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From: ask@cbdkc1.UUCP (A.S. Kamlet)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Re: Is blue cheese trefah?
Message-ID: <860@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 29-Jan-85 18:09:08 EST
Article-I.D.: cbdkc1.860
Posted: Tue Jan 29 18:09:08 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 14:45:07 EST
References: <377@nbs-amrf.UUCP> <44500009@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
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> Imported kosher blue cheese is available in Chicago and--a minori ad majus--
> in NY and LA.  Any cheese, customarily made with nonkosher animal rennet,
> requires Jewish supervision to be labelled kosher.

The Commitee on Jewish Law is the 25-man commitee of the Rabbinical
Assembly which, from time to time, issues responsa which continue
Conservative Judiasm's development of halacha.  (The Rabbinical 
Assembly is the organization of Conservative Rabbis, and is
affiliated with the United Synagogue of America and the Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York.)

A recent responsa, which each Conservative rabbi may or may not
agree to adopt for his congregation, states that all cheese
manufactured in the U.S., which does not explicitely contain
animal or trefah products, may be considered to be kosher.
Specifically, the rennet is termed "so changed in form that
it is no longer an animal product" and "so changed that a dog would
not touch it."

So, if you're a Conservative Jew (I am), and if your rabbi adopts
this position, cheese, like milk, may be considered kosher.
However, if you don't want to adopt this position, and wish to
follow a stricter degree of kashrut, like requiring a UO heksher,
that's fine too.

Somewhat related to the cheese issue is a very recent ruling that
all mono- and diglycerides are so changed in form from fatty
triglycerides that they may (with the approval of your rabbi)
be condidered as kosher and parve.

Art Kamlet   AT&T Bell Laboratories   Columbus   {cbosgd | ihnp4}!cbrma!ask