Contributed by: Abe S. | Last Date of Travel: August 2008

Kosher Info:

When I visited Taipei for several weeks, I had an apartment with a kitchen which made things much easier. Finding kosher food in Taipei is a bit difficult but very possible.

Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Haagen-Dazs are all very popular chains in Taipei (and other large East Asian cities), where it is usually possible to buy kosher snacks with a hechsher (coffee, ice cream, chips). Most supermarkets will carry a small number of Western goods, only some of which are made in the U.S. (and therefore carry a hechsher).

The easiest place to buy kosher groceries is at a supermarket chain called Jasons. There are a number of them in the greater Taipei metro area, most notably in Taipei 101, which was briefly the tallest building in the world. Jasons is probably most similar to Whole Foods in the U.S. and it carries a very wide selection of international goods including many familiar kosher brands from the U.S. (like Lenders Bagels, cereal, etc).

Additionally, strict vegan Buddhist restaurants are also extremely common and can be distinguished by a swastika on display. Swastikas here do not refer to Nazis at all.

Tourist Info:
Taipei is only a short one-hour flight from Hong Kong; there are also direct flights from the United States and from many other cities in East Asia.

The historically inclined should not miss the 2-28 Museum and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. The areas surrounding Taipei are filled with hiking including the Yangmingshan National Park, which has small mountains to climb and great hot springs. Other sites of interest in the city include Taipei 101, the Shilin Night Market, and many interesting neighborhoods to explore.

The city is relatively easy to navigate. A modern subway/light rail system covers the city and suburbs. Subways and buses have English announcements and signs.

Jewish Info:
There hasn’t been much of a Jewish community in Taiwan for many years. Rabbi Ephraim Einhorn is in his mid-90s and has run the small Jewish community in Taipei for decades. He currently holds services in a modified hotel room at the Sheraton in central Taipei.

Services are traditional but there is very rarely a minyan for Shabbat. The crowd usually consists of tourists and people in Taipei on business, several Taiwanese people (often staff at the Israeli trade office), as well as a few local Jews.

After each service, Rabbi Einhorn serves wine, challah and delicious local honey. His website indicates that you can order double-wrapped fish, smoked salmon, salad, and challah from the Sheraton Hotel, though I did not try this.

Contributed by: James C. | Last Date of Travel: June 2011

Kosher Info:

Kosher travelers not only want to indulge in India’s cultural highlights, they want to enjoy quality meals that meet the requirements of Jewish dietary laws. With a vibrant Jewish heritage, India offers culinary diversity, suitable for the observant kosher traveller. Flights to India can take you to the heart of three unique Jewish communities, where you can experience authentic Indian – Jewish kosher cuisine. Each community abides by the Kosher laws but has adapted Indian influences into the style of cooking, resulting in a distinct fusion of tastes and flavours.

Outside of the Chabad Centres, Bayit Yehudi (a string of open houses for Israeli and Jewish travelers in India), Lev Yehudi, Jewish institutions, guest houses and/or using the services of kosher travel agents in these communities, a Kosher menu will be hard to find. While pre-packaged kosher food is available, it might not always be suitable to carry as you travel around. Depending on where you choose to travel, you’ll have to fend for yourself! It’s also worth highlighting that your airline meal may not be kosher – or at least there may not be a kosher meal that you’re interested in eating. Some airlines are better at others at this.

Seek out Kosher friendly food with:

• The Bene-Israeli Jewish Community of Mumbai
  Mumbai is home to the Bene Israel, the oldest and largest Jewish community. This community has adapted to the local flavors of Marathi cuisine. The dishes are redolent with spices. Coconuts and mangoes are staples. Only fish, sheep, goats and certain fowl are eaten – no beef. Expect dishes including flat bread, rice and/or lentils, and vegetable or fish curries. Bombil-batata with moong dal khichdi is a typical Saturday night meal. On the Sabbath, they enjoy a semolina and coconut milk dish called ‘kanavili’. In Mumbai you’ll also find the only Kosher Bakery in India to make strictly Kosher products, which is housed on the ground floor of the ORT India building at Worli.
• The Black Jews of Cochin
  In this small community, you’ll find the kosher cooking is spicy with an emphasis on using ginger, coriander, mustard seed, fresh and dry hot chili, fenugreek, cardamom and the ever-present curry leaves. No meat, only a little poultry is eaten. Spicy fish curries and rice cooked with coconut milk, saffron and almonds is common in Cochin kosher cuisine.

