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Thursday, April 22, 2010
OU Kashrus’ Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH program journeyed to Brooklyn Sunday night for the first of a two-part session highlighting the expertise of OU Kosher and its policies. In a session that drew a standing-room audience of 500, both men and women, Rav Yisroel Belsky, OU halachic decisor, and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, OU Kosher Chief Operating Officer, clearly answered questions on OU psak (rulings) and policy which according to Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kashrus Education, “enthralled” the audience at Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin.
They were followed by fascinating presentations given by Rabbi Chaim Goldberg, rabbinic coordinator and fish expert, with his “Ex’salmon’ation of Kosher Fish,” and by Rabbi Chaim Loike, rabbinic coordinator and birds expert, with a live viewing of exotic birds, kosher and non-certified. Crowds surrounded both Rabbis Goldberg and Loike until close to midnight questioning and learning from the experts. According to Rabbi Grossman, “One of the firsts at the program was the participation of Kol Haloshon, which broadcast the event live worldwide. This is an indicator of the interest the kosher community, wherever it may be, has in the work of OU Kashrus.”
Part two of the program will take place this Sunday night, April 25 at the Agudath Israel Zichon Chaim Tzvi, 2122 Avenue S, as an invitation is extended for the first time to “Meet and Hear From OU’s Expert Mashgichim/Rabbinic Field Representatives” from around the country. They will address topics such as labels, purity, flavors, beverages and kashrus challenges. This will be followed by a session on “Bedikas Toyloim of Vegetables and Fruits” with a live demonstration with Rabbi Yosef Eisen, former OU Rabbinic Coordinator of Food Services and current rabbinic administrator of the Vaad of the Five Towns.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Judaism and the Jewish way of life are full of cycles—from holidays that reoccur every year to the moon that renews each month; from milestones that mark significant events in one’s life such as birth and death, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, to marriage and family. Now, in July, an OU Kosher cycle will renew, the Harry H. Beren ASKOU program held every other summer, which for the tenth time will train kosher professionals to become experts in their fields. Applications are now being accepted for the ASKOU10 elite education program.
The purpose of ASKOU10 is to educate the new generation of kashrut professionals or to provide background for those who will not practice kashrut certification full time, but who will benefit in their daily work from advanced kosher education. As in past years, many of the full time professionals are expected to work for large kosher certification agencies or for their local Vaad HaKashrut.
Funding for ASKOU10 comes from the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ. The Beren Foundation provides financial support to a wide variety of OU kashrut education programs for all levels of knowledge and ages.
ASKOU10 (Advanced Seminars on Kashrut) consists of two separate courses of study: A three-week internship providing intensive kashrut education to 10-20 participants, which will be held from July 21-August 10; and a one week-program, providing an overview of the field for as many as 65 applicants, which will be held from August 2-6. The internship participants will also take the one-week session.
The ASKOU three-week program has close to 600 graduates from all over the globe, many of whom have gone on to take important positions in the kosher world.
According to Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Orthodox Union Director of Kosher Education, the three-week internship is intended for semicha (rabbinical) students or members of a kollel for post-rabbinic education.
The one-week session is intended for congregational rabbis, semicha students, kollel members or members of a local Vaad HaKashrut certifying organization, who take the program to refine their skills for use in their communities. Registration for the one-week program is $75.
Both the three-week and one-week programs will consist of classes and demonstrations held at OU Kosher headquarters in New York, taught by OU senior rabbis and visiting experts, together with field visits to plants certified by the OU. The three-week program, Rabbi Grossman explains, will be a more intensive version of the one-week session.
“ASKOU10 will take participants behind the scenes at the world’s largest kosher certification agency and give students the opportunity to witness the cutting edge of modern day kosher food technology,” declared Rabbi Grossman. He emphasized that although “kosher law is immutable, the technology is continually evolving, and OU expertise evolves with it.”
The programs will include:
• How to set up a local Vaad HaKashrut;
• Basic treibering (the removal of veins and fats);
• Kosher issues related to bakeries, butcher stores, fish stores, pizza parlors, restaurants, and other food service establishments;
• Factory supervision;
• The basics of ingredients and biotechnology;
• The halacha (law) of practical kashrut; and
• How to perform industrial and retail koshering.
Participants will visit the kitchen of an OU restaurant, a meat processing facility under OU supervision, an OU certified factory and a hotel kitchen, as well as other facilities.
For information on registration contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212, or . The application is available online at http://www.oukosher.org/pdf/AskOUtraining10.pdf
Thursday, April 08, 2010
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (PEP), is strengthening its category-leading portfolio of sports performance beverages in 2010 by announcing the kosher-certification of Gatorade Thirst Quencher and G2. In partnership with the Orthodox Union (OU), Gatorade completed the kosher-certification process and certified kosher Gatorade Thirst Quencher and G2. Kosher product, which will bear the OU symbol, will begin appearing in stores this spring with a full rollout expected by summer 2010.
“Gatorade understands that different athletes have different needs, and providing sports performance beverages that adhere to kosher standards is important for us,” said Andrea Fairchild, vice president of brand marketing for Gatorade. “We’re proud to make these offerings available to help meet the needs of athletes who maintain kosher diets, so they can perform at their best.”
Rabbi Menachem Genack, OU Kosher’s CEO expressed his “great satisfaction that the iconic Gatorade products will now bear the OU symbol allowing the kosher community to benefit from these important products.”
Gatorade Thirst Quencher is the most thoroughly researched sports beverage in the world and is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes, and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic performance. By offering a scientifically proven blend of carbohydrates and key electrolytes, Gatorade Thirst Quencher is designed for use in the moment of activity to help athletes and active people hydrate, refuel and push through. G2 is a low-calorie option that delivers functional hydration to active people, but with less than half the calories of Gatorade Thirst Quencher.
To maintain kosher-certification, Gatorade will continue to undergo regular inspections by OU rabbinic representatives to ensure ingredients, formulas, processes and manufacturing plants comply with the guidelines for manufacturing kosher products. Throughout this process Gatorade has ensured the ingredients, efficacy and taste would not be altered. Gatorade Thirst Quencher and G2 will feature new packaging that includes the Orthodox Union certified kosher symbol, ,which identifies products that may be consumed by those who maintain a kosher diet.
“It was gratifying for us to partner with Gatorade through the certification process and bring these much sought after sports drinks to the ever-growing kosher market place,” said Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “It is most rewarding for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbis David Jenkins, Yaakov Mendelson and Abraham Juravel, as well as Phyllis Koegel, OU Marketing Associate, to cooperate with Gatorade’s team and bring the Gatorade products to eagerly-awaiting kosher consumers.”
Consumers who maintain a kosher diet will be able to purchase kosher-certified Gatorade at retail locations where Gatorade Thirst Quenches and G2 ready-to-drink beverages are currently available. Kosher-certified Gatorade will be available in all Gatorade Thirst Quenches and G2 flavors by summer 2010.
 
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