The Rabbinical Assembly

The European Masorti Bert Din is a regional affiliate of the International Rabbinical Assembly.

Kashrut Supervision

Why Masorti Kosher?
There are several organisations who supervise Kosher catering in the UK and many high quality Kosher facilities are available. In spite of this, in our experience there are many people who would like to host a Kosher function choose not to do so. The reasons vary: some find that the cost of Kosher catering is prohibitive, the range of caterers limited or they wish to work with a particular caterer who isn’t supervised. Sometimes the venue they have chosen for their Simcha limits the choice of caterers they may use, or charges an excessive surcharge for using an outside caterer. Many people who opt for a vegetarian or fish alternative to a supervised Kosher affair feel unsatisfied. A wedding, a Bar and Bat Mitzvah are meaningful Jewish moments, and they instinctively feel that it is proper that they are marked with a supervised Kosher meal.

The Masorti Bet Din has introduced arrangements for a non-supervised caterer to apply for a “one-day license” to cater a single event. For many this is the catering ideal solution they are seeking.

How does Masorti Kosher work?
Catering a Kosher isn’t as difficult as you might have thought. Many foods are Kosher, and there are a wide range of Kosher facilities available. Our role is to help your caterer access these, and to make sure that all the rules of Kashrut are adhered to.

When you first speak to your caterer, you will need to make sure that the caterer knows that you require a Kosher meal, and that you want it to be supervised by the Masorti Bet Din. There is a separate leaflet available for caterers giving details about our supervision. Your caterer will need to agree to work with us, and to come under our supervision for your event. In our experience, many caterers are happy to comply with their clients wishes in this regard.

We will work with your caterer at three different stages of preparation. After you have agreed your menus with the caterer, we will then go over the menus checking every ingredient and making sure that they are Kosher. We will advise your caterer about possible substitutions, and where to source Kosher supplies. Later, when the food is actually being prepared, we will come to your caterer’s kitchen or the venue. We will Kosher the kitchen, and get it ready for Kosher food preparation. All food will be served on our own Kosher dishes. Finally, we will oversee the preparation and serving of the food, and make sure that all of our requirements are adhered to. All this happens behind the scenes, and leaves you to enjoy a tasty and Kosher meal.

A word about standards
Food preparation is a complicated area of Jewish law, and modern food production is extremely complex. There are inevitable differences of opinion about how Jewish law is to be applied in various circumstances. This has led to the emergence of various standards of keeping Kosher.

The Masorti Bet Din recognises that there are different ways that our members keep kosher. For the purposes of our supervision, we apply the following standards: We allow all foods that have been prepared under any trusted rabbinical supervision. In addition, we also permit foods which haven’t been prepared under supervision, but have been checked by a Rabbi, and have been found to be suitable to be used in Kosher production. This is roughly equivalent to the approach of the London Bet Din Kashrut guide.

If you have special requirements (i.e. a stricter standard) please discuss this with us at the time you are arranging for our supervision.

Our Kashrut certificate will be prominently displayed on the tables at your Simcha. This will enable your guests to know that the food complies with our standards of Kashrut. 

What does it cost?
Kashrut supervision is labour intensive work. The charges depend on the size and complexity of your function. As a rough guideline, the charge is usually £550.00 - £750.00 depending on how complicated the supervision is. This is in addition to any other costs that may arise as the result of Kosher catering that your caterer may charge for, such as the additional cost of Kosher meat, cheeses or bakery goods.

How do I find out more?
For information about our Kashrut supervision, please contact Rabbi Chaim Weiner at the Bet Din, or speak to your local Masorti Rabbi. We look forward to hearing from you and will answer any questions you have. We hope we will have the opportunity to join you at a Simcha soon.

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