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Rabbi Elie Schoemann is the interim director of KLBD, responsible for the overall running of the Kashrut Division from both the commercial and community aspects.
Rabbi Schoemann gained many qualifications including various Smichot (rabbinic ordination), Bachelor of Talmudic Law and Certificate in Kosher Supervision from the Jerusalem Kosher Institute. Rabbi Schoemann joined KLBD in 2008, worked in the certification department for over 10 years and was Director of the Licensing department for 4 years. He also contributed to many other areas of the KLBD including the website, IT, marketing and community projects such as running educational projects on the subject of kosher and representing KLBD at community events and exhibitions.
Rabbi Conway, former Director of the KLBD, was the driving force behind the KLBD for 36 years. Rabbi Jeremy Conway, is an expert on ingredients and food manufacturing as well as Jewish law, he is a renowned lecturer on kosher related subjects. Under his leadership the KLBD saw significant growth; successfully launching a rebrand, highly acclaimed B2C platforms including a website and various publications and apps and the North West London Eruv. Rabbi Conway was formerly the Rabbi of the Beis Hamedrash Hagadol Synagogue in Leeds and London University Chaplain.
Rabbi Akiva Osher Padwa, is a world renowned expert on kosher law and manufacture. Besides writing numerous articles published in Jewish media, he has given lectures about the dairy industry, whiskey and other prevailing Kosher issues all over the world including Israel, Australia, Canada and USA. He also gives lectures to the main Kosher organizations via the AKO (Associated Kosher Organisations) in New York and other Rabbinical bodies such as the Rabbinical Council of Europe in Brussels, the Rabbinical Council of Canada (COR) in Toronto and the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC).
Pini Smus is the Director of Licencing. His role includes Overseeing the day to day running of KLBD Licenced Restaurants, Caterers, and others. He is responsible for liaising with the licensees and shomrim (Kashrut supervisors) as well as taking on new applicants. Pini comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience of the Kosher food market as well as many years of experience in people management.
Naftoly Lauer is responsible for administration and finance for the KLBD. Naftoly has worked at KLBD for over 20 years in a variety of roles and has been responsible for the enormous growth and increasing success of the licensing and supervision areas.
Dr Moshe Rosenfeld, an expert flavour chemist and graduate of Imperial College London and Yeshivot in Manchester and Jerusalem is the senior consultant to our flavouring department utilising a specially designed flavour database. Dr Rosenfeld works together with companies, in particular flavour houses, and develops a unique rapport enabling him to assist companies through the complexities of flavours and kosher ingredients. His extensive knowledge and experience in the global food and beverage industry provides KLBD with a unique insight for solutions to kosher complexities, sought after by many kosher agencies worldwide.
Rosalind is head of the research unit responsible for investigating thousands of products for listing in The Really Jewish Food Guide and on the online Kosher Product Search, as well as the Kosher Nosh Guide and the Pesach Supplement. Rosalind graduated from Leeds University with a degree in Food Science and was the originator and first researcher of the KLBD Kosher Guide project.
Rabbi Shimon Black attended Yeshivas Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel, earning his BA in Talmudic Literature, and graduated Manchester University with a BSc in Microbiology. Currently managing the ingredients department, he works closely with clients to review raw materials, ingredients and products. Rabbi Black is responsible for updating ingredients information for the KLBD ingredients database. Additionally, he manages batch productions and the team of rabbinical co-ordinators.
Dr Michael Boyar has a PhD in biochemistry from Imperial College, London. He has spent 38 years working in the food industry, the majority of which were for Nestle in both R&D and in global procurement. Michael has significant experience with both food ingredients and food processing. His role in KLBD is to support Rabbi Eisner with maintaining the ingredients database and in the approval of tankers for the transport of kosher certified products.
Zvi is responsible for coordinating the shomrim (supervisors) for KLBD certified caterers, licensees and restaurants throughout the country and occasionally abroad. Zvi’s wealth of experience enables him to organise the shomrim even at very short notice. Zvi’s diplomatic skills and kosher experience are frequently called upon to lead the supervision teams at attending some of the major events that take place at VIP locations including Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Annabel’s Night Club and the George V Hotel in Paris.
Avraham Cohen has worked in a number of positions for the KLBD. Currently Avraham works with and visits KLBD restaurants, bakeries and shops.In addition, Avraham is proud to work with Jewish Care for the KLBD, overseeing KLBD provision of the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus (Golders Green) incorporating the Otto Schiff Care Home and Selig Court Restaurant.
Commercial Consultant for KLBD. He is a qualified chartered management accountant having trained with Muirhead plc. He is responsible for managing and coordinating the commercial side of the Certification Department. This covers marketing, commercial negotiations, exhibition planning and other allied activities.
Rabbi Asher Chocron studied in Sunderland and Gateshead yeshivah, Then Mir In Brooklyn where he received Semicha from Rabbi Shmuel Birnbaum ZT”L. He has been a Sephardic Rabbi in one of the communities in Dubai UAE. He is fluent in English, French, Hebrew, Spanish and Yiddish and understands more. He has been in the Kashrut Field for almost 30 years auditing, supervising production all over the world including Pesach programmes and training new Mashgichim all around the world in different fields of Kashrut.
