Hebrew Nationalis a brand ofkosherhot dogsandsausagesmade byConAgra Foods. In 1982, Hebrew National opened a non-kosher division under the name National Deli; it was sold off in 2001, and is now based in Florida.[1]
 | |
| Product type | Kosherhot dogs |
|---|---|
| Owner | ConAgra Foods,Inc. |
| Introduced | 1905 |
| Tagline | We answer to a higher authority |
| Website | www |
History
editTheHebrew National Kosher Sausage Factory, Inc.,was founded onEast Broadway,on theLower East SideofManhattanin 1905. The company was founded by Theodore Krainin (1870-1946), who emigrated from theRussian Empire(nowBelarus) in the 1880s. By 1921, the factory was registered as government inspected establishment #552 by the United StatesBureau of Animal Industrywith Theodore Krainin as proprietor.[2]Alfred W. McCannwriting in a 1921Globe and Commercial Advertiserarticle cited Hebrew National as having "higher standards than the law requires." McCann wrote the article during a crusade for commercial food decency standards, in which theGlobewas prominent. He wrote, "More power to Krainin and the decency he represents! Such evidence of the kind of citizenship which America should covet is not to be passed by lightly."[3]Hebrew National "served the Jewish neighborhoods of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Germany and soon developed a favorable reputation among the other Jewish residents of New York City."
In 1934, after a bankruptcy action, the certificate of incorporation for Hebrew National Sausage Factory listed Solomon Levinson, Sylvia Marans and Miriam Spector, all of Brooklyn, as directors and shareholders. In 1937 after an increase in capital stock, Jacob Pinkowitz was listed as an officer.[4]The company was bought byJewish RomanianimmigrantbutcherIsadore Pines (bornPinkowitz).[5]In 1935, Isadore's son,Leonard Pines,took over the business.[6]In 1965, Hebrew National came up with the slogan that they've used ever since:We answer to a higher authority— a reference to Jewish dietary laws and a claim to higher quality that was able to appeal to both Jewish and non-Jewish markets. In 1968, the Pines family sold Hebrew National toRiviana Foods,which was taken over byColgate-Palmolivein 1976. In 1980, Isadore "Skip" Pines, grandson of Isadore, bought the company from Colgate-Palmolive for a fraction of the price it was originally sold for.
Thehealth foodmovement of the 1980s encouraged the company to stick to a recipe that used no artificial colors or flavors, and to minimize other potential modernizations of the recipe. This strategy ultimately proved successful, and with a growing revenue, Hebrew National hoped to transform itself into a large conglomerate through acquiring other brands, in order to compete with the food giants that dominated the industry.
Hebrew National developed a non-kosher brand called "National Deli". This strategy was less successful, and National Foods was acquired byConAgra Foodsin 1993. TheNational Delibrand was sold off in 2001 to a former Hebrew National employee, and still operates out ofMiami, Florida.[1]
Location
editThe site of Hebrew National's manufacturing plant had beenNew York Cityfor many years; it moved toIndianapolis, Indiana,in 1989. The Indianapolis plant was closed down in 2004 as operations were consolidated with the ConAgra Foods Armour hot dog plant inQuincy, Michigan.
Kosher supervision
editThe majority of Hebrew National beef products are consumed by non-Jews.[7]TheJewish Daily Forwardwrote in 2004, that then-recent changes in supervision are "unlikely to translate into a significant increase in sales."[8]Despite Hebrew National being described as "the largest, most recognized kosher brand in the United States" as of "the middle of the twentieth century," the company'slevel of being kosher"did not seem to impress yeshiva-educated elements of the Orthodox Jewish community."[7]
For many years, Hebrew National relied on a body within the company tocertify its products kosher.[8]ManyOrthodox Jewsdid not feel that Hebrew National's kosher standards were up to those set in place by groups such as theOrthodox Union,Kof-K,and others and therefore did not consume Hebrew Nationalbeef-based products. Standards and opinions differed for Hebrew National'spoultry.
TheConservative movementalso did not regard Hebrew National as kosher. Rabbi Paul Plotkin, the chair of theCommittee on Jewish Law and Standards' Kashrut Committee, wrote that "Until recently, Hebrew National, which is widely distributed, wasn't 'kosher enough.' Its supervision was unacceptable to many Jews who keep kosher including the Conservative movement."[9]
In the early 2000s, Hebrew National switched to an external certification group,Triangle K,under the auspices of RabbiAryeh Ralbag,which was widely seen as an upgrade in its standards ofkashrut.In 2004, the Conservative movement found the upgrade sufficient to be acceptable.[9]Rabbis Ralbag and Plotkin conferred jointly and developed a strategy for consistent monitoring of the products labeled kosher by Hebrew National. By reducing production facilities to just one location, expenses were dramatically reduced for upkeep, utilities, employees, and maintenance. The production process was streamlined so that a viewing station kept an eye on each individual sausage that passed through the facility. Rabbis Plotkin and Ralbag share monitoring duties amongst a group of other rabbis, allowing for a reliable dedication to the purveyance of kosher hot dogs. Hebrew National hot dogs are, in this way, able to claim their product as kosher. In a blog post on the subject, Conservativerabbiandkoshercertification entrepreneurJason Millerlamented the fact that in several baseball stadiums in the United States, Hebrew National hot dogs are publicized as kosher "when in fact they are cooked on the same grill as the non-kosher hot dogs and sausages" and served on dairy hot dog buns.[10]
Nonetheless,The Jewish Daily Forwardreported that most Orthodox authorities did not follow this endorsement, and most Orthodox Jews continue not to rely on itskashrut.[8]
Products
editHebrew National makes beef products including beef franks,salami,bologna,corned beef,pastrami,andknackwurst.[11]Condiment sales were discontinued in 2010.[12]
References
edit- ^ab"Greeley meat company acquires second nationally branded meat company".Greeley Tribune.February 5, 2016.
with National Deli operations and distribution center remaining in Miami.
- ^Service and Regulatory Announcements.Bureau of Animal Industry. 1920.
Krainin and the Hebrew National Kosher Sausage Factory and the Hebrew National Sausage Factory
- ^Alfred W. McCann inThe Globe and Commercial Advertiser,Thursday, July 28, 1921
- ^Diversified Corporate Services Int'l Inc. Albany, N.Y. Reference # 02923.
- ^Laurie Gwen Shapiro (August 2018)."The Little Mayors of the Lower East Side".Lapham's Quarterly.
a free slice of salami from Izzy Pinkowitz, the "official" mayor of East Broadway, who happened to own the Hebrew National sausage factory on his Lower East Side block.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^Phyllis Berman, Why Pastrami and Soap Don't Mix.ForbesDecember 2, 1985.
- ^abKenneth Lasson (April 20, 2016)."Holy wars and hot dogs: Religious squabbling in the booming business of kosher sausages".Jerusalem Post.RetrievedMay 10,2020.
- ^abcMiriam Colton; Steven I. Weiss (June 11, 2004)."Hebrew National Certified Kosher — But Not Kosher Enough for Some".The Forward.RetrievedMay 10,2020.
- ^abRabbi Paul Plotkin (Fall 2005)."Kosher Enough: A New Look at Kashrut".United Synagogue Review.Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2009.
- ^Rabbi Jason MillerBlog: "Are Hebrew National Hot Dogs Kosher?"June, 2012.
- ^"Hebrew National".Hebrew National Products.Archivedfrom the original on March 4, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.
- ^"Hebrew National discontinues Mustard".Save the dele.Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 27,2016.