"In 1959, the Wall Street Journal estimated this "tax" at about $20 million and it is thought to be in the hundreds of millions today."

The Kosher Food Tax is a fraud on the American consumer. Take a look at the items in your cupboard and you'll find either the (U) or (K) labels on almost every one of them. These symbols represent a Jewish "blessing", which means that you have unwittingly paid a tax to a Jewish religious group. These symbols could be anywhere on the package, so look carefully.

The circled "U," sometimes with the word "Parve", stands for Union of Orthodox Jews (UOJCA), the "K" stands for Kosher (KOV K). These symbols mean that the product's producer paid the Jews a kind of "tax" to have some rabbi "bless" it. Don't confuse these letters with the letter "R" which stands for 'registered trade mark' or a letter "C" which stands for 'copyright'.

In 1959, the Wall Street Journal estimated this "tax" at about $20 million and it is thought to be in the hundreds of millions today. The Jewish Post of July 30, 1976 reported that Rabbi Harvey Sentor admitted that Kov K was a "profit-making concern." The UOJCA extracts exactly the same levy as Kov K.

This "tax" is not an option for the Gentile, he has to pay it to the Jews. If this was nothing more than a religious ceremony, giving rabbinical approval to food and food products prepared in a specific way, then why are steel wool and kitchen utensils also included?

Here is how the scheme works. An Orthodox Rabbi warns a company that unless their product is certified as Kosher they will face a boycott by every Jew in America. Once the company agrees, it must keep the amount paid a strict secret!

In 1960, 225 food products paid the Kosher tax, 476 in 1966, 1000 in 1974, and today 17,500 companies are paying this multi-level tax. Listed below are National Kosher Agencies and their symbols - you might want to give them a call to see what they say. Regional listings and their symbols will follow soon.

Kof-K Kosher Supervision

1444 Queen Anne Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666
201-837-0500
Fax: 201-837-0126
Rabbi Aharon Felder, Director of Kosher Standards
Rabbi Ari Moshe Senter, Halachic Research
Rabbi Dovid Senter, Rabbi Yehuda Rosenbaum,
Rabbi Daniel Senter, Administration
Rabbi Dr. H. Zecharia Senter, Executive Administrator
Publication: Kosher Outlook Supplement

The Organized Kashruth Laboratories

1372 Carroll Street
Brooklyn, NY 11213
718-756-7500
Fax: 718-756-7500
Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, Kashruth Administrator
Rabbi Leizer Teitelbaum, Rabbi Dovid Steigman,
Rabbi Chaim Fogelman, Rabbi Levi Garelik,
Rabbi Avraham Juravel, Rabbi Mendel Raitzes, Rabbinical Coordinators
Publication: The Jewish Homemaker

Star-K Kosher Certification

11 Warren Road
Baltimore, MD 21208-5234
410-484-4110
Fax: 410-653-9294
Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rabbinic Administrator
Dr. Avrom Pollak, President
Rabbi Eliyahu Shuman, Director of Supervision
Publication: Kashrus Kurrents

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations