The passing of legendary Kashrus authority, Rav Osher Yaakov Westheim, zt”l, has left a gaping void in the world of Rabbonus, which has lost a venerated figure—but his groundbreaking work in the field of kashrus has been continued by his son-in-law, Rav Shulem Landau, who has spent decades working alongside his illustrious father-in-law. This week, Rav Landau paid a visit to New York, where he was greeted with reverence by the rabbonim and kashrus experts throughout the Tri-State Area.

Rav Westheim had served as the Rosh Av Beis Din of Badatz Igud Rabbonim, and was renowned as a foremost kashrus expert in the world.

Rav Osher Yaakov was one of the most prominent rabbonim in Manchester, a close confidante of the Minchas Yitzchok, Rav Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, zt”l, of Manchester, and later the rov of the Eidah Hacharedis in Yerushalayim.

In the field of kashrus, he was a great innovator—fusing his vast knowledge of halacha, and his mastery of evolving technology, with a real world practical approach in order to make lasting positive changes that continue to be felt to this very day.

Some examples of this include the ability to certify matzos made of oats (based on the psak of his rebbi, the Minchas Yitzchok), the indication of which brachos to make on foods inscribed on the food wrappers, and the introduction of certain hiddurim to the kashrus of meat in England.

Countless stories abound of his sharpness and his ability to cut through the complexities of so many challenging situations—finding solutions that continue to be replicated to this day by his own organization, as well as kashrus agencies around the world.

While he made many long and arduous journeys to visit the factories and plants on his own, as he grew older, he placed his trust in his son-in-law, Haga’on Rav Shulem, and named him as his eventual replacement.

Rav Shulem is the son of Ha’gaon Rav Ephraim Landau, author of Shevet Ephraim, and was a prominent Dayan in Kedassia, (Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, the umbrellas organization of England’s Charedi community).

Having served for decades as a marbitz Torah in Manchester, and a Rosh Kollel with a specialty in the laws of Yoreh De’ah, he was brought in by Rav Westheim to oversee all of the meat certification throughout Europe as well as various kashrus operations. In this capacity, he served as the right hand of his illustrious shver in these massive undertakings, while the latter placed his full trust in him.

With Rav Westheim’s sad passing in the early stages of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Rav Shulem was asked by the heads of the Kashrus agency to take over and be the new Rav Hamachshir. In this capacity, he has built upon the incredible work of his father-in-law, and also his insistence on travelling himself to each & every factory enables the continuation of the high Kashrus standards for which the Badatz Igud Rabbonim is famous for.

Working under him are a staff of extremely-qualified, hand-selected high calibre mashgichim who are likewise great talmidei chachomim and experts in this field.

During his visit to America, he met with some of the greatest trailblazers in shechitah & kashrus here, Rabbonim and Admorim who have themselves revolutionized the level of shechitah & kashrus in America, including the Admorim of Skver and Satmar, and the Rabbonim of Nirbatur and Hisachdus Harabonim.

They exchanged knowledge and expertise on the evolving world of kashrus, both in America and Europe, and were deeply impressed by their visitor from abroad who continues to build upon decades of revered leadership in England’s Torah community.