BAUM, SHEPARD

BAUM, SHEPARD (c. 1900–1977), U.S. kashrut supervisor and Jewish community activist. Known to have been an amateur boxer in his youth, Baum was best known for his work as chief supervisor for Kosher Law Enforcement for the Department of Agriculture in the State of New York. Despite the separation of Church and State in the laws of the United States, the State of New York could have an official kashrut supervisor to ensure that consumers were not misled and fraud was not being practiced and that the food they were purchasing was indeed kosher. An avid Zionist, he was national vice president of B'nai Zion, the American Zionist fraternal organization, and wrote many articles for B'nai Zion publications. Baum was also a founder of American Magen David Adom; president and chairman of The Bridge; president of the New York Jewish Conference; chaplain of the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital; member of the Commission on Synagogue Relations for the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies; chaplain for the Grand Lodge of Freemasons for the State of New York; and a U.S. Army chaplain during World War II. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: The New York Times, (July 23, 1977), 17.