Kosher Revival

Food disciplines are part of every great religion. Psychologically they are almost inevitable, and extremely practical . . . Didn't you feel more . . . at home in the world, warm, safe, good, while yon were observing your laws? --Herman Wouk in Marjorie Morningstar

In the revival of religious observances in the U.S.. Jews are regaining their interest in the Jewish dietary law, generally known as kashruth. Rabbis report a flood of inquiries from housewives and requests from food manufacturers for rabbinical supervision. Many national brands are adding kosher products to their lines,, e.g., Heinz. Beechnut, Brillo, Curtiss Candy Co. (which now has a kosher O.K. for its Baby Ruth and Butterfmger bars).

Why should Jews observe kashruth? Says Rabbi Leonard Oschry of Chicago's Hebrew Theological College, who is leading a campaign for more kosher households: "By observing it, I make my whole life holy; it is a daily reminder of my Jewishness." Said a Jewish housewife: "You can't really be a good Jew if you don't keep a kosher house."

God-Fearing Butchers. Kashruth can make demands at once difficult and subtle. At Passover, for instance, when leavened foods are prohibited, orthodox Jews must beware of soda pop containing food coloring made from an alcoholic base, which in turn is often manufactured from leavened grain. The Old Testament prohibition against cooking a kid in its mother's milk is extended in Jewish homes to maintaining separate dishes for meat and dairy products. Explains Housewife Dorothy Tresley, an M.A. in educational psychology: "I have 4 1/2 sets of dishes and silver: meat, dairy, just a few parve, or neutral pieces, and a special meat set and dairy set for Passover. The girl who comes in to help me isn't Jewish, so I mark my shelves and drawers to keep her from mixing meat and dairy things. Sure, it's more expensive than a tref [nonkosher] kitchen. But if you want something bad enough, you manage it."

Kosher meat is more expensive, too. Its slaughter must be rabbinically supervised and conducted according to a set ritual pattern that stresses humaneness. The animal's throat must be cut, says Israel's Chief Rabbi Herzog, "with a single swift and uninterrupted sweep of the knife . . . The knife must be minutely examined by a specific method before killing . . . twelve times by the nail and by the flesh of the finger ... It must also be examined after the killing, and if any unevenness, roughness or the minutest indentation is found, the beast is regarded as having been improperly slaughtered, and its flesh . . . may not be consumed by Jews. [Slaughtering must be carried out] by an educated, refined and cultured man, known to be God-fearing."

Nothing Wishy-Washy. Second reason for the high cost of kosher meat: butcher shops, also supervised by rabbis, must scrupulously trim fat from, all meat. "The Jewish housewife is very particular," says Jack Price, a director of the Chicago Kosher Butchers Association. "She doesn't care about price. She will haggle about the looks of the meat, and make the butcher cut this and that until she is satisfied.

This drives the kosher butcher crazy sometimes, but he respects the housewife who demands the best." Last week's Chicago prices for a rib roast: A. & P.--55-c- a lb., kosher--69-c- a lb. and up.

The original reasons for the dietary laws were probably partly hygienic, but another end is to keep Jews as a group apart, prevent intermarriage with non-Jews. Today's kosher revival may have other origins. As young Mrs. Tresley explains it: "People are looking for something to believe in, something to hang on to. They don't want a wishy-washy life; they want something concrete."

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