More than 10 years ago, Shifra Klein, a self-described “Chabad mom” from West Hollywood, sought to alleviate the autism symptoms that were debilitating to her then-3-year-old son. But little worked. After researching studies out of Israel and Spain, she turned to cannabis to ease her son Yaakov’s suffering.
She used her cholent crockpot, of all things, to create cannabis oil.
Knowing her child would not take the oil straight, she measured a small amount of oil into some homemade gluten free cookie dough and baked it. And within a few minutes of eating the cookies, Yaakov made eye contact with Klein and her husband.
“He looked right into our eyes and smiled,” Klein said. “That never happened before.”
Soon, when many people in Klein’s tight-knit religious community saw how effectively the cannabis-infused treats had worked on her son, she began getting calls from those seeking edibles to bring relief for their ailments. But she realized that if she were going to provide these products for other observant Jews, she wanted kosher certification.
This was the beginning of Klein’s yearslong journey in the kosher cannabis edible business, which culminated this summer with the launch of Hamsa Edibles, a kosher-certified and vegan cannabis edible that uses a nano technology for faster onset, bringing relief quicker to the patients.
“Along with manufacturing safe and effective cannabis products, Hamsa’s goal is to protect the community from misinformation about cannabis and provide facts, studies and education, so the people can make informed choices for themselves and their families,” Klein, COO of Hamsa Edibles, said.
While most marijuana gummies on the market are gelatin-based, Hamsa Edibles products – “We answer to a higher power” the company tagline reads – are made with plant-based pectin. Pectin, a water-soluble fiber derived from non-animal byproducts, is commonly used in jams, jellies and fruit preserves.
“Gelatin is not a kosher product, [so] that’s a big issue, especially when it comes to gummies in general, not just edibles,” Klein said. “We’re vegan so we appeal to the vegan community, and we’re kosher so we appeal to the kosher community. Having a choice of kosher products catering to your dietary needs—that’s a great option.”
Additionally, Hamsa Edibles are manufactured in their own kitchen where there is rabbinic supervision from Whole Kosher Services, a company based in Houston. The facility, Canfections Kitchen, operates out of Desert Hot Springs.
Hamsa Edibles gummies currently come in two flavors, mango and blueberry, and are available in various dispensaries throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Klein hopes they will soon be carried state-wide.
While Klein, a mother of four whose husband works in information technology, is largely responsible for promoting the kosher-certified product in her community, her partner, Janice Hardoon, has played a major part in the product’s launch.
Hardoon is Jewish and has long run the West Hollywood-based K-town Collective. She established the Desert Hot Springs kitchen and found a chef that can make premium gummies to required specifications, including kosher.
“We just started Hamsa three months ago, and it’s a really exciting time,” Klein said.
While the two are enthused about the launch of Hamsa Edibles, Klein—a former preschool teacher in the Pico-Robertson area—acknowledges kosher cannabis has not been an easy career path.
“The cannabis space in California is not currently a grossly profitable place, and we have daily struggles moving forward. We have been told by industry professionals, ‘You two ladies have a lot of beitzim to create a new brand in the current market,’ but we don’t see it that way,” Klein said. “This is our chesed [or kindness] to the community we love and are a part of. It’s our mitzvah project to share with the world options that are safe and effective for relief, with the extra sense of comfort that you don’t have to compromise being kosher to heal yourself.”
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