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Seal-K Kosher
 The Seal-K is a kosher certification''' organization with particular expertise in the kosher supervision of commercial kitchens, in addition to food production and shaatnez testing.

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History
''' Seal-K is a Jewish learning organization, whose stated goal is the support of in-depth Torah study, especially the study of practical halachah, and eventually to make it available to scholars as well as to the general public through publications, videos, and personal instruction. Rabbanut NFP places a special emphasis on understanding the implications of kashrus in a complex, contemporary food production environment, although all Torah and halachic study is within its purview. The Seal-K’s kosher certification operations grew from European hashgachah (kosher supervision) activities in the 1990’s under Rabbi Bentzion Rabinovich, the “Biala Rebbe”, a long-time resident of Lugano, Switzerland, now of Jerusalem. Rabbi Rabinovich’s kashrus teams supervised small factories manufacturing chocolate, margarine, and wine, mostly for local consumption, as well as some airline food and a few hotel kitchens. Over time, the certification began to include up to 15 different hotel programs, such as summer, Passover and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) retreats. An inquiry from the United States requesting commercial kitchen supervision brought the team across the Atlantic, and stimulated the formation of what is now Seal-K kosher certification. The organization unites several rabbinic authorities together, each with his own area of expertise, under the aegis and authority of the Biala Rebbe. Within Europe, the Seal-K now certifies kashrus at several seasonal kosher kitchens, including at the Grand Hotel Rimini, Leonardo daVinci Cesenatico, Hilton Sorento and Altafiumara Calabria, and the year-round My One Kosher Hotel, mykosherhotel.it, a year-round kosher hotel with all the amenities, including a mikvah. In the United States, Seal-K is active in institutional food service, including a daily on-campus kosher kitchen at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

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Rabbinical Board
''' The Biala Rebbe, Rabbi BenTzion Rabinowitz, Lugano, Switzerland (EU) Member of the "Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah" -“Council of Great Torah Sages”, and the Head Rabbi of Biala, Jerusalem, Israel.

Rabbi Yehoshua Hartman, London, England A Talmudic scholar and author of numerous commentaries on works by the Maharal of Prague.

Rabbinic Consultant – Rabbi Meir Ahron, Rechovot, Israel Rosh Kollel “Or Yaakov” and instructor for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

Rabbi Moshe Miller, Chicago, IL (US) Shaatnez expert and author of over twenty books on the kabbalistic philosophy. Rabbi Miller heads the Shaatnez division of the Seal-K, fielding questions and determining the “kosher” status of specific types of clothing according to Biblical law.

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Commercial Kitchen Experience
''' Within the kosher supervision industry, Seal-K is unique in its special expertise in commercial kitchen supervision. The organization claims that kashering, supervision and management of commercial kitchens is much more detailed and intense than certification of a regular food manufacturing plant. It cites the laws of the Sabbath, yom tov, issur v’heter, tchumin, and more, in addition to the requirements and restrictions of the kashrus laws themselves. Kitchens also deal with many more ingredients, more staff, and more potential changes and mistakes than an industrial food production process. The rabbinical team must be familiar with types of commercial kitchen machinery, not all of which can be cleaned thoroughly enough to be kashered. There is also the question of insect infestation, a major kosher concern, for which the Seal-K says it has developed its own effective process, in which it trains its kosher supervisors as a specialization. Seal-K also oversees Shaatnez-Free certification activities in its lab, as well as on-site at individual companies, notably Pal Zileri, an upscale Italian suit manufacturer.

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Kashrus Guidelines
''' The Seal-K is also notable in its specific adherence to kosher standards without relying on kulos - leniencies and post facto conditions. Seal-K’s kosher standards are clearly outlined in its website, one of the few kosher agencies that do so. One example is the Seal-K’s stance on gelatin and other animal by-products. Some respected authorities have ruled that some substances can be taken from originally non-kosher sources under certain circumstances, but the Seal-K does not make use of this lenient ruling.