR-K Required- Product is Kitniyot)

Super Lucky Elephant Jasmine Rice

(No STAR-S P Req./STAR-KRequired- Product is Kitniyot)

(The above 2 brands are available nationwide in Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club and other fine stores/distributed on the East Coast by EMD sales (301) 520-3856)

More Passover & Kitniyot Products

For Pesach 5774 more Kitniyot products are available than ever.

 

FROZEN BEANS

Yerek Brand (STAR-S P Kitniyot required)

Green Beans

Cut Green Beans

French Cut Green Beans

Green Peas

Peas & Carrots

Cut Corn

Mixed Vegetables

Baby Lima Beans

(Available in your local Kosher supermarket, distributed nationally by Quality Frozen Foods- 718-256-9100)

NUTS & SEEDS

Setton Farms (STAR-S P Kitniyot Required)

Roasted Peanuts

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Sunflower Seeds

(Available in your local Kosher supermarket, distributed nationally by Quality Frozen Foods- 718-256-9100)

 

 

SALADS

Pikante Salad (When bearing Star-S and Kosher L’Pesach L’ochlei Kitniyot INKJETTED in Hebrew on the Label)

Babaganoush

Caponata Italian Eggplant Cuisine

Chinese Eggplant

Grilled Eggplant

Hummus & Turkish salad

Hummus Abu-Gosh

Hummus Classic

Hummus Galilee

Hummus Jalapeno & Herbs

Hummus Jerusalem

Hummus Marrakech

Hummus Masabacha Jalapeno & Herbs

Hummus Moroccan Salsa (Matbucha)

Hummus Old Jerusalem Traditional

Hummus Pine Nuts

Hummus Premium

Hummus Roasted Pine nuts

Hummus roasted Red Pepper

Hummus Sun-dried Tomato

Hummus with Tehina

Hummus with Roasted Hot Pepper

Hummus Za’atar

Hummus Garlic & Lemon

Indian Eggplant

Matbucha Moroccan

Moroccan Long Hot Pepper

Red Cabbage

Red Cabbage salad

Romanian Eggplant

Sliced Spanish Eggplant

Spanish Eggplant

Tahini Baladi (original) with Soft Chick Peas

Tahini Dip & Spread

Tehina

Thai Salad Spicy

Turkish Salad

Vegetarian Liver

(Distributed by: Pikante USA Corp, 5334 SW 38th Way,

Hollywood, FL 33312)

 

CANNED GOODS

California Delight (STAR-S P Kitniyot required)

Baby Corn –Whole Sprears

Cut baby Corn

Whole Kernel Corn

(Available in your local Kosher supermarkets, distributed nationally by DS International Traders- 323-725-1045; Quality Frozen Foods- 718-256-9100)

In addition, The following products are certified STAR-S P and meet Sephardic standards for Chalak Beit Yosef and/or Bishul Beit Yosef