Janet asked about this and Aaron referred her to the Bee-L archives. I have
some experience in this area, but also looked at Aaron's references. One, in
particular, should be very helpful. Unfortunately, it is among the last few
on the list, http://tinyurl.com/d9v9j. Copy this and paste it into your
browser.
I am also not Jewish, but sell a fair amount to a few different members of
the Hasidic community. Who is now my largest buyer traveled from Brooklyn to
Albany several years ago to see the honey house before making his first
purchase. After asking just a few questions and looking around he told me
that as a Jew he is allowed to eat food that not certified as Kosher if they
have reason to believe it is Kosher, and he was satisified that my honey is
Kosher! Since, his annual purchases have been substantial.
He uses it for gifts. Principally in connection with Rosh Hashanah. This
year he showed me his label, which is wholly in Hebrew, so I presume the
gifts are to Jews. He tells me that the label does not say the honey is
Kosher, but the receiptents are entitled to believe it is Kosher since it
comes from him. (Sounds good to me.) He tells me he keeps his honey source
secret, so I am not so busy with others that he can't get his needs filled!
I have a wonderful person who works with me, and she is just 32. During the
summer she dresses like most American females working in a hot humid
enviroment. Although she had talked to this buyer several times on the
phone, they had never met. The schedules were such this summer that they
would meet and, as a precaution, I asked him what dress would not offend
him. His reply was "I'm not sure how to reply, except that if you asked me
during the winter I would tell you that any dress would be ok." I then asked
about a 'shirt and pants', and he replied "that will be fine".
I mentioned this to someone else, who is Jewish, and she told me 'make sure
there are no bare shoulders, and no visable nipples'. And went on to say
'warn her that he will not shake her hand, look her in the eye, or even
acknowledge her presence.' So I expanded on the dress 'requirement', and
warned her accordingly. The actual meeting was extraordinary. I introduced
the two of them, and he reacted as expected, except that the moment came
when he somehow invited both of us (and it was clear he included her in his
invitation) into his home (we delivered the honey). He was a very gracious
host to both of us, without ever actually looking at Amber.
An interesting and educational experience for us both, that only occured
because of beekeeping!
--
Lloyd Spear
Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections,
Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels.
Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com <http://www.rossrounds.com/>
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---
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