The shelves at J&R kosher Meat and Delicatessen are half empty and the store is bustling. It’s noon on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year- and last-minute customers are still showing up. Owner Susie Nemes is sitting on one of the benches at the front of her store, trying to inconspicuously rest her feet and eat a snack. But today she can´t take a break.
“Susie, I have to bother you, do you have any smoked turkeys left?” asked customer Karen Assyag.
Nemes’ smile radiated warmth. “We haven’t had a minute,” Nemers said to me after she quickly directs Assyag to the turkey.
Assyag has been a customer here for 10 years. “Susie’s a great cook,” she said enthusiastically while she waits for her smoked turkey. “She knows what my kids like and she gives me the best recipes.”
Assyag’s kids are excited. They love coming to J&R to eat their lamb kebobs. They each get one and couldn’t be happier.
The kosher shopping options in Montreal are abundant. According to Canada Kosher Certifier MK, there are roughly 450 kosher-certified businesses, about half of the estimated 800 in Canada.
Two steps away from J&R´s is the local IGA. When you enter, you hear families speak yiddish to each other while they shop in kosher-only isles. At one end of the store there is kosher fish counter, on the other, a kosher butcher where an Israeli flag hangs proudly behind the meat.
Well-known brands like Nestle, Knorr and other food giants offer customers kosher products next to smaller kosher-only labels.
At the SAQ, shoppers have 62 different kosher bottles to choose from.
Kosher is the fastest growing “ethnic” food market in Canada according to MK. It´s a one billion dollar market in Canada and is expected to grow by 15 per cent this year. The certifier’s executive director, Saul Emmanuel, says it isn´t only the Jewish community driving sales. ‘People are looking for extra vigilance and inspections’ ‘says Emmanuel.
Kosher has a rigorous inspection process and Emmanuel says people who identify as vegans, are lactose and gluten-free choose kosher products because they trust the food is carefully produced.
Currently in Quebec nearly one third of all new food products are kosher-certified.
The long check out line at Nemes butcher shop is a testament to kosher food’s popularity. But perhaps the secret to their success goes a bit beyond numbers. There is a sense of community here. Nemers prides herself on knowing her customers. She keeps track of their store credit in an accounting book she maintains by hand.
Customer after customer exits the store with their hands full of kosher food and a wide smile on their faces. Cries of “Shana Tovas” are shared abundantly as the joy of their culture and traditions.
Mazel Tov!
J&R kosher Meat and Delicatessen is located at 5800 Cavendish, at Quartier Cavendish. 514-369-2727
What is Kosher?
Kosher are foods that are fit to be eaten and manufactured according to Kashruth, the Jewish Dietary Law.
According to the laws of the Torah, to be eaten, a kosher species must be slaughtered by a « Schochet, » a ritual slaughterer. Since Jewish Law prohibits causing any pain to animals, the slaughtering has to be effected in such a way that unconsciousness is instantaneous and death occurs almost instantaneously.
The religious slaughter must also include the removal of the animal’s blood, prohibited fats and veins. Animals are throughloy inspected and checked for irregularities. In addition, meat and dairy must be completely separated, which means they cannot be cooked or eaten together.