Events

On Nov. 11 and 12, 340 companies filled 400 booths in the 80,000-square-foot exhibition hall in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. – all part of the 26th annual Kosherfest, the trade show of the kosher food industry.

Kosher is big business. The number of Americans who are believed to keep kosher year-round is 1.3 million, and the number of goods produced in the U.S. with a kosher symbol exceeds $300 billion in sales. More than 200,000 items on U.S. supermarket shelves are under kosher certification – with approximately 2,500 items newly certified in 2013.

As attendees approached the exhibition hall, they were greeted by a truck offering free samples of Tofutti “Cuties” – before even entering the hall! I always find it helpful to sit for a few moments with a map and schedule or even come up with a game plan. I usually set out down the aisles – in order – from booths 100 to 753. Time permitting, I might catch one of the many mincha minyans held throughout the day, or watch some of the Kosherfest 7th Annual Culinary Competition, featuring three chefs and hosted by Chef Paula Shoyer. But visiting the booths – for info and samples – is key!

It is always comforting to see old familiar ‘faces’ – Guss’ Pickles, Gold’s, Empire Kosher Poultry, and the KOF-K and Star-K kosher supervision agencies. Many of these old reliable companies are still producing new products. Manischewitz, for example, debuted its Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Gluten Free Matzo Ball Mix and gave away cans of its Kosherfest 2014 “Best New Kosher for Passover” Carrot Cake Macaroons. They also invited visitors to enter their Chanukah House Kit contest. Empire was proudly showing off their Gourmet Spicy Apple Chicken Sausage, a blend of sweet and spicy with no nitrates or fillers.

Along with the food, there was also some fun. Entertaining the crowd were two gregarious Japanese men, who spent two days making sushi at their booth to promote extra spicy Srirachi sauces: chili and spicy mayo.

Many companies are offering healthier products, often geared to such specialty markets as gluten free. ProTings chips, in such tasty flavors as key lime, sea salt and tangy southern barbeque, have 15 grams of protein in a four-ounce bag and they are vegan and gluten free. Matt’s Munchies, the premium fruit snack, is gluten free and vegan, and Mauzone Mania offer low in carbs, high in fiber treats like biscotti, breadsticks and flatters. Azuma Gourmet has been producing seaweed salad for fifteen years; for the past four years, their sesame seaweed hummus, hijiki quinoa salad and seaweed salads have been available in Costco. Deebee’s won the award for best overall new product/best new frozen dessert. Their “teapops” are organic, gluten free, pareve and only 25 to 50 calories, and come in such flavors as minty mint, tropical mango and toasted coconut.

Despite the surge in healthy, more traditional meat products still abound. Attendees couldn’t get enough of such products as Jack’s Gourmet Beef merguez; U.S. Bison was promoting kosher bison meat – grass fed, antibiotic free, organic certification pending.

Many products come with interesting back stories: On the market only five months, NoMoo Cookies took home the 2014 Kosherfest New Product Competition (Best New Breads and Baked Goods) for its ginger cookie. The company was launched by an architect who loved to bake. His cookies, in eight flavors, are pareve. Allie’s GF Cookies was founded in 2014 by Allison Luckman, who was motivated to create her gluten free baked goods when her son, who suffers from an egg allergy, said, “I don’t like the sweets out there – can you make it taste better?” Allie started baking him special treats. She now bakes gluten free, nut free, coconut free, kosher baked goods, including cakes, rugelach, brownies, cupcakes, mousse and more.

I was delighted to discover one company at Kosherfest from our own Nutmeg State. Raul and Marissa Felix started the Connecticut Coconut Company in 2005. Their plant is in Shelton and their warehouse is in Waterbury. Originally from the Philippines, the Felixes are eager to explain why the coconut tree is considered “the tree of life.” “You can build your house from the wood of the tree, you can drink coconut milk, and you can get oil, flour and sugar! You can live from the coconut tree and have income from it!” Their organic coconut sugar is two years old and is under Star-K kosher supervision. “The response has been very positive. Everybody loves sugar and ours is raw and unrefined,” notes Marissa Felix.

(Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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Dudi Sela updates on team composition and morale following his first round US Open win

NEW YORK — Fans of Israel tennis gathered yesterday at the US Open to watch Israelis in action in back to back matches on court 13. Shahar Peer lost in three tough sets to Croation Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. But Dudi Sela, ranked 83 in the world, came from behind after dropping the first set in 17 quick minutes, to defeat Argentinian Carlos Berlocq, 63 in the world, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Sela closed out the match after a disputed call on match point. On Friday Sela plays the second match of the day at the Louis Armstrong Stadium at 1 pm against Grigor Dmitrov, the 7th seeded. Dmitrov has twice beaten Sela in previous match-ups. This is their first time playing together on a hard court.

