Breathless

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This affirmation arrived in my mail slot at work, as a caption atop a 2006 calendar:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.
--Unknown

Here's wishing you many breathless (in a good way, of course!) moments...

And I Quote...

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The great thing about blogging is that it’s forged relationships between people who are scattered around the world.

The bad thing about blogging is that it’s forged relationships between people who are scattered around the world.

Hey, that’s not bad. You can have that one.

Extracted from some personal correspondence I had today with PsychoToddler. Thanks, "Psycho," for those Pearlies of Wisdom.

Guys, Your Sensitivity Is Showing...And I Like It!

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I like men who are sensitive. I like men who feel free to sniffle and perhaps shed a tear while watching a sentimental commercial or a heart-rending film. I like men who have the courage to say what they're feeling deep down inside, not hide behind some machismo...or sense of bravado.

To hell with being a man's man. There's a time and a place for everything. It's time to be a sentimental fool. Not a wimp, not a wuss, but someone who is not afraid to reveal his deep self. Someone who, like the Cowardly Lion, "finds" his courage to do so, after having discovered it was within him all along.

I read my regular blogs, a number of them written by men. Yes, we have those blogs that are full of jock talk and politics and personal challenges and base humor. Those kind of blogs I call "guy blogs".

And then there are the blogs that touch a nerve -- they reveal the whole person, from the tips of his shoes to the top of his head; they murmur to us from the heart, from the deep-down feelings that this blogger has. The sensitivity, the compassion, the level-headedness, the deep insights are shared and revealed.

I will not name names. You know who you are. In my correspondence with several of you, I've written how much I enjoy your words, but perhaps I've never truly revealed why. And now you know. I enjoy reading the poetry and the wisdoms you share in your posts; I prefer to know how and why your heart or your ego are wounded, than how you scored or how your team scored.
You don't have to be serious in order to show your true colors, but it is your true colors that beg to come through.

Okay, from personal experience, yes, it can be awkward or embarrassing to have a man cry in my presence, but knowing that the person feels comfortable enough to cry in front of me is more than okay. It makes the person special in my eyes.

I find that it truly makes them human.

Envy vs. Jealousy

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I know several jealous people. It's evident in the way they speak about matters, it's evident in the way they present a topic, and it's often evident in their look. My husband and I refer to these people as "farbissiner" -- Yiddish for "bitten up" or "bitter". We might know it better as having a chip on one's shoulder. Usually bitterness is tied in with jealousy.

Personally, I differentiate between envy and jealousy. I am not a jealous person by nature, but sometimes I deem myself envious. Jealousy is a harsher term, with some sense of malice underlying your attitude. "Why does she get to have ______________? She doesn't deserve it. What did she and her husband do to deserve ___________?" A jealous person is almost casting a silent evil eye on another person, wishing that the other person's good fortune would wear thin.

Sometimes I'm envious. In my case it's more of being in a state of wistfulness or wishful thinking with hints of admiration. "It's so nice that so-and so and her husband are able to travel at the drop of a hat. Wouldn't that be nice if we could do that?" I don't mean anything bad towards someone else; I admire what they have or can do and think it would be nice if I could find myself in the same state.

So...with that explanation behind me, I want to make it very clear to Doctor Bean and Psycho Toddler: "I am not jealous that Psycho Toddler and his wife are going to L.A. and will get to meet Doctor Bean and family. I am very happy for them, but I would like to be going to L.A. at this time, thus I am envious of Psycho Toddler. Yes, I've already met Doctor Bean, but yes, I'd like to be back in California and socializing once again with his clan, this time with my husband in tow. So, I repeat: I am not jealous...I am merely envious! I am envious that you are going out for Chinese food together, along with other bloggers. I am envious that you will be meeting the Beans as a couple, and I only got to meet them as a single. I am envious that you, Psycho Toddler and Doctor Bean, are both doctors, while I am merely a doctor's patient. And while we're at the confessional booth, I'm envious that I don't get as many comments on my posts as you two get on yours. But please remember that I am happy for you that you will be finally having a tete-a-tete!

"BTW, Doctors, my skin is just beginning to have a green tinge -- what's up with that? Is it something serious? Do I need to be quarantined so that nobody else catches whatever it is that I have, or is it something that will pass with time? Basically, I guess I want to know if there's a cure. "

Envy vs. Jealousy: Up for Grabs!

