Sunday, January 20, 2008

The 12th of Shevat , Jan. 19 in Jewish History


On this day the 12th of Shevat, In 1945, the Russian army liberated Auschwitz, the most deadly concentration camp operated by the Nazis.


In November of 1944, the German troops blew up the gas chambers of Auschwitz II (Birkenau) in an attempt to hide their crimes. In January of 1945 the Nazis began to evacuate the facility; most of the prisoners were ordered on a death march, which lasted for weeks in the cold and snow. Over one million people perished in Auschwitz during the war. Only a total of 7,000 people survived Auschwitz.
Kosher Corner
With the upcoming Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shevat, many people are purchasing dried fruits for their Tu B'shevat party. One must be very careful to examine the fruits to see if they contain worms or other small creatures. The Kosher supervision on the packaging does not certify that the fruits are bug free. On one of the packaging of dried fruits that I examined today on my grocers shelf, I noticed a label affixed to the packaging, the label was affixed by the Kashruth agency that supervises the production of that particular dried fruit. The label clearly stated that the supervision is only on the production and not on the dried fruits being bug free. The label went on to explain that it's the consumers obligation to inspect the fruits and verify that they do not contain any bugs.
Upon discussing this label with my local Rabbi, he explained that this is the fact with all foods and dried fruits in particular. So Kosher consumers, be sure to inspect your fruits and don't rely that the Kashruth Agency has verified it to be Bug-Free.

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