• The Baghdadi Jewish Community in Calcutta
  This community brought with them dishes like Hameen (Vegetables and Meat) and Koobe (Stuffed Dumplings). These were later adapted to include Bengali spices such as ginger and turmeric and commonly use vegetables like squashes and spinach. Baghdadi Jewish parathas and beef curry are popular.

Tourist Info:

Well, it depends on where in India you plan to visit. India is a big country. Very big and unless you’re planning to do a tour of the entire country, you will need to be specific about where you’re going and what you will be able to see during your time there.

Here’s 5 things you absolutely must to on a trip to India

• Visit the Taj Mahal – It’s one of the seven wonders and absolutely worth the visit.
• Take a camal ride – Trek through the sands on one of the many ‘ships of the desert’
• Try a (kosher) curry – Regardless of whether or not you like spicey food, you simply can’t visit India without sampling one the spicey curries on offer.
• Go to the beach- if you’re visiting Goa the beaches are absolutely worth a visit.
• Go to the market – dive headfirst into the chaotic pace of life that India is known for

Jewish Info:

There are currently 33 synagogues in India. Not all are in use and some date as far back as the mid sixteenth century. Although Jews arrived in India long before this, it took a considerable amount of time before the first synagogues were built. The most famous synagogues in India are the Baghdadi, Bene Israel, and Cochin synagogues.

Here’s a decent list of the prayer halls and synagogues in India. We recommend calling or emailing them to confirm their hours and if they’re still around.

Contributed by: Aviron | Last Date of Travel: ​October 2006

Kosher Info:
This is what you can expect to find ‘kosher’ in Kuwait:
Pita and dates. The local milk has no pig or camel additives, so would be considered kosher. Hummus and vegetarian Hindu or Buddhist restaurants abound (if you eat at such places). The nearest kosher restaurant is probably in Israel. I don’t think they deliver.

Travel Info:
Kuwait City is located directly on the shores of the Persian Gulf. From the original small center of town, still filled with narrow alleys, food markets, and moneychangers, the city has grown to include modern skyscrapers, landscaped highways, oceanfront villas, Starbucks and MacDonald’s. Road and street signs are in Arabic and English, but many storefronts are labeled only in Arabic. The main highway in the city parallels the seashore and the public beaches. Beaches may be separate or coed, in which case women must be fully covered in or out of the water. Due to Ramadan, there was no one on the beach during the days I was there.

Downtown Kuwait is a hodgepodge of older building in various states of repair or disrepair and gleaming new high rise hotels and office buildings. The roads are often circuitous and include many roundabouts which I found terrifying. There did not seem to be a distinct city center, just new construction spreading about, engulfing older parts. There are lots of palm trees and empty lots in the middle of it all, which act as parking areas.

I was surprised to see many large American cars on the road. Cars and clothes are status symbols there. I am told that the well-to-do locals buy luxury sports cars to zip about this small country, until they either crash or get bored with them, in which case they just abandon the car and buy a new one. Gas is cheap, of course. The business area is dominated by the 1200 foot tall Liberation Tower, completed in 1996 and named in honor of the “liberation” from Iraq.

My hotel was part of a luxury mall, marina, hotel development. It is a brand new 3-story, 96 room hotel and is the only in-city hotel with a private beach. The room was spacious, modern and very cold. The walk-in shower was cavernous, larger than some NYC apartment kitchens. Every room has a balcony with a sea view.

There are free form pools, lawns, beach activities, restaurants and all the usual amenities. But, as it was during Ramadan, no one would be eating, drinking, smoking, swimming or otherwise enjoying themselves by day. In fact, on checking in, I was graciously warned about the penalties for eating in public, namely imprisonment until the end of Ramadan, and a fine upon release. That said, would I care for a fresh date? Well, it was 10:30 at night, eating was permitted, so I took one. It was delicious. I took another. And another. The next day there was a small blurb in the paper that 3 westerners were arrested for eating in a billiard hall. A local saw them and called the police. These people are serious.

One morning, I visited the adjacent mall. Malls look the same everywhere. Atrium? Check. Marble floors? Check. International brands? Check. Women in head-to-toe black chadors, talking on cell phones? OK, maybe not all the same, though cell phones, clearly, are universal. The storefronts were decorated for Ramadan, with blessings in Arabic and English. Little shopping goes on by day during the holy month, but at night (after iftar meals) shopping is a big activity. In a land with very little fraternization between men and women, the two things that are available to all are eating and shopping. The malls are huge and new ones were being built. These malls provide easy and cheap public entertainment where friends and families can spend time together, without breaking any religious rules.

