Leonard Pines

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[edit] Biography

Leonard Pines was born Leonard Pinckowitz, in 1911. His most notable accomplishment was turning his Romanian immigrant father's business selling deli meats from a wagon into Hebrew National Kosher Foods, an industry leader. Leonard did this by packaging deli meats specifically for supermarkets and by successfully expanding his customer base beyond Kosher Jews.

Leonard and Mary Zucker were married for 48 years until she died in 1980. He then married Jeanette Brooks, who died in 1999. In addition to his sons, he had two daughters, Myrna Chase of Boca Raton, Fla., and Paula Pines of Tamarac, Fla. He died in July of 2001.

Hebrew National Kosher Foods, Inc.

Mr. Pines, who took over the business in 1935, used a variety of promotions to expand sales to non Jewish markets. A humorous ad campaign from the 1940's featuring a boy balancing a gigantic salami on his head. The caption read: For a well-balanced meal. In 1965, still trying to expand beyond its traditional market, the company advertised that it answered to a higher authority. The slogan quickly became a symbol for quality, appealing to Jews and non-Jews alike.

Author

Leonard Pines was also a comedic author. He wrote "Hot Dog Jokes; Told with Relish" in 1976. A Tempo Books Original, it was published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc in America and Canada Simultaneously and retailed for $.95.