Learning To Read

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I've been an avid reader my entire life. Books were really my friends from a young age. I spent hours in the public library, hours in the school library, hours in my room reading. My parents tried to convince me many times to join them in front of the TV for a family-oriented show, but I often declined, in favor of my books.

I guess my love of books and language carried me through to getting a degree in English literature and going on to take a course in publishing and pursuing a job in the field.

One would think I'd have passed that love of reading on to my children. Yes, when they were very young, I read a lot to them, snuggling with them in the rocker in the nursery, and later bundled up with them under the covers of their beds. But somewhere along the way, schedules got busy and my reading to them got less and less. Instead I'd make up stories instead, which they enjoy immensely, but it is not easy to make up captivating stories on the spur of the moment.

My oldest son got into reading in the past few years-- he developed into a great fan of Harry Potter, GooseBumps, Magic Tree House series, etc. My daughter on the other hand is somewhat of a reluctant reader, saying, "This is so annoying!" but thank G-d in the past year, she's slowly coming to like books and doesn't need to be directed to read, she does it on her own.

This leaves us with child #3. He started school in September and is doing some phonics program to learn the sounds that letters make. Now, I know from my other two kids' year in SK that there were some "gifted" children in SK who could already read. My children only began toward the end of the school year to blend sounds and letters and begin to read...which was what was expected at their school.

Lately, I decided that it's time I get back into the reading mode with my children, especially my youngest. Time to sit with him and teach him sound blends. I bought him a series of phonics SCOOBY-DOO books from Scholastic Books and decided we'll start with those.

Any of you parents out there will have experienced "firsts" with your children; what's odd is that we parents take these "firsts" for granted, ie. we don't remember learning how to walk, because we just do it; we don't remember learning how to dress ourselves, because we just do it, and we don't remember learning to read because we just do it. I am fascinated when I watch my children learn and adapt new skills into their lives, watching as their confidence in "performing these tricks" gets bolder and becomes something natural to them.

As we take our children through early days of learning to read, we are aware of just how difficult this skill really is. That is why literacy centers are popping up all over the country; reading isn't natural, it's a learned skill.

Well, several times this past week, I sat and cozied up to my little guy, with Scooby Doo readers in hand. Little guy was most eager as he sounded out the letters and blended them together, and even got upset when I offered up word sounds when he didn't get them himself. Today, however, I changed tactics. I put aside the Scooby Doo books in favor of early reader phonic books given to me by a friend whose children had used the books in the Montessori school system.

Okay, so the "stories" are lame: "Tim is a cat. The cat sits on a mat. His pal is Tom. Tom has a hat...." The stories are lame, but the level of word difficulty is appropriate with each set of books, and there are ten books per set. Today, my son "read" two books. It is hard work and I exercised patience, as did he. He was proud of his reading accomplishments, as was I.

Today it was Tom and Tim. Tomorrow perhaps, "Call me Ishmael..."

A Blog for All Seasons

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I'm back...with a new list of blogging vocabulary. But this time, we have blogging-related cliches.

1. The blog must go on

2. A blog for your thoughts

3. Have a finger in every blog

4. Blog of contention

5. Eager blogger

6. A post in the rough

7. A good post was had by all

8. A charmed blog

9. It'll all come out in the blog

10. The blogger is willing, but the post is weak

11. Time and blog wait for no man

12. Wear two blogs

13. A tough blogger to crack

14. Until the bloggers come home

15. (and the famous) By word of blog

Welcome to My Ego

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Believe it or not, my ego hides somewhere way deep down inside. Every now and again it rises to the surface...usually with a little help along the way.

People who meet me or even read my comments on their blogs or my e-mails might think I'm self-assured and forward, but in fact that's not so. I'm still rather shy, a leftover from childhood, and I compensate in different ways. Those different ways make me appear outgoing and sometimes the life of the party.

Some people are modest when it comes to accepting compliments, and they shirk from the limelight or from being on the receiving end of praise. Interestingly enough, my young children follow this path. They definitely do not want to be singled out in front of others in recognition of something positive, ie. positive behavior, good reports, etc. Eve when it's just my husband or myself giving them a compliment privately, they whine a bit, and their body language and expression show they do not want this. I wonder at this behavior at so young an age, and in a way I hope they maintain this "I don't need praise, I don't need recognition" throughout their lives. I hope they're comfortable enough in their own skin to recognize their own achievements and not wait for others to heap on compliments. Yes, my husband and I will continue to recognize the positive traits or successes they display and will remark on them, whether the children want us to or not. Deep down, everyone needs a positive word.

