As observant Jews know all too well, keeping kosher has always been a process with a great many moving parts. It’s a complex commitment, frequently requiring rabbinical counseling and expertise, as well as community communication, as kosher-keepers exchange advice and information about hechschers (symbols of kashrut acceptability), availability of kosher products and a variety of other details to streamline the many details related to following the laws of Torah.
The process is a very old one, of course. In one form or another and in an abundance of locations, it has been going on for millennia — from the days of the Temples in the Holy Land to the tiny shtetls of Eastern Europe, from the Sephardic and Ladino communities of the Exile to the immigrant Jewish communities of New York’s Lower East Side — and it has always adapted to its time and place.
Now, in the 21st century, it is adapting to the Information Age.
And here, in Denver, the internet has become a modern component of this ancient practice.
Since 2009, the Denver Kosher Information Exchange, a Facebook group, has become an online stream of communication between metro-area, kosher-observant Jews (and some non-Jews as well) who trade information on everything from what supervisory authorities have to say about the kashrut of particular food items, which grocery stores or delis are providing which products, when holiday-specific food items will be available to local consumers, even suggestions on how to prepare kosher meals.
Started by members of Denver’s kosher-observant Jewish community, and currently moderated by Susan Ehrenfeld Sharf and Rachel Rubin, the group has proven popular.
As of last week, the Exchange had 671 members. Although its many posts, photos and videos can be seen by the general public, it is technically a private group, meaning that in order to participate by posting, one must become a member.
Joining the group, however, is not an arduous process. Applicants need only answer a couple of simple and straightforward questions.
The Exchange’s website is clear in articulating why it exists: “This group is for exchanging kosher updates and information for the Denver Jewish communities,” it states. “If you find an unusual sale or source for kosher food or any other tips that would be of use to your friends, share it here!”
It welcomes promotions from businesses offering kosher food (no more than twice every three months) as well as general information about the individuals and firms doing so.
It also emphasizes what the Exchange is not interested in posting:
“— general Jewish community announcements;
“— bashing or complaining about any kosher establishments in Denver;
“— criticizing rabbis or kashrut agencies;
“— discussing complicated halachic kashrut questions/issues;
“— pictures of puppies wearing yarmulkes;
“—Tehillim or davening requests;
“— missionary or Christian activity;
“—political statements.”
A recent review of the site revealed that indeed, no such material appears, or that if anyone did try to post such material, it was deleted before going online.
What did appear was a long stream of posts relating to an amazing variety of conversational topics. Recent posts concerned everything from the quotidian to the unusual:
• which grocery stores have kosher whole chickens on sale?
• which stores are offering shmurah matzah or hamantaschen?
• is there any truth to the rumor that some packaged pickles in the metro area might have insect infestation?
• what’s available, and at what prices, at the East Side Kosher Deli?
• what discounts is the KC Kosher Co-op currently offering?
• what kosher catering services are currently available in Denver?
• what’s being marked down at the King Soopers in Edgewater?
• is the High Point Creamery offering its “hot chocolate bombs”?
• what’s a good recipe for chamoy hot sauce?
• is Costco offering its S’mores snack mix?
• why are there no hechschers on some King Soopers breads?
• when is Pete’s Fruits and Vegetables going to make its kosher cheese available?
The Denver Kosher Information Exchange is a fascinating blend of old and new, a light-speed, cyber version of Jewish neighbors trading information over their backyard fence.
It’s also clearly very useful to a lot of people.
One of the Exchange’s busiest and most enthusiastic participants is Jacob Werther, a member of the West Side Orthodox community, who has been active with the Facebook group for the last two or three years.
Werther, who retired from the Denver Clerk and Recorders office in 2015, has several motivations for his participation. The first, and most obvious, is that as a kosher-observant Jew himself, he finds the group’s information personally important and feels that it’s a good thing to share such information with other kosher consumers.
Second —in the spirit of full disclosure — he is a shareholder in Kroger, the parent company of King Soopers, and frequently posts information on the grocery chain’s kosher offerings. He’d like to see the firm sell as much kosher food as possible, naturally, but also keeps tabs on Costco, Safeway, Target, Walmart and other purveyors of kosher products, and shares such information when he can.
Third, Werther is a paid subcontractor for the Vaad Hakashrus of Denver, and its Scroll K kosher supervisory function, and serves as something of an unofficial emissary for the agency, posting its advisories and notifications on the Denver Kosher Information Exchange when they come up.
Speaking last week to the Intermountain Jewish News, Werther emphasized that he is mindful of the Exchange’s stance on offering halachic or rabbinic advice on behalf of the Vaad or any other supervisory authority. If members ask questions of that nature, he says, his response is simply to refer them to the agencies themselves.
While he acknowledges that the Exchange’s membership of nearly 700 is impressive, Werther feels that its potential for membership is actually far greater.
“I would love to have 3,500 members,” he said, adding that he feels that figure is realistic in an urban area the size of Denver.
He believes that while the Exchange does have participation from Reform, Conservative and other non-Orthodox Jews, that number could be considerably greater.
He also feels that more Orthodox Jews could be active participants. The fact that many Orthodox Jews are uncomfortable with Facebook, and the internet in general, is a major reason why more of them aren’t participating in the Exchange.
For those that do participate, Werther says, the advantages are twofold, at least.
“I think the best part about is when they post something and ask something like, ‘Is this particular symbol kosher?’ and they’re able to get an answer.”
Another advantage is in the practical realm of availability.
“When people post things like, ‘I found this at Trader Joe’s or Costco or King Soopers,’ that’s really great.
When Kraft started making kosher string cheese, with the OU hechscher, and it became available here, that was a topic of conversation for a couple of weeks.”
This down-to-earth approach is Werther’s specialty. His posts on the Exchange, often complete with photos of products on store shelves, suggest that he’s something of a kosher scout. Whether he’s doing his own shopping or simply exploring a particular store’s aisles, he keeps a sharp eye on the kosher products. When he’s sees anything that he feels other members will be interested in, he’ll make a post about it.
At the moment, as Passover approaches, Werther is on the lookout for the arrival of kosher-for Pesach products, particularly matzah, the holiday’s traditional staple.
In addition to such consumer-helpful data, the Exchange serves as a valuable resource whenever kosher-related confusion arises, which, he says, is quite frequent.
Information on the kashrut of food items “has always been chaotic,” says Werther, who remembers when most kosher food in Denver was available at “mom-and-pop” small businesses, whereas today, most of it is purchased at large, corporate-run, outlets.
Both then and today, he says, there have always been pressing questions.
“The Exchange clarifies these questions,” Werther says, “and it corrects information, too.”
Recent posts have helped clarify and correct information related to everything from cake decorations to unclear OU hechschers on certain food products.
When some King Soopers house-brand bakery items suddenly began showing up in stores without their usual Scroll K hechschers, Exchange members began posting questions.
“Everybody was confused, because some stores had the Scroll K on their breads and some didn’t.”
Werther helped clarify the situation by consulting with one of the Vaad’s rabbis. It turned out to be nothing more than a printing error from Kroger. The Vaad prepared a pdf file on the issue, which he posted to the Exchange, hence solving the issue.
It’s one of many examples of how the Exchange can help consumers feel confident about the purchasing decisions they make.
While keeping kosher is not necessarily easy — and perhaps, it’s not really meant to be — that doesn’t mean that the religious commitment can’t be made a little easier.
Speaking of the Denver Kosher Information Exchange, a modern approach to an ancient commandment, Werther says simply: “Just become a member.”
The Denver Kosher Information Exchange can be visited at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167196188348
Chris Leppek may be reached at IJNEWS@aol.com.
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