Kuwait’s most iconic structures are the spherical water towers built in 1979 on a spit of land projecting into the gulf. The two main towers look like huge pods growing out of the lawns they sit on. At night they take on a look of brightly lit alien spacecraft hovering over the dark sea. The huge round tanks seem to be resting on concrete supports and are covered in a colorful mosaic pattern.

The uppermost, smallest nodule contains a revolving observatory and cafe. Between the two is a needle-like concrete structure, also remarkably tall, supporting the floodlights that illuminate the water towers. However, walking around the base of the “needle”, I only saw two doors, marked “Men” and “Women” which led me to conclude that this is definitely the world’s tallest bathroom. I went up to the observation deck one night and the city glittered below, a bit like Las Vegas. From the elevator there was a final stair to climb to get to the revolving deck. Along the staircase were photographs of the very same tower with broken windows, destroyed light fixtures and ripped furniture courtesy, said the caption, of “the barbaric invaders”. With some personal satisfaction I noted that Kuwait was using language usually reserved for Israel to refer to its neighbor to the north, which had invaded with unbridled hostility and destructiveness in 1990.
There was not much else to do. I visited a mall built like a desert fortress, albeit with a place in the back to park your yacht.

I passed neighborhoods of enormous private homes. I admired the many mosques that come in all shapes and snuck a peek into one or two. I improved my Arabic reading skills. I enjoyed fresh guava and apricot juices, but had no luck finding a souvenir shop. Ironically, my flight back to the States was filled with US army personnel, serving in Iraq, going home on leave. They did not provide a kosher meal.

Jewish Info:
The long-held belief that you cannot visit most Arab countries if your passport shows visits to Israel is basically a thing of the past. But it is always wise to check with the consulate of the country you are planning to visit. I also checked in advance that I would be able to bring in Jewish religious articles. I hid my tuna cans and granola bars among my clothes just in case. Turns out, nobody checked anything.

A little background: This trip was for work purposes. My business associates in Kuwait were aware that I was Jewish. However, they were not Kuwaiti Arabs, but Indians (Moslem and Christian) and Lebanese Christians. Most of the physical, technical, and hospitality work in the Gulf States is done by immigrant guest workers from Asia, who send their salaries home to their families. I walked about freely (without a kippah, of course) and at no time was I uncomfortable. I admit there is a certain thrill to being in a “stranger in their midst”.

I had little interaction with actual Kuwaiti Arabs, but did wonder if they would have been as cordial if they knew I was an orthodox Jew and a Zionist no less? Perhaps they would have been as curious as I was in meeting them face to face. My experiences in the Middle East have convinced me that politics is played up by governments and that most people really don’t care enough to get involved. They just want to go about their business and improve their own quality of life.

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Contributed By: Daniel Wunder | Last Date of Travel: November 2010

Kosher Info: In Mumbai (formerly Bombay), there are actually a number of Jewish communities with a rich Jewish history, but very few Shomer Shabbat, Shomer Kashrut Jews remaining.  The Chabad of Mumbai is well known as a means of getting kosher food.  They’re the only publicized game in town.  They have a restaurant which serves food every night at 8PM and provide options for kosher meals on Shabbat.  I personally did NOT spend Shabbat with them, but I was able to arrange for my hotel (The Westin, Goregaon East) to pick up food from them, double wrapped, and heat it up for me.  The Chabad charged a lot of money for this service and the food was awful.

If you’re looking for good food and a much more authentic Indian Jewish experience in Mumbai, I recommend visiting the Magen David synagogue for Shabbat (or the whole week).  The hotel (Sasoon hotel) is very inexpensive (about $25 per night.)  It’s not very fancy, but the rooms have, a television, bed, private bathroom and shower.  Really… no frills, but the people there were very nice, they provide kosher food for dinner every night (free of charge) and the rooms are nice enough. 

The Sasoon hotel can be found at: The Magen David Synagogue Compound, 340, Sir J. J. Road, Byculla, Mumbai (near J. J. Hospital).  Reservations can be made by calling: 23006626 or 98200 78032.  There is a Chabad Rabbi there as well who is in charge of meals and kashrut, his name is Eliran.  He’s extremely pleasant, well mannered and very approachable. 