Yes, deep down, everyone needs a positive word. I am one of those people: I flourish when I'm told I write well, or I sing well, or I have a good way with others, or I'm on target with meeting my personal goals. Low self-esteem and shyness, leftovers from childhood, take the back seat when something positive comes my way.

Today I had a phone call praising work I'd done for a new freelance client. I'd retrieved phone messages at home and heard the client identify himself -- it was a long-distance call from the West Coast -- and go on to tell me how pleased he was with my work and my level of professionalism. I thought I was dreaming; I've been a copy editor for many years, and a reasonably good one; I've even managed to save a number of editors' and authors' tushies with changes I've made to manuscripts, or changes I've suggested. But never before had I received such a glowing praise. I'm hoping that it wasn't a one-time case of good luck -- perhaps any future manuscripts I work on for this client might not be reasonably clean and they might need major revisions, and I might not be so on the ball when I work on one of his books. But I'd like to think that my editing abilities would carry me over to every and any manuscript I'd work on for him and others.

My ego gets excited to hear such praise, gets riled up when it gets such positive reinforcement. The excitement lingers for several hours or even a few days, and then my ego realizes the time has passed, and it's time to tamp itself down once again.

And once it's settled, way below the surface, my ego is always silently waiting, silently watching, silently wondering when it will get a chance to make its next personal appearance.

Last, but Not Least

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I just came home from a department store; I'd found out that they already had extended holiday hours and that they were open till 10:00. So after I'd helped my kids with reading and other schoolwork, and once they were in bed, I headed out to the store at 9:00 p.m.

Now I know there are some power shoppers out there who, no matter how little time they're allocated in a store, they walk out with bags and parcels galore. These shoppers probably know exactly what it is they want, they set their radar to find it and do their business quickly. I, on the other hand, like to dilly-dally. I like to browse, amble through the different departments and see if anything catches my eye.

But an hour does not make Pearl a shopper. It makes her a browser, a browser who, nine times out of ten, walks out of the store with nothing because she claims she didn't have enough time to really shop. I anticipate that voice over the loudspeaker: "Thank you for shopping with us today. The store will be closing in a half hour." And I pseudo-shop some more. Fifteen minutes pass. "Thank you for shopping with us today. The store will be closing in fifteen minutes." And I browse some more. "It is 10 o'clock and the store is now closed. Please bring your final purchases to the checkout. Thank you and goodnight." At this point, I'm still browsing. There are lineups at the cashiers, so I figure that I still have time to maybe find something after all. I go up and down aisles for about five minutes until a store clerk notices me and says, "The store is already closed." "Oh," I say. "I was just browsing." And I leave the store empty-handed, but thrilled that I wield the power to be the final shopper, a pioneer in the final shopping frontier...

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

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Driving in to work today, I was fiddling with the radio dial to find some music I liked ( so many of my blog posts start that way, it seems). I stopped when I heard a classic Rolling Stones song.

Okay, I like some of their classic songs, and yes, they manage to put Toronto back on the map every couple of years before they start a new tour, and yes, they are rather talented for having passed through several decades of music while still remaining on top of the charts.

But I cannot stand to look at these guys...these 60+ year-old hipsters who still shake their butts and fly across the stage and live hard. Guys, haven't you heard? It's time to sit back, relax and let those old age pension checks roll in. You should not be doing what you're doing...even if you've still "got it," doesn't mean you have to "use it!"

As I drove in, I was mentally telling Mick Jagger to: "Check out a retirement village, start playing bridge or cribbage with the boys in the band, head out to the all-you-can-eat dinner buffets that feature a 4:30 p.m. early bird special, have a glass of warm milk and catch up on your Reader's Digest reading before going to bed at 10 p.m. Mick could organize the retirement village's talent shows once a month, and also teach dancing between his games of shuffleboard and weekly outings to the jai alai games. (did I mention the retirement village is in Boca Raton, Florida?)

I think Stephen Tyler from Aerosmith could maybe check out the same facilities for his planned retirement (if I have anything to do with it) in the near future. Maybe he and Mick could even room together.

See, I think Mick took these lyrics to heart:

"If you start me up
If you start me up
I’ll never stop..."

Please, somebody, make him stop!!!!

Guess the Joke's on Me

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I work for a large book publisher. I read and copy edit manuscripts, catalog copy, ads, press kits, prelims, cover copy -- day in, day out. I've done so since the late eighties.

