Sephardic Kosher for Passover List
David Shasha
Friends,
One of the most notable differences between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews is the foods permissible for Passover use. The stringencies adopted by the Ashkenazi rabbis over the course of many centuries have prohibited a number of foods that are permissible for Sephardim as they were not outlawed in the Talmudic prohibitions for Passover.
In this context, it has been the case for many years that foods marked “Kosher for Passover” are authorized only by the Ashkenazi custom and do not permit many foods that are kosher for Sephardim.
It has come to my attention that the Orthodox Union has this year for the first time permitted a special “Kitniyot” category under their supervision. For more information on this, please see:
http://www.oukosher.org/index.php/common/article/ou_kitniyot_kosher_for_passover_supervision/
In Israel where Sephardim have a demographic weight, this issue of Kosher supervision is not as much of a problem because Sephardic rabbis are far more involved in the certification process.
In America, for those of you new to the SHU, we have had a special Sephardic Kosher for Passover list prepared under the auspices of Rabbi Aaron Abadi that I regularly recommend to our readers.
The list can be downloaded for a nominal donation at the following site:
http://www.kashrut.org/pesach/
It is noteworthy that for many years there has been agitation against this list from the formal rabbinical authorities in the Brooklyn Sephardic community. In particular, Rabbi Saul Kassin – who recently confessed to crimes against the U.S. government – has used his authority in the community to reject this list.
But for those who wish to make use of what has become for many of us an invaluable aid to keeping Kosher on Passover, please be advised that it is available and that there is an ongoing discussion list where the rabbi answers questions about various products and laws related to the holiday.
David Shasha