Other than that, there are no other “kosher restaurants” in Mumbai.  Having said that, Hindus and Indians in general are very strict about veg/non-veg, so most of the Jewish locals (even most of the Shomer Shabbat, Shomer Kashrut Indian Jews) eat at restaurants that are pure vegetarian and just don’t order dishes with cheese.  As a matter of fact, some hotels that serve veg and non-veg even have separate kitchens with strict usage and cleansing of utensils.  For instance, the ITC Grand Central, has separate kitchens and sterilizes their dishes every day.

Tourist Info: 

I highly recommend walking around Colaba in South Mumbai, visiting the Prince of Whales Museum, the Gateway to India, Marine Drive and the Taj Mahal Hotel.  Very few people there speak English, but if you know the landmarks feel free to jump into a rikshaw or a non-air conditioned taxi, they’re very inexpensive and are glad to have the business.  I hired a taxi to take me around for about 7 hours and paid him $15.  That was including tip and he was thrilled to have the business.  The Elephanta Caves are also spectacular, but you’ll need to take a ferry from the gateway to get there. 

If you can see past the poverty, and don’t mind the smells and crazy traffic, Mumbai is an incredible place to visit.  Definitely unlike anywhere I’ve ever been.  I look forward to my next visit.

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Jewish Info:

There are many synagogues in Mumbai and the Jews have a rich history of over 2000 years in India. I highly recommend finding an Indian Jew who speaks English or Hebrew and having them give you the tour. I met Elkanah Shaparkur at the Magen David Synagogue and he was glad to bring me around and show me the various places.

Contributed by: Daniel Hofbauer | Last Date of Travel: November 2010

Kosher Info:
The only kosher restaurant in Nepal is by the Chabad of Kathmandu (contact info below). They serve from late morning until the evening and the food is good. You can also cook yourself and just pay for ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised to find some kosher (OU certified) items such as Walkers Shortbread biscuits and Nature Valley granola bars in the supermarket.

Most people come to Nepal for the unbeatable trekking in the Himalayas. The most popular treks, Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp take at least 10 days and potentially as long as 3 weeks. This brings unique challenges for the kosher traveler.

What to bring? Pretty much the same as any trek. A lightweight pot(s), a set (per person) of plastic traveling cutlery, bowl, cup & plate, brush to wash up with and a backpacking portable stove (the gas canister you can get in Kathmandu in one of the many trekking equipment stores). In terms of food, my main supplies were Quaker Instant Oatmeal (1 or 2 packets make a great breakfast), Osem Manot Chamot (instant meals like couscous, rice etc), granola / energy bars, loaf of bread (lasted me a week), crackers, peanut butter and more. For Shabbat on the trek, I recommend matzah (to make Kiddush/Hamotzi on) and, for a taste of meat, some kabanas which supposedly keep for a couple of weeks.

When arriving at a village at the end of the trekking day, after checking out a lodge’s room, I would explain that I need to cook myself as I am a religious Jew and ask if this would be ok. Most places were fine with this, but some weren’t, in which case you move on to the next lodge. There is an unofficial “Israeli deal” (on the Annapurna Circuit trek at least) whereby Israelis try and get their room for free and pay for meals (where the lodge makes most of their money). I decided not to haggle and simply pay for lodging as I would need the lodge owner’s cooperation on the cooking front and they would be making less money from me, a kosher traveler.

For dinner I would either prepare an Osem instant meal or buy ingredients from the lodge. Given that dahl baht (rice and lentils) is the main stable in Nepal, you will find yourself eating a lot of rice. Bugs are very common so one needs to check the rice carefully. To avoid bishul akum while using the lodge’s stove, one needs to be involved in the process by either lighting the stove or mixing the rice intermittently, etc. (ask your local Rabbi if you prefer). I was warned by another kosher traveler to be respectful in their kitchen, as its their own private space they are letting you into. The kitchen can get hectic at meal time, so you may want to cook early before the rush. I recommend taking a camping stove – this way you are not dependent on anyone and have the option to cook in your room or outside, whatever and whenever you want. Also, with an instant meal you don’t have to spend the time checking rice – it may be the last thing you want to do after hiking 7 hours.

