The cRc’s 2015/5776 Guide to a Kosher New Year

Chicago Rabbinical Council 2701 West Howard Street, Chicago, IL 60645 (773) 465-3900 www.crcweb.org Rabbi Sholem Fishbane – Kashrus Administrator

Honey (for Challah & Apple):

Requires kosher certification as packaging equipment for retail honey may be heated and may be used for non-kosher sauces.

CarrotsFRESH OR FROZEN (including baby carrots) with no questionable additives are acceptable without hashgachah.

CANNED requires kosher certification.

LeekCut along length of the leek “leaf” and check for bugs inside and around the area protruding from the bulb. Discard the roots.

CabbageFRESH GREEN Remove and discard 4 outer green leaves. Remove remaining green leaves (if any) and rinse them thoroughly under a stream of water. The remaining white leaves may be used without any further checking other than a cursory inspection for obvious insect infestation.

PRE-WASHED Acceptable without Certification; no further washing is required.

BeetsRAW A general inspection is needed to rule out obvious infestation.

COOKED, CANNED OR JARRED Requires Certification.

PomegranateAcceptable without certification.

DatesFRESH A general inspection is needed to rule out obvious infestation.

DRIED with no additional flavors are acceptable even without a hechsher. Pitted or domestic dates do not need to be checked for insect infestation, but non-pitted or foreign dates do need a general inspection to rule out obvious infestation.

GourdFRESH A general inspection is needed to rule out obvious infestation

CANNED requires kosher certification.

RaisinsAll domestic do not require certification, unless they are oil treated or flavored. Does not need special infestation inspection.

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It is customary to eat certain foods and simanim on Rosh Hashana. Below are the Chicago Rabbinical Council’s recommendations to avoid any kashrus concerns on these items. All further inquiries can be checked on www.ASKcRc.org or by calling the office (773) 465-3900.

Fish / Head of FishRAW FISH It is preferable to purchase raw fish in a kosher fish store. If this isn’t possible, one must first make sure the fish is, in fact, a kosher species. The only reliable method of determining that a fish is from a kosher species is by inspecting its scales to be sure that they are the type that can be removed from the fish without ripping any flesh. (One notable exception is salmon where the flesh-color is unique and is considered a clear identifying mark of the kosher, salmon fish.) Secondly, the knives used to scale, eviscerate, fillet and/or cut the fish may have been previously used for non-kosher fish. To avoid this issue it is necessary to ask the store employees to clean the knife and work on a clean piece of butcher-paper. If this isn’t possible, there is basis to permit the purchase of packaged, pre-cut fish but it is necessary to scrub clean any surfaces that had been cut.

SMOKED / COOKED / PROCESSED / JARRED / CANNED Requires Certification.

Head of SheepRequires Certification

Black-eyed PeasRAW A general inspection is needed to rule out obvious infestation.

COOKED, CANNED OR JARRED Requires Certification.

FenugreekFRESH Cut along length of fenugreek green “leaf” and check for bugs inside and around the area protruding from the bulb. Discard the roots.

SpinachFRESH Must be washed very well with either a vegetable wash or a food grade soap solution, and checked with a chazaka check.

PRE-WASHED Pre-washed may be used without hashgacha only after checking each leaf of the product or washing again using the chazaka check.

FROZEN OR CANNED Requires Certification.

The Chicago Rabbinical Council wishes everyone a Kesiva V’chasima Tova.

When we refer to a “CHAZAKA CHECK”, the following procedure should be followed: The vegetable must be soaked thoroughly in a clear or light colored basin in cold water with either a small amount

of a kosher vegetable wash or a soap solution such as dish liquid (we do not recommend using salt water or vinegar). The vegetables are then removed from the water. If there are insects found in the water, the process should be repeated until no insects are found in the water. Then three samples or batches of the vegetable must be checked and if no bugs are found, the remaining produce may be

used without further checking.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS on checking for infestation can be found on our website at http://bit.ly/1EJoGVd