By Oliver B. Pollak
OXNARD, California–Take note dear readers. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the liveliest day of our Jewish lives. No day is to be ignored but on this day the concatenation of 8 and double chai will not come again until 2118. The last time it showed up was 8/18/1918. The Great War, soon to called the First World War had about three months of death and life left.
The number 18, or “Chai,” Gematria and the Gregorian calendar conspire. The Hebrew calendar, astronomy, astrology, not so much. 18 or multiples of it, 36, 54, are mnemonics for people making contributions to Jewish causes and celebrations. It means this gift has an element of Jewishness.
This coincidence struck me on Friday, August 17. We were traveling from Richmond to Encinitas to celebrate a 90th birthday. With a little rejiggering of our route we visited the Herzog kosher winery in Oxnard. It is the largest Kosher winery in America.
Herzog was established in Slovakia in the 19th century in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It came to America shortly after World War II as part of Kedem. The ownership is now in the hands of the 8th generation. Herzog planted roots in Oxnard in 1985. The glat kosher wine tasting room and restaurant opened to the public in 2010. A rabbi appears Sunday – Thursday to supervise the kitchen and Kosher production.
Abby was our knowledgeable server. Collin and Matt sat at the bar with us. Little sips loosened tongues. A lively convivial educational conversation pursued as we sampled eight wines. Abby said it was a wonderful place to work, she had never been treated so well as an employee. She started coming to the winery with her father, a wine club member, now she works the other side of the counter.
I’m guessing about 500 people, half of them Jewish, come to the tasting room a week. There were at least 100 different vintages available ranging from $9.99 to $410 a bottle, wine club members get a discount. The clubs are named Chill, World Tour, Cellar, Cigar and VIP Club.
Harvest time is approaching. They expect to soon receive six million pounds of grapes. Grapes are sourced from Mendocino to Santa Barbara. The business occupies 77,000 square feet in an Oxnard business park. Sixty people work in the Winery, restaurant and tasting area. I talked with Amie who works on selecting bottles, labels, corks, and shipping. A number of the staff are Jewish. There is a mezuzah on all the appropriate doors. A self-guided tour on the second floor lets visitors look down on the main floor where the wine making takes place.
I wonder if any d’var torahs this Shabbas will mention 8/18/18. I certainly have increased appreciation of the Kosher for Passover Herzog and Baron Herzog wines that have appeared at our Seders over the years, and at other times during the year. L’Chaim, to life. Enjoy life. Do good, be good.
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Pollak, an attorney and professor emeritus of history at the University of Nebraska Omaha, is a SDJW correspondent now based in Richmond, California. He may be contacted via oliver.pollak@sdjewishworld.com