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What is Lighthouse Kosher?

We are a kosher certification agency led by Rabbi Barry Dolinger, the YU-ordained rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom in Providence.

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Our business model is unique:

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  • We’re community funded rather than being a tax on restaurants (we don’t charge restaurants a fixed fee for kosher certification)

  • We only certify vegetarian and vegan restaurants and food products

  • Spot-checks are done by local volunteers

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We go above and beyond the traditional requirements of an Orthodox kosher certification agency when it comes to food:

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  • The pilot light is lit by a member of the Lighthouse K staff

  • Fruits and veggies are checked for bugs

  • Cooking wines and wine vinegars are checked to make sure they’re certified kosher

  • No outside food is allowed, both by patrons and staff

  • Certifications expire before and renew after Pesach

 

… as well as ethics:

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  • Chocolate and coffee products must be free of human trafficking

  • Safe and sanitary working conditions are required for all staff

  • There must be no evidence of human trafficking/forced labor

 

Note: We have a partnership with Uri L’Tzedek’s Tav HaYosher

Who is Lighthouse Kosher?
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Rabbi Barry Dolinger

Founder and CEO

After entering the Rabbinate in Providence, Rhode Island, Rabbi D realized two things.  First, people are looking for quality kosher food made thoughtfully and responsibly.  Second, many rabbinic supervision agencies employ policies that are far stricter than Jewish law requires; this increases costs and reduces availability of kosher food. 

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Rabbi D started his experience in kosher supervision as a head student mashgiach (supervisor) at the University of Pennsylvania's kosher dining hall.  He received his rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary affiliated with Yeshiva University.  Currently, he serves as the Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth Sholom in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and the International Rabbinic Fellowship.    

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Rabbi D experiments with innovative ways to bring Jewish wisdom and spiritual practice into people's lived experiences.  To this end, he's a member of Rabbis Without Borders, a spunky network of experimenting Rabbis, and also participated in the clergy cohort of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.  He also serves as a co-founder of Thrive, a RI based center for mindfulness and well-being. 

 

Rabbi D. looks forward to connecting with you to co-create food-based expressions of these dreams.

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R' Emily Goldberg Winer

Emily Goldberg Winer is the Director of Spiritual Engagement at Congregation Beth Sholom. She received smikha from Yeshivat Maharat and most recently served as rabbinic intern at the Stanton Street Shul on the Lower East Side of New York.

Her previous positions include rabbinic intern at Congregation Beth Sholom/Talmud Torah, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, chaplain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, community educator at Brandeis, and coordinator at the Hebrew Home of Riverdale. She completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Jewish Innovation Fellowship at the 92nd Street Y, the Join for Justice Fellowship, and the rabbinic student fellowship at SHI-NA.

A Wexner Graduate Fellow and Master’s student at Yeshiva University, Emily has engaged in programs rooted in religious diversity, first among fellow Jews at the Bronfman Youth Fellowship and Drisha, and later across faiths at the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding, Tanenbaum, and Auburn.

Emily lives in Providence with her husband Jonah, Senior Jewish Educator at Brown RISD Hillel, and they can be found reading, volunteering, FaceTiming Bubbie, and adding puns into regular conversations.

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