Ruth Brunschtein flew approximately 4200 miles roundtrip from Panama City, Panama, to attend STAR-K Certification’s Food Service Mashgiach Training Seminar, held July 21-23, at the agency’s headquarters in Baltimore.  She was sent by the rabbis of the Vaad Hakashrut Shevet Ahim.  Her responsibilities include follow-up with ongoing supervision and implementation.

“My goal,” says Ruth, “is to share what I learned with all the mashgichim who work with our certification agency in Panama, to raise the level of knowledge and professionalism across the board.”

Aharon Arguedas’ flight from Costa Rica was just as lengthy. He mentioned, “We need people to certify establishments in Costa Rica. I had some hashgacha experience prior to taking the seminar. Attending it ensures that I now have an organization that I can call up if I have any problems or doubts of what to do.”

Avraham Yehuda Garcia had a comparatively shorter journey from Malden, Massachusetts.  “A couple of us who are here work for the KVH, and our Rav Hamachshir suggested that we attend the seminar. Working for the KVH for 12 years, I have some quite broad-based experience in hashgacha, but for getting new perspectives and getting up to date on new developments in Kashrus, I couldn’t have come to a better place.”

STAR-K’s Kashrus Training Program, held July 28-31, was tailored for rabbonim, certifying agency administrators, kollel members, and others serving in klei Kodesh. Program attendees were provided with a hands-on, practical application of the Shulchan Aruch. They were taught how to structure a Kashrus organization, and the ins and outs of Kashrus challenges invarious commercial and industrial settings as well as retail venues.

Both training programs provide the opportunity to meet the personalities behind the internationally recognized and trusted STAR-K symbol and take the participants behind the scenes of a first-class luxury hotel’s kosher kitchen, kosher establishments, and manufacturing plants. All attendees benefit from lectures delivered by STAR-K administrators; audio-visual presentations; and a hands-on practicum to find the less obvious thrips and aphids hiding in vegetables.

Rabbi Meyer Meth, who recently began supervising industrial plants for the Vaad Hakashrus of Atlanta (AKC), shares, “I particularly appreciated learning the interpersonal skills needed by a mashgiach who visits factories, taught by Rabbi Mayer Kurcfeld. I found that very insightful.”

Dallas Kosher’s Executive Director, Rabbi Moshe Aryeh Tropper, remarks, “It was absolutely worthwhile! For me, the most impactful parts of this conference were being exposed to the expertise, knowledge, and experience of all the different rabbonim here and to see how everything is implemented just based on what makes sense, the halacha, the practical, and the protocols – no postering, just a very pure application of what the Rav says and how he understands it. That’s really all that counts.”

Two family members of HaRav Yissocher Dov Eichenstein, the Zidichover Rebbe of Baltimore, shlit”a, attended the STAR-K Kashrus Training Program – the Rebbe’s son, Rabbi Shlomo Eichenstein, and the Rebbe’s son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Zev Portugal, both of Monsey.

Rabbi Shlomo Eichenstein notes, “It was amazing for me to learn that hours and years of work from an organization goes into giving the hechsher on a product that I see on the store shelf. There are thousands - even tens of thousands - of ingredients that need to be tirelessly tracked to enable one to eat even regular ketchup!”

The Zidichover Rebbe comments, “It’s a phenomenally eye-opening experience to be able to see the inner workings of such a prestigious kashrus organization -- to realize the amount of work and effort which is almost always underestimated, underappreciated, and to understand what really goes into Kashrus. The willingness to want to be open to anyone from the whole community, or any type of community – whether chasidishe, Litvish, or whatever background you come from – shows the authenticity of the kashrus organization and how it is just not something to hide, but something very proud about to be able to give and to promote to everyone throughout. It is a sign of the kashrus organization, itself, headed by one of the gedolei poskim of our generation, HaRav Moshe Heinemann, shlit”a. It’s been a truly great experience for a lot of people and younger rabbonim have gone through it just to be able to bask in the knowledge and experience and the true gadlus of one of the greatest poskim of our generation.”

Notes STAR-K Kashrus Administrator Rabbi Sholom Tendler, “These seminars are B”H full every year, with usually many people who we unfortunately cannot accommodate due to space considerations. The huge number of applicants each year show us how much people want to learn and know about Kashrus. That is always a huge chizuk to all of us. It is also always a pleasure to interact with the seminar attendees as we benefit from hearing their questions and interest as well. We wish them all much hatzlacha in all their future endeavors.”

STAR-K Kashrus Administrator, Rabbi Zvi Goldberg, concludes, “It was pointed out that this is the 22nd year of the program, which is equal to the 22 letters of the aleph-beis. From Aleph to Tav, we try to cover every important aspect of kashrus -- Shabbos and Yomtov issues, weddings, restaurants, bug checking, appliances and even demonstrating a shechita. We are grateful that we can continue to train a new generation of Kashrus professionals.”

Mashgichim @ STAR-K Food Service Kashrus Training Seminar

Mashgichos @ STAR-K Food Service Kashrus Training Seminar

STAR-K Food Service Kashrus Training Participants’ tour of Rosendorff Bakery led by Rabbi Sholom Tendler