Rabbi Ariel Eisner attended Yeshivas Nesivos Ahron in Israel and graduated from State University of New York at Stony Brook with a BSc in Biology. His primary role includes maintaining and updating the ingredients database of the certified companies and approving tankers for transport of kosher certified products. Ariel also manages applications from our certified companies for new ingredients or new products they wish to add to their kosher certificate.
Rabbi Pinchas Goldberg attended Yeshivas in Manchester and Jerusalem. He completed an advanced kashrus training course through the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and studied Food Technology at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He joined KLBD in 2018 with 13 years of experience in kosher certification; carrying out factory inspections and authorising ingredients, as well as training hundreds of shomrim (kosher inspectors) over the years. Rabbi Goldberg is responsible for auditing and reviewing the kosher aspects of complex factories and liaising with companies following their audits.
Odeliya serves as a Ingredients Co-ordinator, working closely with Rabbi Ariel Eisner on maintaining and updating the ingredients database of the certified companies and approving tankers for transport of kosher certified products. Odeliya has a BSc in Genetics and an MSc in Immunology with a great deal of experience working in Research in Biotech in Cambridge.
Pinchos grew up in Golders Green in the ‘Munks’ Kehilla, and went on to learn in a Yeshiva in Gateshead. Pinchos subsequently joined Yeshivas Torah Ore followed by many years at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerusholayim. While there, he studied and qualified as a Shochet under the world-renowned expert, Rav Machpud shlita. He later moved to Switzerland and worked in the Cholov Yisroel dairy industry, before moving back to London and joining the KLBD certification team.
Rabbi Shlomo Katanka studied at Manchester Jewish Grammar School, Yeshivas Shaarei Torah Manchester, Mir Jerusalem and in Kollelim in both Israel and London. He is the author of an encyclopaedic work on Ashkenazi Customs “Makom Shenahagu” and various scholarly articles on Jewish Customs, Liturgy and Jewish History. Rabbi Shlomo Katanka is the team leader of our KLBD licenced establishments inspectorate.
Rabbi Shaul Khalili is responsible for developing kosher certification in South and Central America, Spain and Portugal. His language skills, Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew, and extensive knowledge of the regions are an asset to the team, enabling KLBD to offer a superior service to companies in these locations. He also works for the licensing department as an inspector. Rabbi Khalili’s studies at yeshivos in Brazil and Israel provide him with an in depth knowledge on Jewish law including kosher. He was the Chief Rabbi of Torremolinos / Spain and acts as KLBD’s rabbinical representative on the Iberian Peninsula.
Originally from Argentina, Yocheved gained a B.A. in Media and Sociology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is responsible for financial processing and credit control for over 1200 worldwide clients. Additionally, she promotes new business within South American and Iberian territories.
As a Rabbinic coordinator, Rabbi Boruch Krasner works with companies to ensure that they are able to meet their Kosher requirements in a smooth and efficient way. Rabbi Krasner received Rabbinic qualifications in Israel as well as a degree in education in the UK.
Carole serves as the PA to the Director and is also the first point of contact for the KLBD. Responsible for organising Rabbi Conway’s busy schedule, Carole also coordinates KLBD’s licensees, and general office logistics. Carole is fluent in French, Spanish and Hebrew; her language skills are an asset to the KLBD team. She frequently assists with international enquiries and other language related issues or documents.
Esti serves as a Certification Assistant. Esti assists Rabbi Ariel Eisner with maintaining and updating the ingredients database of the certified companies and approving tankers for transport of kosher certified products. Esti also manages applications from our certified companies for new ingredients or new products they wish to add to their kosher certificate.
Gita manages and oversees the day to day issuance of certificates and contracts and liaises closely with all KLBD certified facilities worldwide. She coordinates inspections for factories and organises the schedules, and provides a superb back up and support for the Rabbinical Coordinators and factory inspectors irrespective of the time-zone they find themselves in.
Rabbi Moshe Royde studied for more than two decades at Yeshivos and Kolelim (Institutes for advanced Rabbinical Research) in the UK and Israel. In 2003, he received Semicha in Israel from leading Rabbinical figures, and further Rabbinical training (Shimush) from leading Rabbis in the UK. In 2014 he assumed the position of Rakusens Kashrus Director on behalf of the KLBD, a position he still assumes, and since 2018 has undertaken further responsibilities within the KLBD Certification department including factory audits and post audit reviews.
Menasche is responsible for liaising with companies following a factory audit. His experience in IT and organisational skills are also a valuable asset for the KLBD team. Menasche speaks English, French, German, Dutch, Flemish and Hebrew which assists the certification in communicating with companies.
As an administrative assistant, Michal is primarily involved with scheduling travel arrangements for our Rabbinical Inspectors, planning kosher audits at certified or applicant companies at both domestic and international sites. Michal also assists the Certification team with updating the KLBD database, as well as issuing and renewing Kosher Certificates.
Rabbi Hillel Simon is the Rabbinical Head of Shomrim (supervisors) for KLBD certified caterers, licensees and restaurants. He is on hand to answer any questions that may arise from the shomrim or caterers at all times of day and night. Rabbi Simon also produces a periodic newsletter for shomrim, and works side by side with Rabbi Conway and the Dayanim to formulate policies for the KLBD. Rabbi Simon also assists in responding to queries from the public through social media.
