This is the article i wrote for the Southeastern Virginia Jewish News: (
ed. note: thr kosher food show did not happen and was postponed to a later date.)When you walk into a Farm Fresh supermarket the week of March 26th, you may notice a booth that is not normally there. That booth, a Kosher Food and Information Booth, is going to be part of Chabad of Tidewater’s Kosher Week. These booths will be outfitted with brochures about keeping kosher, pamphlets about events, information on kosher symbols, as well as samples of kosher products already stocked by the stores. Kosher Week, March 26th, through March, 29th, is geared toward bringing the beauty of kosher observances to as many local Jewish people as possible. The origin and basics of Kosher, literally meaning fit or suitable, can be found in the Torah (Five Books of Moses), and are taught in depth in many books and commentaries.
In addition to Kosher Booths in local Farm Fresh stores, Kosher Week will also be sponsoring a Kosher Food Show, presented by Chabad of Tidewater and the Simon Family Jewish Community Center. At the Kosher Food Show local kosher caterers, distributors, retailers and more, will set up booths to display their products and information. Vendors at the Kosher Food Show which will be in the Cardo of the Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community will include, Toques Creative Catering, Jody’s Popcorn, Va-Bel, Perfect Affair Caterers, Tehilla Mostofsky’s Baking, US Foodservices, the Cardo Café and more. The show will run from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM on Monday, March, 27th and admittance is free.
The Kosher Food Show as well as the Kosher Booths in the local supermarkets will bring awareness to many people of how many kosher products they already use. Half of the cereals, drinks and snacks as well as many other food items out there are kosher. People may also not know that many kosher items are in areas of stores not marked as kosher.
Although this project targets the Jewish community, the promotion will benefit non-Jews, as well. Many people pay attention to kosher symbols these days because they are vegetarian and look for “pareve” (neither meat nor dairy – neutral) products or because they are allergic to something that isn’t kosher. Others wish to stick to kosher foods because they are generally cleaner and healthier than other foods.
Levi Margolin chairman of the event said that stores will be starting to stock Passover goods shortly and that this is why Chabad chose to host Kosher Week at this time of year. “Shoppers can visit our kosher booth and learn of the beauty and relative ease of year-round kosher and while they are at it they can pick up a few Passover products that are readily available” Levi said.
At the end of this project Chabad of Tidewater hopes that many Tidewater Jews will be more educated in the area of kosher food. Rabbi Aron M. Margolin, director of Chabad of Tidewater said that Kosher Week will educate Hampton Roads residents about more than just kosher. “Kosher Week is yet another vehicle of opportunity for Chabad of Tidewater to educate and familiarize the Tidewater Jewish Community with the observances and practices of out religion” the Rabbi said. The Simon Family JCC choosing to co-sponsor the Kosher Food Show is just part of the JCC’s mission to present many elements of Judaism to its members and the community as a whole. “One of the JCC’s main purposes is to expose the Jewish Community to many aspects of Jewish Life. How fitting for the JCC to help educate the community about Kashrut – one of the most important mitzvot of Judaism” said Miriam Brunn Ruberg, Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the JCC. Other than the JCC and Chabad of Tidewater, a handful of other local Jewish and non-Jewish organizations are involved in Kosher Week directly or indirectly.
According to Rabbi Margolin, kosher food is more readily available here in Tidewater then some kosher keeping people even know. Virginia Beach is the host to the busiest kosher kitchen in all of Virginia housed at the Beth Sholom Home/Terrace, and preparing over 1000 kosher meals a day. Kosher programs for our local older adult community do not stop within the walls of the Beth Sholom. The Jewish Family Services of Tidewater hosts a daily kosher lunch program for seniors at the Simon Family JCC which is catered by Perfect Affair Caterers, a local kosher caterer. Additionally the JFS in conjunction with Chabad of Tidewater hosts events for seniors at the Chabad House on Colley Avenue in Norfolk, with Glatt kosher lunches, also catered by Perfect Affair.
In addition, Virginia Beach, has a kosher eatery, the Cardo Café, and is also the home to the Hebrew Academy of Tidewater. According to Tony Mitchell, director of foodservices at the Sandler Family Campus, nearly 190 kosher lunches are served everyday to the student and staff body of the school. Also in Virginia Beach, the Strelitz Early Childhood Center – Gan Ami Pre-School is equipped with a full kosher-pareve snack program, doling out nearly 200 snacks a day. In Norfolk there is a kosher bread bakery, bagel bakery, restaurant, grocery, hall/ballroom, and even a hotel with a kosher kitchen, the Marriot in downtown, all under the supervision of the Vaad Hakashrus of Tidewater (Tidewater Kosher Agency). Almost every supermarket in Hampton Roads houses a kosher section with the trademark Manischewitz products and more. According to one local businesswoman in the food industry, nearly 60 percent of her business is kosher. Kosher has become such a big thing locally in the past few years that Toques of Ghent, a division of Toques Creative Catering, has completely kashered (kosherized) their kitchen and now hosts its own “Kosher Restaurant Night” once a month as well as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, social events and much more.
Even those who have not been previously kosher have tried to find a way to get into this ever-so-fast growing local phenomenon. Chabad of Tidewater just held its annual Purim Holiday Gala at the Radisson Hotel-Norfolk, and the hotel was very excited to have the kosher business, even with all the difficulties that came with it. That Purim festival easily fed 320 people hot, delicious kosher food!
Kosher Week is being held here in Hampton Roads for the second time, although this time on a much greater scale. The Mayor of Norfolk, Mayor Paul Fraim heard about Kosher Week and chose to officially proclaim the week of March 26th “Kosher Week” in the City of Norfolk. In addition the Mayor plans to visit the supermarkets and show his support for kosher food and Chabad of Tidewater.
For any information regarding Kosher Week please call Chabad of Tidewater at 757-616-0770 or email thechabadhouse@hotmail.com
oVeR AnD oUt!!
Rabbi Aron Margolin and Mayor Paul Fraim of Norfolk look at stickers marking kosher products in the aisles of Farm Fresh's Gene Walter's Marketplace in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood.
Rabbi Aron Margolin and Mayor Paul Fraim of Norfolk look at stickers marking kosher products in the aisles of Farm Fresh's Gene Walter's Marketplace in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood.
