Published Spring 2011

I. Davar Charif

On one of my first visits to a food production facility, I cried. Not because I discovered a gross kashrus violation, chalilah; and not from tears of joy over the privilege to promote the availability of kosher food. My tears flowed because at one end of the enormous fruit and vegetable processing factory, the deafening machinery was slicing and packaging – onions! Despite a distance of a few hundred feet from the onion production line, my lachrymal glands were working hard to flush out sulfuric acid from my eyes. Only veteran workers were immune to the effects of the intruding irritants permeating the air.

Published Summer 2011

Curaçao?  Where is Curaçao?  Better yet, how do you pronounce Curaçao?  Curaçao (cur-a-sow) is a small but beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela.  Curaçao is one of three Leeward Islands which use to form part of the former Netherland Antilles.  The Netherlands Antilles was made up of six Caribbean islands namely Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao in the south, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba in the central Caribbean region.  In 1986, Aruba left the Antillean constitution to become an autonomous island nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  On October 10, 2010, Curaçao and Saint Maarten followed suit by also becoming autonomous island nations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius opted to become special municipalities of the Netherlands.