Sometimes you want to mix up the pot for a bit, so you go elsewhere in order to refresh your brain, and seek a change.

In 2000, I sought elsewhere for a change, for an addition rather, and began to do freelance work for a couple of other publishing house. Granted, freelance work was not regular, because of my time restrictions -- in March 2000, I had a baby and that took up much of my time -- but for the next two years, I managed to copy edit several manuscripts that were so far removed from what I'd been working on for my publishing company. For some reason (I still don't recall what it is), I took a break from freelancing between 2002-2004. Then I went back, this time with a new contact person.

I had to form a new working relationship with this person, because she was my liaison between her company and my getting books to work on. I guess I passed her personal test, because she began to offer me work. She even gave my name to a couple of other company contacts so that I could also get manuscripts from them at times.

Again, I've only done a handful of manuscripts for her, over the past year and a half, which was fine by me, according to my personal schedule.

But about a month ago, my company sent out an e-mail from the CEO, saying that our company had bought another publishing company.

You wanna know what? That other publishing company is the one I'd been doing freelance work for! How ironic is that!? How sad is that!? So that source of a little extra money for me is now plugged. And as luck will have it, I'll probably be the one to copy edit these newly acquired book lines...as part of my regular day job!

Does anyone out there have a publishing company that they don't plan to sell in the next couple of years? Do you have a need for freelance editors/ copy editors/ proofreaders?

"I Don't Think So"

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Conversation between two mothers, who each have a five year old son, who just happen to be friends, as are their mothers:

New York Devorah: "Pearl, do you think you might go to see Judy & David at their Chanukah show?" (Judy & David are a husband-wife team of child entertainers; popular Canadian duo)

Toronto Pearl: "I saw it advertised, but no..."

New York Devorah: "The kids wouldn't like it...?"

Toronto Pearl: " My kids? No."

New York Devorah: "Not even N.?" (my 5 1/2 year old who is friends with New York Devorah's son)

Toronto Pearl: "You really think that my son who plays Game Cube, who is a whiz on the computer, who competes in sumo competitions and who plays well with his brother's ten year old friends would want to see this children's duo? I don't think so."

(pause)

Toronto Pearl: "Oh ya, I did see Judy & David perform once. Child # 1 was age two and a half and middle child was two weeks old. That was the first and last time I saw them in a live concert."

Shall We Dance?

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I went tonight to my shul to take the first class in a four-week course in simcha dancing--these are the lovely circle and group line dances a la The Hustle that women and young girls do at Orthodox weddings while on their side of the mechitzah/divider. I've always watched them have fun on the dance floor, graceful, laughing and looking coordinated at the same time. In fact they make these organized dances look so easy and fun.

Even the men and the boys at some simchas, perhaps normally clumsy-footed, are so graceful in their own circle dances on the other side of the mechitza. They stay in step with one another, stomp with fervor and make their way around in merriment. Is simcha dancing a yeshiva high school credit, I wonder? Or is there a private dance teacher waiting in a Kollel hallway, eager to teach the latest dance moves to those willing to learn? While the wives are at home with the children, assuming their husbands are poring over a page in Gemara with a chevrusa, their men are doing the box step and a grapevine.

Not that I have any simchas that I know of coming up, but it's time to learn some of these great dance moves, so I don't have to stand behind the women at a simcha and try to copy their moves. It's time to learn to jump right into those circles or line dances and shake my groove thing.

I took my 8-year-old daughter with me, as the men of the household were at the latest Harry Potter movie, and it wasn't worth my hiring a babysitter for an hour.

Now, one thing I have, thank G-d, is coordination on a dance floor -- on any dance floor and with any kind of dance! So it was wonderful to catch on quickly and surely to the choreography that the five dances we learned in an hour entailed. It was a small group of women, which made it rather cozy, and my daughter, who surprisingly was shy, but participated nonetheless.

I had a great workout, I had fun, I knew exactly why I was tired after that hour of moving around. Now I just need to be invited to a Orthodox simcha or two where I can put these dances in action.

So...do you have my home address information for your invitation guest list? Just checking...

What To Wear to the Negev Dinner Tribute in Toronto

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What do you think of that header? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Made me wonder... I discovered it a short while ago as a search that led someone to my blog.

People will Google just about anything, don't they? What did this particular person think: that they'd find a web site that gives a breakdown of items to wear and accessories to carry to this community tribute?

