Aroma gets coveted kosher certification

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
A trendy Israeli coffee chain has procured the coveted kosher certification for most of its Jerusalem branches from the city's Rabbinate. The Aroma chain announced Monday that six of its eight Jerusalem branches that have attained the certification of the Jerusalem Rabbinate would now be called Aroma Kosher Espresso Bar. The branches in question had always been closed on Shabbat, but had heretofore not had the kosher certification.
  • Kashrut in Jerusalem: It's all about power The name change is meant to differentiate them from the branches that do not have the kosher certification in accordance with the conditions set by the city Rabbinate. The chain's deputy director of marketing, Noam Berman, said Monday that all the chain's branches across the country served only kosher food, but the move was carried out to meet the special dietary needs of the religious public in Jerusalem that cares about the kosher certification. The popular eateries' other branches will not be affected by the move. Aroma has 63 branches in Israel, and plans to open 20 more next year. The coffee chain opened its first overseas branch in New York earlier this year, and plans to open a branch in Toronto next year. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Rabbinate has refused to issue kosher certification for a new McDonald's in Jerusalem that serves kosher food because the fast-food chain will not make all its city branches kosher.