Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food
Kosher USA follows the fascinating journey of kosher food through the modern industrial food system. It recounts how iconic products such as Coca-Cola and Jell-O tried to become kosher; the contentious debates among rabbis over the incorporation of modern science into Jewish law; how Manischewitz wine became the first kosher product to win over non-Jewish consumers (principally African Americans); the techniques used by Orthodox rabbinical organizations to embed kosher requirements into food manufacturing; and the difficulties encountered by kosher meat and other kosher foods that fell outside the American culinary consensus.
Kosher USA is filled with big personalities, rare archival finds, and surprising influences: the Atlanta rabbi Tobias Geffen, who made Coke kosher; the lay chemist and kosher-certification pioneer Abraham Goldstein; the kosher-meat magnate Harry Kassel; and the animal-rights advocate Temple Grandin, a strong supporter of shechita, or Jewish slaughtering practice. By exploring the complex encounter between ancient religious principles and modern industrial methods, Kosher USAadds a significant chapter to the story of Judaism's interaction with non-Jewish cultures and the history of modern Jewish American life as well as American foodways.
ABOUT ROGER:
Roger Horowitz is an historian of American business, technology, and labor and an expert on the nation’s food. He has written widely about the consumption and production of meat in America, and admits to being quite fond of eating all varieties of meat himself. Most recently his research has turned to kosher food, incited by powerful personal connections and intellectual curiosity.
His day job is Director of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library, a long title which more simply means he creates programs to encourage use of Hagley’s world-class research collections. He also serves as secretary-treasurer of the Business History Conference, the leading academic organizations for business historians. When offered the opportunity, he teaches classes at the University of Delaware, most recently on the history of capitalism. Through these responsibilities he has had the enormous fun of engaging with, and learning from, thousands of interesting scholars and students from all over the world.
Born and raised in New York City, and having spent plenty of time in Chicago and other Midwestern cities, he now lives on 19 acres of beautiful land (albeit with a long steep driveway) in southern Pennsylvania with two children, his wife, several dogs and cats, near a third child who is in college, and with horses and deer for neighbors. When he can get away to the family vacation house in Shelter Island, New York, he is in his kayak as much as possible.
WWW.ROGERHOROWITZ.COM
DANIEL SIEBERG, GOOGLE SEARCH TRENDS EXPERT – TRENDS AFTER FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
GOOGLE LAUNCHES VOTER TOOLS TO GET OUT THE VOTE FOR NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
Election season is in full swing and voters are plugged in to the process online searching for information about their potential future president, as well as questions about their stances on the issues. The first presidential debate is quickly approaching, and Google Trends will give you a unique look into the interests of the American voter by seeing what piques their interest on Google.
Google will be looking at election search trends through real-time analysis of millions of nationwide searches to provide you with a rundown of the top-trending topics and questions, revealing the top searched candidate and the issues that are top-of-mind with voters in your state and across the country.
In the runup to November, voters are also going online to search for information on voter registration and how the voting process works. That's why, in advance of National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 27th, Google has launched a series of tools voter tools to help clarify the voting process, including in-depth search results providing extensive state-by-state information on how to register to vote and how to vote in the upcoming election.
DANIEL SIEBERG, GOOGLE SEARCH TRENDS EXPERT, WILL DISCUSS:
- Search Trends: What topics and issues are trending after the first presidential debate, both nationwide and in your state?
- Hot Buttons: What news is driving search traffic?
- Assessment: How does search volume differ from Hillary to Trump?
- Voters Tools: The tools Google will have available for voter registration and the voting process.
- Local Data: How to register in your state?