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February 23, 2001/Shevet 30, 5761, Vol. 53, No.21
Not on SaturdayEditorialLet them bake cake - and bread and rolls and cookies and hamentaschen. But not on Saturday. That's the message from the Orthodox Vaad Hakashruth to Karsh's bakery, ending 36 years of kosher supervision by the local agency.According to bakery owner Arnie Gardner, Karsh's will continue to use only kosher ingredients but will no longer comply with the Vaad requirement that it close on Saturdays and during Passover. Gardner told Jewish News last week that the Saturday closings, in effect since Sept. 30, had taken a considerable bite out of his revenues. Nearly 40 years ago, there were no sources for kosher baked goods in the Valley. Families either baked their own or bought in bulk when visiting other cities and filled their freezers. When members of Phoenix's then-tiny observant community prevailed on Karsh's to bake kosher challah for Shabbat, the store agreed to do so. It signed an agreement with the Vaad to use only all-kosher ingredients in its products, which expanded ultimately to a full line of baked goods. About three years, ago, acceding to a national trend for uniform kosher standards, the Vaad approached Karsh's about the possibility of Saturday and Passover closings, noting that most of the 400 Orthodox kosher supervisory agencies nationally would no longer certify Jewish-owned establishments open for business on Shabbat. Karsh's Gardner agreed to comply. Karsh's recent decision to reopen on Saturdays, out of economic necessity, is a dilemma worthy of Talmudic discussion and a sad commentary for the Valley's growing Jewish community. The local Vaad has tracked a 15-20 percent rise in demand for kosher foods in the past several years and a steady increase of kosher products available at grocers. Still, there are only two local kosher markets, Segals Kosher Market in Phoenix and Cactus Kosher Foods in Scottsdale. Three kosher restaurants are open only limited hours. The burgeoning Jewish population and increased demand suggest that more kosher establishments would be an appetizing addition to the Valley's Jewish life. |