If the site said for men to go out and buy a Dolce & Gabbanna three-piece suit, would your husband heed that advice? If it said for women to take a spa treatment, then wear a Chanel suit and Ferragamo pumps to the evening, would they heed that advice?

What, exactly, did the person seeking out this information hope to find?

Pearlies of Wisdom? Nope, I didn't think so, either!

Su..Su...Sumo -- Giving It Your All

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Okay, so my little sumo wrestlers are in competition tomorrow. But not my daughter. She bowed out of the class...for now. So it's child #1 and child #3 who will be giving it their all.

I've actually watched a few minutes of their classes as they give their all -- I've seen child #2 and #3 (when she was still in class) go at it. Of course I was laughing hysterically; it wasn't much different than what I've sometimes witnessed at home, except that a circle on the floor is involved in the class. Child #1 had shown some good style with his opponents, but he has yet to learn how to show a "fight face"-- wipe that happy-child grin from his face and look mean and angry and ready to conquer the world...and a trophy, if one is involved.

And speaking of trophies...apparently, I found out today, that my husband also has given his all. He's paid a reasonable amount per child for this competition, so that each one will be guaranteed to walk away with a trophy. The martial arts school may only be asking for a few bodies to be bruised, but no feelings to be hurt as a result of the competition. Yes, a good strategy in itself, as the children rack up the points in each bout and build up their egos with trophy in hand.

Another good strategy? I could've gone into a trophy shop and bought a couple of trophies for the boys for less than the required amount the school is asking for. But then again, I realize that their competition is about the thrill of it all -- the fighting, the audience and the winning attitude that comes with doing your best and giving it your all.

**********************
Update: #1 child won 1st place -- gold trophy
#3 child won 2nd place -- silver trophy

Dollars might have been paid by all parents to guarantee each child a trophy, but the points the children accumulated in each round were done all on their own.
I'd say that after taking only 4 classes each as sample classes, my kids did pretty good.
This parent is kvelling...!

What a Wonderful World

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I was driving in to work yesterday and one of the morning radio programs I tune into had a song request by a young girl for Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

As I listened to the wonderful lyrics, I looked out of the car window at the gorgeous blue skies and the fluffy clouds of white, and could just visualize Louis with his jowly face, singing these lyrics and smiling his way through the words.

The song was over and I had to reach for a Kleenex. I found myself crying. Tears of happiness, sadness, disappointment, fear? Perhaps all of these...I'm not quite sure.




WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

(George Weiss / Bob Thiele)

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Oh yeah

Are YOU Looking for ME?

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Now that you've eaten heartily and need to just relax for the day, here's a diversion. Take a look at what recent GOOGLE searches have brought folks to Pearlies of Wisdom.

1. han leia spanking

2. a prayer to ease the trials and tribulations of a teenager

3. something to keep chair from sliding on hardwood floors

4. need names of streets in Little Neck, NY

5. words of wisdom about butterflies

6. shtreimel

7. "Jackie Gleason" Gefilte Fish

8. explain opening the gates of wisdom

*****

It' s scary -- the only thing I recognize out of that bunch is "shtreimel"!

I Give Thanks For...GOOGLE Images

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Now wouldn't you know it...right after this picture was taken, this pilgrim and Native American were fighting like...c'mon, you know what I'm going to say, don't you...cats and dogs!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. (Sam Katz and Big Running Paw want to add their "Meow" and "Woof" to the greeting.)

Let's Talk Turkey

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Yes, yes, I know American Thanksgiving falls tomorrow. I just figured that many of you would be too busy with family and friends, and perhaps traveling to and fro, to read blogs in the next day or two. So I thought I'd have a bit of a head start. [according to the cartoon above, Big Bird didn't manage to get a head start... away from the rest of his Sesame Street -- seemingly demented -- pals!]

So I just wanted to wish my fellow bloggers and my blog readers who celebrate Thanksgiving a happy -- and hearty -- day! Being with family and friends is most important, traveling safely to your destinations is most important, and understanding the meaning behind the day and finding things to be personally thankful for is most important.

I know that MCAryeh's Thanksgiving dinner will be one in the true sense of the word. When the Temple is next rebuilt perhaps he'll bring a sacrifice of thanks to the Temple Mount or have it FedExed there, but for now this will suffice. No doubt Stacey will also be celebrating her family life, and her father's health that has improved tremendously in the past several months. AirTime will give thanks for life in the Detroit vicinity while thinking ahead to Thanksgiving in Israel next year, G-d willing.