Tourist Info:
If you are traveling kosher and going on a trek for longer than a few days, I really recommend taking a porter. If it wasn’t for the food I wouldn’t have taken one but with 2 weeks of supplies, you can easily get to 20kg. Also, the trail isn’t always clear and a porter with experience will know exactly which way to turn. If you want to spend more, you can hire a porter-guide or certified guide. I arranged my porter, Nyma, through Swissa (see below) and he was great. Swissa knows all about kosher and Shabbat and can educate your porter before you leave. Having said that, Nyma would offer me some of his food every day so not sure if he quite got it…

People recommended me to spend time in Kathmandu. Leave a cushion after your trek before your flight out and aim to spend 2-3 days in Kathmandu. But no need to spend too much time there – can get some good bargains there, but there are a lot of temples (read: avodah zara), and annoying street salespeople. Pokhera is meant to be nice and have a relaxed atmoshpere.

Swissa is the agency most of the Israelis use. They are really helpful, know their stuff and have the best prices (even for converting $ to Nepalese Rupees).

For buying or renting trekking gear, there are loads of stores in Thamel. I used Everest Trekking Store. The guy there gives special prices to Israelis (so brush up on your Hebrew) and speaks the lingo a bit (mechir tov…sababa egozim). Its hard to explain where he is but ask Swissa or call the store (+1 444 3708).

There is an international standard clinic/hospital in Kathmandu. Hopefully you won’t need but its good to know about it – CIWEC Travel Medical Center+977 1 442 4111 (opposite British Embassy, 5 mins cab from Thamel).

>> Other Tips….

If you do the Annapurna Circuit, you need a rest day for acclimatization at Manang. If you leave for the trek on Sunday, you can get to Manang by Friday and then rest on the real rest day.

For reading up before, besides Lonely Planet and Lametayel (for Hebrew speakers), Rob’s Nepal site has tips at the bottom of the page which are a great resource.

Make to sure to start vaccinations at least 3-4 weeks before travel and if flying via India, also sort out your visa early. I decided on my trip 3 weeks before and it was borderline. Visa for Nepal you get at the airport but you need passport pics. You can download the form ahead of time to beat the queue.

You can ask the agency you are using to get you TIMS and permit ahead of time for a small fee.

Make sure to have warm clothing (it is freezing up high) and the whole suite of medicines recommended (in the Lonely Planet book or wherever). Also, double check your travel insurance covers helicopter evacuation from the trek (just in case…you don’t want to be stuck with a $3,000 bill).

For places to stay in Kathmandu or Pokhara, check out TripAdvisor’s most recommended or if you are on a tight budget, ask people in Chabad for recommendations (you can pay as little as 300 NPR a night in Kathmandu…that’s $4)

Haggle…negotiate…hundel… – however you call it, do it….in most places.

Jewish Info:
The Chabad house is spacious and welcoming. They have meals & services on Shabbat and a restaurant during the week with a good choice including meat. Their Seder on Pesach is apparently the place to be in Asia. They have a good library of Jewish, Israeli and travel books as well as a collection of tips on Nepal and surrounding countries left by travelers. There are also classes during the week.

Chabad of Kathmandu: Rabbi Chezki & Chanie Lifshitz. Tel: (+977 1) 4701886 Mobile: (+977) 9803241294 Email: chabadnepal@hotmail.com. It is located in the Thamel area, opposite the Marshyangdi Hotel.

China is becoming a global power in many industries, and many more kosher observant travelers and businessmen are heading over there each year.

Here are a few articles on keeping kosher in China that we felt appropriate to share on YeahThatsKosher.com:

Keeping Kosher while Traveling in China

WildChina.com | February 11, 2009

Keeping kosher can always be a bit tricky, especially while traveling. But like in every developing country, awareness towards other religions and cultures is increasing (slowly, but surely). We hope you find these Kosher tid-bits useful during your Chinese travels.

1. Kosher products are available at small western stores throughout Beijing, such as Jenny Lou’s.

2. Kosher chickens can be bought at the German Butchery. (8610) 6591 9370 First Floor, Binduyuan Building No 15 Zaoying Beili Maizidian, Chao Yang District, Beijing.

3. Chicken, beef, and lamb can be bought at Chabad Hashgacha. Catering and delivery of kosher meals can be arranged through Chabad for individuals (24 hours notice is required) or tour groups (two weeks notice is required. http://www.chabadbeijing.com

4. Dini’s is the first kosher restaurant to open in Beijing. They’ll also vacuum-pack meals for you to eat on your travels around China. (8610) 6461 6220 or visit www.kosherbeijing.com

5. Kosher Bagels under Chabad Hashgacha are available through Mrs Shanens Bagels. Ask for the Kosher Bagels and they are delivered free to your hotel/home/office (8610) 6435 9561.

