Sabbath mode kitchen appliances and keeping kosher surfaces

ROSIE ROMERO. JR

With Passover just weeks away, families who keep kosher are getting ready to prepare their kitchens. Designing kosher kitchens is more extensive than your average non-kosher kitchen. Strict kosher homes have double sinks, separate cooking appliances and require more countertop space and storage.

A kosher kitchen is more than just using kosher-only ingredients. Rabbi Menachem Posner, staff editor at Chabad.org, explained that to function as a kosher kitchen, there must be room to prepare meat and dairy products separately.

While the timing may not be ideal to remodel your kitchen right now, as you prepare for Passover, think about ways you would like to improve it to enhance your kosher lifestyle.

Sabbath Mode

Because strict Sabbath observance requires that Jews refrain from working and using electronics, many appliance manufacturers have created a “Sabbath mode,” also known as Shabbos mode or Shabbat mode. Viking, Whirlpool, Jenn-Air, Maytag and Electrolux appliances offer models with this mode.

The mode is designed to override the usual, everyday operation of the electrical system, so it complies with kashrut (Jewish dietary laws), such as allowing one access to food that is heating in the oven and has been placed there to heat before Shabbos.

Sabbath mode-certified appliances are manufactured under the certification of a competent halachic (Jewish law) authority such as Star-K or OU Kosher.

Miele’s Sabbath mode allows individuals up to 72 hours of pre-programmed cooking in their oven.

GE Appliances has introduced the first 100% Shabbos kosher oven. To qualify as kosher, it must be paired with their Shabbos Keeper that is sold separately from ZMAN Technologies.

This system allows for the opening and closing of the oven as many times as needed to keep food warm on Friday night and Shabbos day. The system automatically raises oven temperature to 350 degrees four hours before every mealtime to cook food.

The Shabbos Keeper is also available for refrigerators.

A Sabbath mode refrigerator includes, at a minimum, the ability to disable all lights or other electrical activity from occurring when the refrigerator door is opened. Some Shabbos mode refrigerators have a timer for the compressor so that opening the door, which would normally indirectly cause the compressor to turn on as soon as the temperature rises, will have no immediate effect on the electrical operation of the appliance.

When engaged in Enhanced Shabbos Mode, the Shabbos Keeper fully automates the compressor, auto-defrost, lights, sensors, thermistors and more. The mode can be set up on more than 150 GE appliances including the French-door bottom freezer, full-door bottom freezer and side-by-side refrigerator models.

Most of GE’s appliances already use the Shabbos Keeper. However, the company will launch a new generation of appliances that will be OU Kosher certified independent of the Shabbos Keeper.

Dishwashers can be tricky because they do not have a Shabbos mode feature. GE notes that models with electronic controls may have a door wake up mode that can be turned off so that the control display, control sounds and interior lights (on some models) will not respond to the door opening or closing. You may want to consult with Star-K for prepurchase advice.

Note: OU Kosher is in the process of certifying several GE appliances. Until recently, Shabbos-compliant ovens were certified by the Star-K agency. As of January 2022, some of these appliances will come under the supervision of OU Kosher.

Countertops

Like all countertops, they should be easy to maintain and durable. That is especially important for strict observant households because meat and dairy need to be separated. Any cracks in the surface can lead to contamination. Countertops are subjected to a kashering process to clean them. Kashering a counter is the process of returning a surface to its original state, enabling it to be considered new and to then be used for either meat, dairy, pareve or Passover. It is used primarily for dishes, flatware and other surfaces made of metal, stone, wood and rubber.

Lauren Busser, editorial director of “The House Designer,” suggests quartz countertops for the kosher kitchen. Quartz is an extremely hard surface that’s non-porous and doesn’t require sealing, thus making it one of the best for preparing foods. They are also ideal for busy family homes or anyone who wants quick and easy cleanup.

Star-K policy does not allow kashering of plastic or materials with plastic components such as porcelain enamel, DuPont Corian Solid Surface and Corian Quartz Surface (formerly called Zodiaq), Formica and Silestone.

Sinks

Two sinks are needed in a kosher kitchen; one for meat and one for dairy. You also need two prep areas. Stainless steel can be kashered and cleaned in several ways. Busser suggests the Neva stainless steel sink from Moen that offers easy clean drain design and SoundShield noise protection that is both sound deadening and inhibits condensation.

Other Considerations

Busser notes that when designing a kosher kitchen and accounting for doubled appliances and maximizing storage, keep in mind that twice the appliances also means twice the electrical and plumbing needs. Be sure to take this into account and factor in clearance for your appliances. Be sure to install adequate ventilation to remove the extra cooking fumes and moisture. You may need to extend the cabinetry to the ceiling to allow for maximum storage, too. JN

Consult with your rabbi to confirm whether the appliances and surfaces you choose abide by Jewish dietary laws.

The Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center board announced that Lori Shepherd has accepted the executive director position, effective March 16, 2022.

Lori is the former Executive Director of the El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center. She learned about the Holocaust firsthand from El Paso’s survivor community. Lori strengthened her understanding of the pedagogy of the Holocaust and genocides through the museum’s connections with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Association of Holocaust Organizations and scholars in the field such as Father Patrick Desbois and Dr. Deborah Lipstadt.

Lori looks forward to working closely with TJMHC’s internal and external stakeholders to continue the museum’s long-standing traditions of creating innovative community programs and being a voice for social justice in Southern Arizona.

“As we go forward into a world made uncertain by continued pandemic, political rancor and for so many, socioeconomic uncertainty,” she said, “We must continue to use the lessons of the Holocaust to help create a more just and peaceful world. We will continue to be a place where Jewish values of social justice, tolerance and repair of the world have a home. We will accomplish this by actively reflecting on who we are and how we can best serve the community and by having the same active and open conversations that we promote –reaching out to Southern Arizona’s diverse communities and asking, ‘How can we help?’”

A search committee made up of board members and community advisors met regularly to develop a process, screen applicants and interview candidates. They voted unanimously to approve Lori as executive director.

“The TJMHC board of directors welcomes Lori and is excited to begin working with her as our new leader,” says Board President Eric Schindler. “On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Michelle Blumenberg for her spectacular work as interim executive director for the past 10 months,” he adds. Michelle will stay on through March 31 to provide for a smooth transition.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service raises $355,000 at virtual Brighter Tomorrow event

Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) raised more than $355,000 at its annual Brighter Tomorrow event. Held virtually this year on Jan. 28, the funds will be used to impact and support the lives of more than 40,000 individuals throughout Maricopa County.

The signature event, chaired by Gail and Ed Ober, featured keynote Mayor Kate Gallego who thanked organizations like JFCS, who provide vital programs and services that help build stronger communities.

During his presentation, president and CEO Dr. Lorrie Henderson provided an update on the organization’s mission of strengthening the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds. He also expressed gratitude to those in attendance and the many JFCS individual and corporate donors who play a vital essay on how Holocaust education can help to develop the moral courage to respond when incidents of hate and antisemitism occur in our communities. the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona (JFSA) and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona (JCF) have integrated their organizations into a single operating entity.

To read the full essay prompt and submit an essay, visit arizona.adl.org/2022- essay-contest/. All essays are due by noon on March 25, 2022.

The new organization shall be known as the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA). The newly combined JPSA builds on a 75+ year history of serving as the Tucson community’s coordinating body for fundraising, philanthropy, planning and communal services.

The mission of JPSA is to partner with organizations, families, and individuals to foster and enhance community and respond to those in need – enriching Southern Arizona, the Jewish people and the world. Their vision is to achieve the full potential of Jewish philanthropy now and for future generations.

Graham Hoffman was appointed joint president and CEO of both JFSA and JCF in May 2020. The organizations moved to a single governing structure in 2021, of which Hoffman continues to serve as president and CEO.

ADL announces annual Moral Courage Essay Contest Arizona high school students are invited to participate in the annual Herb Goldberg Moral Courage Essay Contest. The contest, open to all Arizona students in grades 9-12, is a project of ADL’s No Place for Hate program.

In 2020, the Arizona legislature passed House Bill 2241. The bill requires that all Arizona students receive education on the Holocaust and other genocides during their K-12 education at least twice between seventh and twelfth grade.

The essay contest participants are asked to write an

Temple Kol Ami (TKA) announced that Cantorial Intern Noa Shaashua will join the congregation next year. Noa has been serving Temple Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills, Calif., for the last seven years and plans to be ordained as cantor in June 2022.

The cantorial search committee conducted interviews of cantors from around the country. They considered many excellent candidates and are delighted that Noa will share her gifts and abilities with TKA.

Noa was born in Jerusalem and joined the Israel Defense Forces, where she was assigned to teach underprivileged and academically challenged soldiers. That experience influenced her to pursue teaching as part of her career when she moved to the United States.

She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., where she studied jazz and modern American music, which influenced her love of all music. There she also met her husband, fellow musician and duet partner, Shai Shaashua.

The TKA staff and board are currently planning opportunities for the congregation to meet and get to know Noa and look forward to welcoming her, Shai and their two children, Lavee and Yair, to the community.

JWV Designates Volodymyr Zelensky as Honorary Patron

As of March 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is considered an honorary patron of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (JWV). “Not only is he Jewish, but the fact that he has taken a stand to protect his people and his country is admirable, and I think he needs to be recognized for that,” said JWV National Commander Alan Paley.

JWV will attempt to convey a letter announcing this honor to Zelensky via the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States. JN