A lawyer attends law school; a doctor goes to medical school; plumbers, electricians and tradespeople of�all types have professional training and licensing programs. But the standard in the kosher industry is�that someone can become a mashgiach without such professional training. However, thanks to the�Kashruth Council of Canada (COR), that is about to change. In conjunction with Liaison Culinary College,�the largest private culinary college in Ontario, Canada, COR has launched a first of its kind college�accredited mashgiach training program; and recently, COR commemorated the graduation of its first�cohort of 13 mashgichim at a celebratory graduation dinner in Toronto.

The course itself is a rigorous combination of in class lectures, out of class text book readings, labs, video�presentations and regular tests culminating in a comprehensive and demanding final examination. The�technical kashrus component is taught by senior COR Rabbis and consists of topics including: ensuring�compliance with bishul Yisrael, kosherizing equipment, checking fruits and vegetables for insect�infestation, separating terumos and maasros, hafrashas challah, and the laws of Pesach, amongst many�others. There is also an emphasis on broader skills that a mashgiach requires, such as a conflict resolution course taught by noted author and psychologist Dr. David Lieberman, and a series on auditing�techniques — such as inventory control and invoice tracking — tools that are necessary to effectively�manage an establishment�s kosher program. Finally, the Liaison College staff taught knife handling,�menu skills, and food safety and handling, with each mashgiach graduate also receiving food safety and�knife handling certificates.

At the graduation dinner, the Honourable Reza Moridi, the Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and�Universities addressed the graduating class, �The skills that you have gained will benefit you greatly and improve food safety and handling in kosher restaurants. Your dedication to helping your community will�be valued,� she asserted.

Rabbi Tsvi Heber, COR�s Director of Community Kosher and the force behind the program also addressed�his graduating class with warm words of congratulations. �I really mean it when I say I can�t believe I�m�standing here today. Just like any other job has a professional training course, now so do you. You are�all professional mashgichim! Mazal tov!�

Other representatives of the Jewish community also shared Rabbi Heber�s enthusiasm. �Kosher food is something that unites people across the entire Jewish community and having�mashgichim�who are�formally trained at this level raises the calibre of the mashgichim as professionals and increases the�collective confidence we have in the products and institutions that they supervise,� noted �Shimon Koffler Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). �COR deserves a�great deal of credit for trailblazing this very valuable initiative, which weds our sacred tradition with�modern-day knowledge and food industry best practices.�

The mashgichim themselves were also struck by the precedent setting nature of the COR Mashgiach�Training Program. �This course is a foundational change in the kashrus industry because of all the�professional knowledge this course offers,� reflected Rabbi Mendel Gansburg, one of the graduates of�the COR Mashgiach Training Program. �I may have known some of this information before, but now that�I have been formally educated, I have internalized everything in a more lasting way.� Of particular value�to Rabbi Gansburg were the lessons that weren�t limited to technical kashrus, like kitchen skills.

Interestingly, the proprietors � the COR certified establishments that use the services of the mashgichim�� appeared to be the most enthusiastic about the program. �Recently, my dream came true,� said Mrs.�Aliette Ponte, owner of COR certified LeChaim Catering. �I have been with COR since the beginning and�they have been amazing. But my dream has always been to send the mashgichim to school and now�finally my dream came true.