After the 2 hour, 43 minute match Thursday, the good-natured Sela signed many autographs and spoke to an unusually large gathering of media at the near midnight press conference.

Members of the Argentinian media inquired about the upcoming Israel versus Argentina Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie, September 12-14, 2014. The Davis Cup matches, scheduled to be played in Israel, were recently relocated to the Sunrise Tennis Club in Sunrise, Florida (USA) due to the lengthy Operation Protective Edge and rockets shot into Israel.

Sela said Israel’s Davis Cup team will consist of Sela, Andy Ram, Jonathan Erlich and Amir Weintraub.

Given Weintraub’s injury, there was speculation that he might not play. There was also speculation that Ram would only play if the Davis Cup was held in Israel.

“Ram and Erlich are playing together and have been practicing every day. Jonathan didn’t get in to the US Open, though he wanted to,” said Sela.

Sela reports Weintraub is recovering well. “Amir hits the ball very hard, has a good serve and can be aggressive… Hopefully he can win his match. He has the support of the team behind him.”

Israel has also named 18-year-old Tal Goldengoren, 696 in world, and 20-year-old, Bar Botzer, 742 in the world, to the Davis Cup team as reserves.

While Sela acknowledges Argentina is favored to win, he notes, “We have a chance. We will be 100% fit and we will give 100%. We will have a lot of support.”

“There are a lot of Jewish people who will come from Florida and Israelis may come down from New York,” said Sela, who feels the move to Florida was “a fair decision.” He admits regretfully, however, “if it was in Israel, it would be unbelievable. Every match is full of people!”

Israel faces Argentina for the first time since 1990 in this World Group play-off tie. Argentina won the two previous meetings.

 (Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com)

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Survivors, liberators, diplomats and March of the Living alum gather for remembrance event.

Neshama Carlebach and Eli Rubenstein remember exactly where they were standing in 1998 when Judy Weissenberg Cohen uttered a moving address to a large group of teenagers from Canada attending the 11th March of the Living in Poland. A line in Weissenberg Cohen’s speech describing her Nazi experience in Hungary, which poignantly became known as “The Last Time I Saw My Mother,” painfully notes, “I never had a chance to say goodbye to my mother. We didn’t know we had to say goodbye. And I am an old woman today and I have never made peace with the fact I never had that last hug and kiss. They say when you listen to a witness, you become a witness.”

Carlebach and Rubenstein have both become witnesses. Singer Carlebach, about to attend and sing at her second March of the Living, recalls her first visit to Poland and the march from Auschwitz to Birkenau in memory of Nazi victims.

“I was decimated…I was so completely destroyed by what I was seeing…” In the Rama Synagogue in Krakow, Carlebach “finally understood” and spontaneously stood up to sing the well-known Krakow Niggun, composed by her late father, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. The niggun (wordless melody), which moves from slow and mournful to upbeat and celebratory, was inspired by a dream Carlebach had on a visit to Auschwitz. He was reportedly so sad that he fell asleep and had a dream in which naked Jewish prisoners were going to their deaths—and were suddenly transformed into people wearing white clothes, with big smiles on their faces. “Until then, I didn’t take my work as a healer seriously. You become a witness. I was there. I feel it even now speaking to you!”

Rubenstein, National Director of March of the Living Canada, is also co-curator of the March of the Living exhibit which premiered at the United Nations in New York City on January 28 —one day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual day of commemoration established by the United Nations.

The title of the exhibit, “When you Listen to a Witness, You Become a Witness,” comes from Weissenberg Cohen’s poem of 1998.

Sara Jaskiel, a Brooklyn-based graphic artist and designer, found the work of assembling and curating the exhibit “moving, overwhelming and meaningful.”

She recounts, “You think of each person and what happened, and you want to raise sensitivities.”

Jaskiel is particularly pleased with the “Death March” photograph she was able to assemble, which served as the backdrop for the musical performances and speeches at the January 28 ceremony.

“I did research and found photographs—from the Death March and from a March of the Living—taken at the same angle. It is as if they are parallel—in a row.. I was able to synthesize the photos.”

The moving photo, which all attendees received in the form of poster, depicts a black and white photo of Jews during the Holocaust and a color photo of Jews on the March of the Living walking “together” from Auschwitz to Birkenau.

Rubenstein, Carlebach, survivors, liberators and dignitaries participated in the January 28 premiere. The evening began with guests viewing the exhibit of photos and poems and socializing over wine and kosher hor d’oeuvres.

