Kosher News
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Rabbi Conway’s Foreword to The Really Jewish Food Guide 2016
Colonel Ilan Ramon was the first person to keep Kosher in space. Although not particularly religious, Ramon felt that as Israel’s first astronaut, “I’m a kind of representative of all the Jewish community”!
Kashrut is undoubtedly one of the most important features of Jewish life. Keeping kosher in whatever circumstances one finds oneself both reflects and reinforces Jewish identity, commitment and community.
The continuous growth of Kashrut in the UK is surely a reflection of a dynamic and flourishing Anglo-Jewry.
Over the past year, KLBD has seen significant growth in all areas. Our Facebook Group KLBD Kosher Direct has grown by 1300 to almost 6000 members. The Kosher Search facilities www.kosher.org.uk/koshersearch and www.isitkosher.uk now receive in the region of ten thousand hits a week. We have 15 new licensees including restaurants and cafes: Mr Baker and Ayelet in Hendon, Bread and Burger Bar in Temple Fortune and Mr Baker, Flipside and Sami’s in Borehamwood. We have also licensed hotel holiday facilities in Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Bournemouth and Brighton. On the Certification side we now certify over 1200 factories in more than 70 countries, including 125 new factories this year and new countries Romania, Bulgaria and Madagascar. We have exhibited or attended 17 Food Fairs around the globe and presented KLBD at local Jewish Community events in London, Leeds, Glasgow and Hove. We have increased our engagement with the community and young people through regular presentations at Chedarim and schools, including highly successful hands-on kashrut workshops at JFS for over 600 students and a KLBD stand and workshops at several Simcha Fairs.
Rabbi Conway with the guide
Most important, in this new edition of The Really Jewish Food Guide, there are a record 990 brand new products and over 2000 KLBD certified products, many more than ever before. Prominent amongst them, of course, is Marmite (70g only with KLBD logo on jars) – a significant achievement after many years of NK status.
There is a new section in the Medicines listing called 'Supplements', which brings together all the herbal medicines, vitamins, minerals and omega oils into one section, with new and more comprehensive categorisation of the list which will make products easier to find.
For all these achievements, my profound thanks go to an amazing team. For this publication in particular I must thank our Senior Food Technologist Rosalind Coten, Researchers Dalia Bloch, Michal Emanuel, Naomi Green and Dina Chalk, as well as the advertising and production team David Attiach and Myrna Elliot, our graphic designer Steve Berwick of Liquid Bubble, Ilan Grossman and Gita Rotenberg.
I am particularly grateful to Dayan Menachem Gelley and his colleagues of the
London Beth Din for their halachic guidance and ongoing advice and assistance.
Rabbi Jeremy Conway