6. China is known for its wide array of fruits and vegetables! This is a chance to become familiar with all these different choices and indulge in plenty of vitamins.

FACT: Did you know China is now the world’s fastest-growing producer of kosher-certified food, with more than 500 Chinese factories producing the approved products??!!

The Challenge of Keeping China Kosher

The country is a fast-growing producer of kosher-certified food. But inspection and approval require a cultural balancing act — how do you explain the Book of Leviticus in an atheist nation?
By Ching-Ching Ni, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 5, 2008

It isn’t easy being a kosher food inspector in the land of moo shu pork. No matter how hard you try.

“Once, they got me into a restaurant and they ordered a whole plate of food and put it in front of me,” recalls Rabbi Martin Grunberg, who has the unusual task of ensuring that Chinese factories that make food for export comply with ancient Jewish dietary laws. “They were putting me to the test because they really don’t understand why I can’t eat Chinese cuisine.”

Keeping kosher is a breeze back home in Jerusalem, but it’s a daily challenge here in China, where food is practically a religion and people say they’ll eat anything with four legs — except for the table. It means Grunberg can’t travel light on his monthly trips through China: He carries two or three suitcases packed with dry goods, canned meats and vacuum-sealed packets, so he can feed himself breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, he never has to step into a Chinese restaurant where about the only thing he can order is a fruit plate and can of Coke.

Although many here have never heard the word “kosher,” China is now the world’s fastest-growing producer of kosher-certified food, with more than 500 Chinese factories producing the approved products. That number is expected to soar, not because this country that is still officially atheist has embraced Judaism, but because it’s good for business.

“I used to get this puzzled look, ‘What is kosher?’ ” said Grunberg, 54, a field inspector for the New York-based Orthodox Union, which is responsible for certifying more than 300 plants in China. “Now a lot of people know it as a marketing tool to increase their market share, especially in the United States.”

The largest kosher market in the world is the U.S., where a growing number of the consumers are non-Jews who see kosher-certified food as generally safer and healthier.

That’s important in China, which is trying to recover from the recent spate of tainted-food scandals. Eager to regain consumer trust, the “Made in China” label has found an unexpected ally in the once-obscure kosher symbol.

“People have been looking for some other measure of security for products coming out of China,” said Rabbi Shimon Freundlich, one of a handful of Beijing-based independent kosher field inspectors. “They want to see quality control, and kosher is a standard people know.”

As China in recent years has become a factory for the world, practically anything can be made here at a bargain. The unlikely kosher business flourished simply because of supply and demand: The global appetite for kosher products exploded and China is happy to feed the frenzy.

But even after the Chinese learned basic kosher rules — no pork, no shellfish, no fish without fins or scales — misunderstandings remain.

As the calls poured in from Chinese companies looking for kosher approval, Freundlich recalls explaining why he couldn’t certify a toy maker that produced plastic food.

“They sent me samples of fake apples, fake vegetables,” Freundlich said. “They were right about the food aspect. They didn’t know we don’t do wooden toys or plastic toys.”

Then there was the guy who makes dining room tables.

“Since food goes on the table he thought we needed a kosher table,” Freundlich said. “Of course, every table is kosher.”

It’s even hard for many Chinese to grasp the meaning of “rabbi.”

“Sometimes they call me ‘rabbit,’ ” Grunberg said. “I start hopping. They don’t get it. I let it pass. It doesn’t pay to explain.”

In the frigid Chinese winter, Grunberg, a grandfather of five, keeps his white beard relatively short and covers his head with a wool hat. He keeps his yarmulke in his pocket and puts it on only when the room is warm enough. The Israeli resident has long given up on wearing his wide-brimmed black hat when traveling across China. “They get squashed,” he said, during the extended transits by plane, bus and train.

It’s harder for Freundlich, 34, to blend in. His black beard is much longer and bushier, and some Chinese he meets can’t resist tugging at it with their fingers.

“They used to call me Santa Claus,” said Freundlich, who moved to Beijing with his family in 2001 to start a Jewish community center. Then came the Sept. 11 attacks. “They started calling me Bin Laden, which is unfortunate.”

But they don’t mean any harm by it, he said. For the most part, rabbis are treated with respect, even if the Chinese know very little about the Jewish people and their religion.

“In China, we have very little contact with the Jewish people,” said Lucy Qian, the general manager at Ningbo Gooddays Food, a factory that makes mostly novelty candies here in one of China’s manufacturing hubs. “We are doing this purely because of market demand.”