What initially seemed like an unusual start to an evening devoted to the Holocaust actually nicely fit with both the theme which each speaker echoed—memory and hope. The formal program began with 2012 March of the Living alumna, Sara Diamond, singing “Eli Eli.”

Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the UN’s Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information welcomed the guests, noting, “We at the United Nations feel privileged to host this exhibit at UN headquarters as part of our Holocaust Remembrance activities.”

The speakers included Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, chairman of March of the Living International, Shlomo Grofman, vice chair, Dr. Naomi Azrieli, chair and CEO of the Azrieli Foundation, which publishes survivor memoirs, and Max Glauben, survivor.

Max Glauben tells his story of survival (photo credit: Howard Blas)

The particularly upbeat Glauben, born in Warsaw in 1928, spoke to the Times of Israel before the ceremony, described the exhibit as “a wonderful display” and said he was pleased that it is being housed at the United Nations.

In his public remarks, he recounted his personal story of survival and thanked the liberators in the audience. He also singled out attendee, Israeli Eli Yablonek, and his guide dog, Glen. Yablonek is blind and does not have a left arm. “Eli came on the March of the Living in 2012—with his dog. It shows that the same animals Nazis used to attack people could be used to do good.”

Rick Carrier, liberator 

One liberator of Buchenwald, Army Combat Engineer Frederick (Rick) Carrier, dressed in his World War II uniform, recounted in a pre-ceremony interview, “I saw prisoners trying to squeeze through a small gap at the bottom of a fence and I reached for my wire cutters. I cut a big hole in the barbed wire fence.” Carrier, now 90, notes that he didn’t realize the people were Jewish Holocaust survivors.

“We were fighting a war—they never told us anything. We didn’t have any knowledge. They were just awful looking when we discovered them.” Carrier proudly showed off the medals he received when he attended last year’s March of the Living.

Following the address by Prosor, where he commented that “The March of the Living is to remind us as much about life as about loss, and triumph as much as tragedy,” Carrier’s voice could be heard shouting out, “Yeah!”

In an interview with the Times of Israel following the ceremony, Prosor highlighted the significance of the evening’s event.

“This all takes place at the UN—a place where, most days of the year, people don’t unite. But [International Holocaust Remembrance Day on] January 27 brings people from all counties, backgrounds and religions together in understanding.”

Prosor elaborated, “Education about tolerance and acceptance of others is absolutely crucial to creating a different and better society for the future.” When asked who the ambassador would like to bring to see the exhibit, he replied, “school students, the younger generation — so they can be more tolerant.”

Asked which world leaders and countries should attend the exhibit, Prosor noted proudly, “Several ambassadors — perhaps four or five — have come so far. They were touched and will educate others.” He concluded, “It is no coincidence that the Hungarian ambassador attended. He came out publicly to take responsibility for what Hungary did to Jews during the Holocaust.”

On January 23, several days after the Hungarian Jewish community accused the government of Hungary of engaging in Holocaust revisionism, Hungary’s United Nations Ambassador Csaba Korosi, at an event sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information for NGOs, reported, “We owe an apology to the victims because the Hungarian state was guilty for the Holocaust.”

Hungary has come a long way since the day one Hungarian Jew, Judy Weissenberg Cohen, last saw her mother.

(Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com)

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SECAUCUS, N.J. – This year, even the ticket agent in Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal knew about Kosherfest – and that the 320 bus, leaving from gate 231, takes visitors to the annual kosher food trade show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. Attendees at the world’s largest kosher-certified products show, now in its 25th year, include restaurant owners and caterers, ingredient buyers, representatives of specialty stores and supermarket chains, chefs, hashgacha agencies – even the secretary general of Parma, promoting Italian companies with kosher certification. And they come from such countries as Argentina, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Thailand and Israel.

Kosher has no doubt come a very long way. There are now more than 200,000 kosher certified products, and mashgichim (kosher supervisors) routinely travel to such places as Thailand, China, India and Costa Rica to provide certification to fish, spices, raw ingredients and more. Menachem Lubinsky, the founder of Kosherfest, who co-produces the show with Diversified Business Communications, reports, “There was somewhat of a vision back then that perhaps kosher could be more than a certification; that it would emerge as a cuisine. Incredibly, kosher has reached that level and it is still rising.”

The large exhibition hall at the two-day event, held at the end of October, is always bustling – from shacharit through closing. It is the sight and sound of kosher in action, including caterers in search of a new dessert or pareve gelato, new products in search of a distributor, buyers seeking the best price, nearly ongoing mincha services, and an abundance of new and old, milchig (dairy) and fleishig (meat), “healthy” and “less healthy” products to sample. While the show is limited to those “in the trade,” and while samples are only supposed to be consumed on the premises, more than a few visitors were observed bringing samples home.

