Editor

A survey of Washington-area kosher consumers released this week gives highest marks to the cafe at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center and to Kosher by the Case in Rockville.

Silver Spring resident Neil Rosenbaum put the questionnaire together. Since moving to the area in 1996, he has heard a lot of talk ‹ and complaints ‹ about kosher establishments in Greater Washington.

Those discussions involved food service, quality, cleanliness and value, as well as frustrations that many people keeping kosher have with the Vaad Harabanim Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington, the Orthodox body that gives kosher approval locally.

Earlier this year, Rosenbaum decided to gather some information formally. The survey results (http://koshersurvey.tripod.com/) give the highest ratings to the DCJCC cafe in the restaurant division (food quality, service and value) and to Kosher by the Case (service and prices) in the grocery division.

Rosenbaum did not release the lowest rankings.

Larry Shor, who co-owns Kosher by the Case with his wife, Shari, was delighted to hear that their grocery was rated highly.

"We said from the beginning that we wanted to create the feeling of the mom and pop stores we knew growing up Š that when people come in, we can really help them," Shor said. "Apparently, we're doing the right thing," he added.

At the DCJCC cafe, manager Gali Dahan was also thrilled. "We will continue to work harder so that we can ensure that our patrons stay happy," she said.

When it came to the Vaad, respondents said its kashrut standards are reliable, but a majority also faulted the Vaad for not explaining its polices well and said it doesn't respond well to the community's kosher needs. Respondents said the Vaad was perceived as not being interested in promoting new kosher establishments, with many saying they would like to see such national certifiers as Star-K and OU operating in the area.

A Vaad spokesperson had no comment on the results, but a source close to the council pointed out that when caterers supervised by such national certifiers come to the area, both the national and local bodies take responsibility.

Surprised by the perception that the Vaad is not interested in promoting new establishments, the source pointed to new pizza places, bakeries and other eateries in the past several years.

Rosenbaum admits there's nothing scientific about his survey and that respondents were self-selecting. The marketing and business developer for Arnold and Porter law office in the District, he stressed the kosher survey was unrelated to his job.

Rosenblaum alerted community members to the online survey through a number of local listservs, as well as a WJW letter to the editor. The survey was opened Sept. 2 and closed six weeks later.

He received 376 completed surveys, and said that while it was possible for someone to fill out the survey more than once, it was unlikely. "There's a function in the Web site that helps make sure that somebody doesn't complete the survey more than once," he said.

In his survey summary, Rosenbaum points to a need for improved service both in kosher groceries and in restaurants.

He also noted that "almost all of the establishments were encouraged to improve the attitude training of employees."

Rosenbaum said he plans to give all establishments' owners detailed results of the survey as pertains to their facilities. He also will provide Vaad officials with detailed results.