Since the factory went kosher a few years ago, sales have soared 40%, she said. Her primary customers are Israelis and Americans who want such things as kosher lipstick-shaped Barbie candy, some of which ends up on the shelves of places like Wal-Mart.

The tainted-food scandals, she said, had no impact on her business last year. In fact, sales grew.

“I’m sure the kosher certification helped,” Qian said.

For now, finished products such as candy, fish and some dehydrated vegetables are a small component of the Chinese-made kosher market. The bulk of the business is in raw materials and food additives, but that is likely to change very soon, according to the Orthodox Union, which expects huge growth in the demand for kosher snacks, soft drinks and even beef.

Jewish dietary rules originate in the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Book of Leviticus. But rabbis working in China try to sidestep serious discussions on religion to avoid political minefields in a country where anything other than state-sanctioned church activities are strictly forbidden.

Once, Grunberg said, an official asked him during a public function to explain what religious law kosher is based on. Caught off guard, the rabbi quickly emphasized the common ground between the Chinese and Jewish people, who share long histories of pride and persecution.

“I didn’t bring religion or God into the equation,” Grunberg said.

That’s just fine to pragmatic Communist Party officials, who see little contradiction in describing their brand of unbridled capitalism as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Tolerating unfamiliar foreign ideas seems a small price to keep the export-driven economy humming.

“The biggest benefit of going kosher is that it introduces more accountability,” said Ray Cheung, a Chinese broker who acts as a bridge between Chinese companies seeking kosher approval and Jewish agencies that certify them. “The rabbi inspectors need to know where each ingredient is made and be able to trace it back to the factory that made it. If you don’t provide that information, we don’t give you the certification.”

Certification can be labor-intensive for the rabbis.

During a recent trip to the Gooddays candy factory, which requires four annual inspections, Grunberg checked long lists of raw materials and poked around every warehouse and factory floor, picking up bottles of sweetener and food coloring, asking if there had been any changes in the suppliers and if the buckets on the floor were used to store anything other than kosher products.

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, he has to turn the applicant down.

Once, he said, he traveled to far western China to watch Tibetan herders using a primitive method to turn yak milk into casein, a dairy protein used as a food additive.

“It was like a million Tibetans all privately cooking this on their stoves — every home is a little factory,” Grunberg said. “It would be an impossible type of supervision.”

Then the Chinese government stepped in to form a company that supplied the Tibetans with cows and a place to milk them by machine. Grunberg went back and certified the liquid milk that will be used for the casein.

The rabbi’s requirements don’t always go over well with productivity-crazed Chinese plant owners.

“Somebody once called me and asked me to come bless the fish,” said Freundlich, referring to a company that processes Alaskan fish for the American market.

“I told him that’s not the way it works.”

But even Freundlich wasn’t prepared for what he faced when he got to the fish plant.

Jewish law says fish must have fins and scales to be kosher. But with frozen fish, it is difficult to tell which ones do. So even though the plant had processed thousands of fish, Freundlich says he rolled up his sleeves to check them by hand. He and a partner worked three days straight, scratching each one of the 37,000 fish with their gloved fingers.

So many fish in the sea look the same,” said Freundlich. “If I can’t find the scale or the fin, it can’t be eaten.”

]]> http://yeahthatskosher.com/2009/03/focus-on-china/feed/ 0 http://yeahthatskosher.com/2008/12/shenzhen-china/ http://yeahthatskosher.com/2008/12/shenzhen-china/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:44:12 +0000 Gavi Lewy-Neuman http://yeahthatskosher.com/?p=551

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

Essentially, the only kosher food available in Shenzhen is at the Chabad house.  They provide both Friday night and Shabbat day meals free of charge (donations are welcomed).  You may also order meals from them to take away.  Because of its close proximity to Hong Kong (Shenzhen is the border city with Hong Kong) you can easily travel back and forth there to replenish food stocks (but you will need a multiple entry visa to get back into Shenzhen, whereas the Hong Kong Visa is given on arrival).

Tourist Info:

Not the most interesting place, but you can find what to keep you busy with.  There are 2 subway lines to get around, and they cost anywhere from 2-5 Yuan per ride, depending on from/where you are going.  Windows of the World is a popular “theme park” which is similar in idea to Israel’s Mini Israel, only on a much larger scale here. It does not have a cheap entrance fee.  This is located basically down the block from where the Chabad center currently is  – and across the street from WOTW is a big shopping mall of high end stores and other American and European stores.