“Who would have believed that sushi would become a basic staple in restaurant, pizza parlors, and at catered events, or for that matter that nearly 20% of the show would tout gluten-free products?” says Lubinsky.

Attendees with Connecticut connections included Sherrie Krupnick of Danbury, founder and CEO of Sherrie’s Specialties (all natural gluten free and sugar-free baked goods for Passover and all year), Scott Gantwerker of Ridgefield, executive vice president at Foodman, LLC, makers of Matzolah, “The Trail Mix of the Exodus,” and food developer and blogger (MuchAdoAboutStuffing.com), Elise Meyer.

Each year, Kosherfest features such familiar companies as Gold’s, Osem, Kedem, Manischewitz, Empire and Dr. Praeger’s – who each year manage to introduce new products. Empire, for example, offered Buffalo style wings, while Dr. Praeger featured Asian veggie burgers, kale and Tex Mex burgers.

Even meats and poultry offer fresh approaches, including Rachel’s Organic Kosher Poultry, Jack’s Gourmet (handcrafted deli meats and sausages) and Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket from Premier Tasty Meats, voted best new meat/seafood/poultry item in the show.

At least two Greek yogurt companies were in attendance: Norman’s Chalav Yisrael and Mehadrin All Natural Nonfat yogurt. Atlantic Natural Foods of Nashville, N.C. displayed “out of the can” vegetarian products with a three-year shelf life, including fishless tuna, five bean chili, vegetarian taco filling and chik’n sliders and patties – with the slogan “lean, green protein – vegetarian food for meat lovers, tree huggers and everyone else.” Although these products are not yet available in this region.

Another healthy product on display was Tivall (“It looks like meat, it tastes like meat, but it’s healthier and it’s pareve”), distributed by Bagel Bites. Their booth offered an abundance of samples of veggie schnitzel, corn bites, grilled filet, empanadas, felafel balls, and hot dogs.

Syndian Natural Foods looked just as tasty and healthy, but arrived with empty hands. Business development manager, Karen D’Angola of Australia said she hopes to come next year with samples of her dual certified kosher/halal all natural, gluten-free, vegan, products which include lentil burgers, brown rice and vegetable burgers and curried pumpkin bites.

Taft Foodmasters was back for a second year, promoting vegetarian seitan gyros and vegetarian seitan sausage. Their seitan product is fully cooked, vegan and heats in seconds.

New hot drinks of interest included Cuppa J, with its line of pareve hot chocolates. Their three flavors include double dark, mystic mint and Mayan mist. “I like hot chocolate, and there are none which are pareve – and I have a niece and nephew who are lactose intolerant,” says owner Jay Hill, explaining the genesis of the company he launched a year and a half ago. Hill plans to introduce a sugarless line next year.

Danny Ilgiyayev of Café Tastle USA was happy to give a thorough explanation of each of his instant coffees, including the difference between spray dried and freeze dried beans. One passerby, sampling his platinum espresso, commented, “You make it better than my wife!”

Yochanon Kitnick from Fallsburg Bagels and Bakery was on hand, offering samples of his delicious “thaw and serve” donuts. Simply 7 had a big display of its many chips including quinoa, bbq, cheddar, and pomegranate chips. Gourmet to Go of Ramat Gan, Israel displayed a wide range of long shelf-stable meals, including Bukhkara Stew, Mediterranean Shakshuka, Veggie Sichuan, Homemade Couscous and more. And Pizza cones consistently featured the longest lines at the show. Pizza cones are just as the name suggests – pizza (with various toppings!) – served in a cone that closely resembles an ice cream cone.

The most intriguing product of the show, by far, was Kosher Diapers, which feature Velcro over tape and are intended for Sabbath observers.

There was no shortage of baked goods at Kosherfest. Leah Hadad, president of Voila Hallah, wants her customers to “reconnect with the art of baking bread at home.” Toward that end, she offers Wholey Wheat, Traditional and Simply Spelt mixes which taste “just like from scratch.”

Busy with a book tour, pastry chef Paula Shoyer and author of The Holiday Kosher Baker, stopped by the show for a day. Shoyer continues to give baking demonstrations around the world – one recent show was in Hong Kong – as well as across the United States. Shoyer is also a favorite at Camp Ramah in Palmer, Mass. According to Camp Ramah’s assistant director, Josh Edelglass, “Paula Shoyer is a spectacular chef and one of our most popular visiting specialists. Each summer, she spends a week at camp, working intensely with a group of our older campers who sign up for her kosher cooking course. After a week working with her, our kids become amazing chefs in their own right!”

(Source: http://www.jewishledger.com)

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