EK Kosher
The “EK” kosher – founded by the RCE, is headed by Rabbi Yosef Minsky, a kashrut expert with decades of experience who has set himself the goal of providing kosher food to European Jews, and to Jews visiting the continent. Those who are familiar with the kosher sector know that it is difficult to find kosher products in many areas of Europe – (except in stores in France, England and various ultra-Orthodox concentrations). For those who live far from massive Jewish populace, buying a bottle of oil or mayonnaise, cans, flour, rice or other basic nutrients for daily living is very difficult. Even if the products are in the neighborhood supermarket, the buyer needs the assurance that they are kosher.
The goal of the RCE founding the EK Kosher is to insure accessibility of kosher food at any point on the European continent. Many factory owners willingly respond to kashrut and kosher as it opens a new market to their products, not just Jews. The health trend that believes in food that is most natural, or the Muslim public who believes in kosher food, such as food without alcohol, pork and the like.
Nearly seven years ago, the ‘EK’ Kosher was founded, determined to create a new platform in the European Jewish food world. With the help of Jewish communities that exist in every city in Europe, a kosher network was established in 22 European countries, from the Balkan countries to Spain on the Mediterranean coast, capable of providing a solution to the kosher food shortage. Activity conducted in countries that are difficult to enter, such as Algeria and Iran, which RCE has received inquiries from, are trained by Local rabbis who are members of the RCE.
Each local community rabbi understands the needs of his community. He also knows the factory owners in the vicinity, and assists in the contact procedure to create kosher production lines in Europe
The local rabbi knows the area, the people and the mentality, takes care of the production line in the factory, and because he speaks the local language, all the tasks become much simpler. This, of course, also saves costs, because there is no need to fly overseers from Israel or from other European countries, as the local rabbi, who lives in the area anyway, also acts as overseer, which prevents rising food prices.
So far, EK’s European training system has worked to produce basic products such as oil and coffee, frozen vegetables and pastas, legumes and many raw materials as well as dairy products and sweets. Every so often, kashrut members carry out slaughter in certain cities. All the activities spread across the continent.
In the year 2020, the kashrut company kosher 1 led by the Rabbi of’ Ma’ayan Hai- Brussels’ community Rabbi Menachem Hadad,merged with the EK Kosher company. Rabbi Hadad will serve on the Rabbinical council of the department.