Shenzhen is the world’s capital for knock-off designer bags.  The LoWu shopping center, located at the beginning of the main subway line, is the first thing you encounter once you have crossed the border form Hong Kong.  There you will find 5 heavily saturated floors with people forcing themselves on you to buy something (they sometimes get physical and grab your arm – so BEWARE! But no one will hurt you – I’d still  recommended the place for the experience).  There you can also get massages and manicures at very discounted prices.  Make sure to bargain for everything! Don’t pay more than 65% of the original asked price, but you can absolutely go lower than 35% even.  About 15 minutes walking from the Chabad Center is a nice lake that is quiet and serene at night, while lit up with lights, and is a good place to go and relax with a beer.

Jewish Info:

Again, Chabad is the only Jewish thing you will find in Shenzhen, and they do have minyanim (almost always) on Shabbat, but not always during the week.  No Mikvah here… must travel to the mikvah in Hong Kong.  To get to the Chabad, go to www.chabadshenzhen.org and print out their address to show to a taxi driver in Chinese.  Most people here won’t speak any English.  The building, while I was there, didn’t have any signage that it held Chabad inside, so my advice would be to contact the Chabad beforehand and ask for help.

]]> http://yeahthatskosher.com/2008/12/shenzhen-china/feed/ 1 http://yeahthatskosher.com/2008/12/beijing-china-2/ http://yeahthatskosher.com/2008/12/beijing-china-2/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:20:26 +0000 Gavi Lewy-Neuman http://yeahthatskosher.com/?p=543

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

There are 2 Chabad centers in Beijing.  The main Chabad house is located in the Chaoyang District, in the northern area, whereas the smaller Chabad center is further south from there (both in the east of Beijing).  I only visited the larger of the 2 centers. There is a kosher restaurant in the same vicinity, called Dini’s Restaurant.  (Note: there is an Israeli restaurant almost next door to Dini’s, and even though it has Hebrew writing on the sign, it is NOT kosher).  The restaurant is meat and delicious and fairly priced.  You may order food “to-go” there.  The Shabbat meals, both Friday night and Shabbat day are eaten in the restaurant as well (not at the Chabad house!).  Go to www.kosherbeijing.com for Restaurant info.

There is a supermarket “chain” (there are at least 2 of them) in Beijing called Jenny Lou’s, and they sell a ton of American products, many of which are kosher.  They even have kosher soy milk there.  I believe there is another supermarket called “Super Center” that also sells a lot of American products.  Exact information can be received from contacts at Chabad.

Suggestion: Bring your own packaged soups that just require added hot water.  A main part of the Chinese culture is soup, and on-the-go most Chinese people will have “cup-of-soup” equivalents, and to cater to that, hot water is available everywhere, even on long distance trains. This goes for everywhere in China. Traditions soups (and its equivalents) will be very helpful in China.

Tourist Info:

Beijing has extensive subway system great for getting around, and any trip, no matter destination costs only 2 Yuan.  The subway is preferable to on road travel due to lots of constant road congestion.

There is plenty to see in Beijing and its surrounding areas.  I would suggest not to miss the Great Wall of China (any part will do – Badaling is the most touristy, and easiest to get to by public transport), The Forbidden City/Tienanmen’s Square (a private guide of the audio guide is well worth the investment – both can be picked up right outside the entrance), and the Olympic village.  Having just hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing exhibits great pride in that fact, and the Olympic village, home to the National Stadium (or “Bird’s Nest”) and the Water Cube… all well deserving of a visit.  Get there before 3pm to ensure the ability to buy an entrance ticket to the Water Cube, and before 5pm for the Bird’s Nest.  There is lots more to choose from – read up about it and choose for yourself! Lonely Planet has been a very useful guidebook to lead me around Beijing.

Jewish Info:

Visit www.chabadbeijing.com for full details.  The main chabad has minyanim on shabbat (most of the time) and sometimes during the week.  There is a Mikvah located by the Jewish School about 30 minutes from town (get details from the Chabad family).   Get directions in Chinese and English on the website, and print it out to show to a taxi driver.  The website will also show places to stay within walking distance nearby.  No youth hostels are really within walking distance under an hour, but there is a budgeted hotel called the Home Inn closer by.  The whole Chabad family, including the children really add to the atmosphere and they are very welcoming.  The re are currently 3 Chabadnik girls brought in from France to help with the Shlichut and they too are very much a part of the community.   Chabad Beijing = a really wonderful experience!

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