Many of you have good reason to gather together and celebrate your lives and the lives of those around you. Your freedom, your good health, your children -- cause for celebration.

So while you Americans in America, you Americans in Israel, you Americans in Canada, you Americans in Europe and Asia sit and give thanks, while eating and drinking and being merry, remember just one thing on my behalf, okay?

"Save me a drumstick, some wild rice, and a piece of pumpkin pie...and when I'm off this damn diet, I'll be knocking on your doors to get my share. Got that?"

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Dedicated to a Recently Separated Mom

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Last night, the school choir that my daughter sings in, had a performance at a community fund-raiser. Several moms volunteered for the event to help assemble the choir and get them prepared with their choir outfits. I was among those mothers.

There was another mom there whom I can identify, but am not friendly with as we have had no real reasons to talk over the years because our children are not friends. Last night she seemed somewhat out of it, not participating in helping with the choir, and later she was sitting and I asked if she was okay -- she just didn't look right, so I thought she might be feeling ill.

She appreciated my asking and said she was fine but that she had a lot on her mind. A pause or two later, she repeated that she had a lot on her mind. And then she went on to tell me that she and her husband had recently separated and that there was lots to think about. With four growing children, yes, that's lots to think about. I told her that I was sorry to hear that, and even if I don't know someone and I hear about divorce or separation I feel sad for the people and their families.

So, to that mom, who's recently separated, and to others in relationships who've severed the ties, here are the lyrics to a most beautiful song written by Johnny Mandell. It's called "Where Do You Start?"

Where do you start?
How do you separate the present from the past?
How do you deal with all the things you thought would last?
That didn't last;
With bits of memories scattered here and there
I look around and don't know where to start

Which books are yours?
Which tapes and dreams belong to you and which are mine?
Our lives are tangled like the branches of a vine
That intertwine
So many habits that we'll have to break,
and yesterdays
we'll have to take apart

One day there'll be a song or something in the air again
To catch me by surprise, and we'll be there again,
A moment in what might have been...
Where do you start?
Do you allow yourself a little time to cry?
Or do you close your eyes and kiss it all goodbye?
I guess you'll try

And though I don't know where and don't know when
I'll find myself in love again
I promise there will always be
A little place no one will see
A tiny part deep in my heart
That stays in love with you.

Lettuce Entertain You, aka Quit Bugging Us!

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Heads-up, everyone:

Debugging of Lettuce Highlight of AKO Conference(New York)

The certification of bagged lettuce (to assure that they do not violate Jewish law by having bugs on them) was the subject of one of the key sessions of the annual Convention of the Association of Kashrus Organizations (AKO) on November 17 th at the national headquarters of the Orthodox Union. More than 70 Kashrus officials representing 55 international members of AKO attended the post Kosherfest convention. The two-hour session on lettuce was led by Rabbi Moshe Heineman of the Star-K, Rabbi Yisroel Belsky of the OU, Rabbi Shlomo Gissinger of Ches-K, Rabbi Lenny Steinberg of the OU, as well as the certifying rabbis at Bodek.

In an article in Kashrus Kurrents, a newsletter published by the Star-K Certification of Baltimore, Rabbi Tzvi Rosen hails the contemporary practice of washing and treating lettuce. He writes: “Aggressive washing and chemical treatments in the wash water removes and reduces the risk of the introduction of spoilage bacteria and pathogens. Fortunately for the kosher consumer, the same techniques that reduce bacterial presence will also remove toyloim, infestation.”

In addition to lettuce certification, the convention reviewed many important issues, according to Rabbi Sholem Fishbane of the Chicago Rabbinical Council who heads AKO. The convention opened with a message from Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union. The deliberations included a comprehensive review of European standards in kashrus, new concepts in food technology and how it affects innocuous ingredients, possible hazards to a mashgiach in tasting the various bittering agents in food processors, the concern of supplying the public with Pesach information without thorough visitations to the manufacturing facility, challenges and suggestions in certifying restaurants and caterers, values and standards of a mashgiach, and being more effective through the use of the Universal Data Base.

In addition to representatives of the OU, participating agencies at the meeting included the Star K and OK Labs, and rabbinical groups and Vaadim from all over the United States, Canada, and even London, England, as well as other interested observers.

Hmm...I wonder what kind of salad was served for lunch that day. I mean, a two-hour session on lettuce and bugs might not leave you with much of an appetite!