Why Do We Need a Kashrut Policy?

From its beginnings, Conservative Judaism has affirmed the value of Kashrut. The Preamble to the Constitution of the United Synagogue of America (1913) states that the organization’s purpose is: “the advancement of the cause of Judaism in America and the maintenance of Jewish tradition in its historical continuity, to assert and establish loyalty to the Torah and its historical exposition, and to further the observance of the Sabbath and the dietary laws.”

The “Standards for Synagogue Practice” of the United Synagogue affirm, “Recognizing kashrut as another basic tenet of Judaism, congregations shall take all steps necessary to ensure proper observance of kashrut at all functions on the premises of the synagogue and at functions away from the synagogue which are held under their auspices.”

Why is Kashrut so essential? Why observe these laws at all? There are many fine books on this topic. Since this is a policy statement, not a textbook, we will state the rationale for Kashrut in a few general rubrics.

• Kashrut is first and foremost a mitzvah, a way of showing our love and reverence for God.
  
  
• Kashrut is a discipline of holiness. Wherever the dietary laws appear in the Torah, it is in the context of k’dushah. Kashrut, along with the blessings and rituals of meals, raises the act of eating from merely satisfying an appetite to a consecrated act.
  
  
• Kashrut is a statement of Jewish identity. It links us to the worldwide community of observant Jews, and to past generations of Jews. It reminds us, every time we eat, of our Jewish commitments.
  
  
• Kashrut, through its rules of humane slaughter, and through limiting the kinds of creatures we can eat, is a way of enacting reverence for life and understanding that consumption of the flesh of living creatures is a Divine compromise with human nature.

Consistency

As a congregation, we have one more reason for assuring the kashrut of foods we serve. We are a k’hillah k’doshah, a sacred community, and as such we must be welcoming and inclusive of members and guests who observe the dietary laws. Any group using our facilities must adhere to our standards of kashrut. Various people may have different interpretations of specific aspects of kashrut, but the synagogue must have one clear consistent policy. We trust that all of our members and friends, whatever their personal practice may be, are willing observe these policies, no matter what their personal level of observance may be, so that any member of the Jewish community can feel comfortable eating in our building.

In addition, meals for any Beth David event, wherever it may take place, must be kosher--which usually means dairy/vegetarian, since there are no places in the area that provide kosher meat meals. This includes all affiliated groups, such as Sisterhood, Men’s Club, and Youth Groups.

No food which does not meet Beth David’s kashrut standards may be brought into the building.

General Kitchen Rules

1. The keys to the kitchen cabinets will be kept by the Kitchen Supervisor and the Ritual Director. No one may prepare food in the kitchen without the supervisor present. The Kitchen Supervisor can be scheduled either by contacting her directly or through the synagogue office. If the Kitchen Supervisor is not available, there are congregants who have been certified as para-Mashgihim (kashrut supervisors) who may substitute. All this must be arranged in advance through the synagogue office. Supervision shall extend through the clean-up period.
   
2. Provision will be made for refreshments at meetings and programs so that these activities will not be burdened with the expense of the kitchen supervisor. This will involve special hot water pots and plastic and paper utensils. The locked cabinets may not be opened for such use. Arrangements for refreshments must be made in advance through the synagogue office. All refreshments used with this exemption must have a valid hechsher and/or have been approved by the Mara d'atra.
   
3. Meals may be either "dairy" or "meat" and must be consistent for the entire meal; parve foods may be served with either type of meal.  All food and drink served before, during or after the formal meal (including hors d’oeuvres and dessert) are considered part of the meal and must be meat or dairy (corresponding to the remainder of the meal) or parve.
   
4. Only one kind of meal — dairy or meat — is to be prepared at a time in the kitchen. Set-up, plating and layout for presentation or serving are part of preparing the meal. Dairy and meat utensils shall be kept absolutely separate. Only one cabinet  — dairy or meat — may be open at a time. Kitchen scheduling must be arranged so that dairy and meat meals will not be prepared at the same time.
5. Products marked “non-dairy” by government standards may still be considered dairy under the rules of kashrut. Artificial creamers and dessert toppings must be marked parve, as a “non-dairy” government designation alone is not adequate to assure that a food as to which items marked “non-dairy” may be served with a meat meal.
   
6. Ovens may be used for only one kind (either meat or dairy) of food at a time. Ovens may be used for cooking meat or dairy food in sequence, after removing any visible food or crumbs, and wiping up any spills. Preference is to cook items tightly sealed (when possible), even when cooking in sequence. Stove-tops must be thoroughly cleaned by washing with appropriate surface cleaners before switching meal types.
   
7. Preparation areas: Stainless steel and other similar preparation surfaces are to be cleaned between uses by wiping down with appropriate cleaners. Surfaces may be used uncovered only for one type of food; the surface is to be covered when any other type of food is being prepared. Before a hot pan is placed on a preparation surface, the surface must be covered with the correct (either dairy or meat) hot pads.
   
8. Only those caterers on Beth David’s approved list may use the kitchen.
9. All caterers and meal preparers must have their foods and cooking ingredients checked by the kitchen supervisor or a para-mashgiach to see to it that they are hekhshered or are foods exempt from that requirement. Rabbi Pressman will have the final word on whether any product may be used. It is preferable that the menu and list of ingredients be provided no later than a week before the event. All food preparation must be done at Beth David or by an approved caterer in a rabbinically supervised kitchen. Otherwise, no cooked foods may be brought in from outside (there is an exception for baked goods. See below).
10. No equipment or utensils (new or used, including but not limited to: dishes, plates, flatware, glassware, pots, pans or service items) may be brought to the synagogue for use without explicit prior permission of Rabbi Pressman. Any item permitted may be subject to being made kosher under the supervision of Rabbi Pressman. The synagogue will not be liable for loss of or damage to items during the kashering process.
11. Baked goods may be used for Beth David events only if they have been baked by a bakery on Beth David’s approved list, are hekhsered commercial products, or have been or home-baked according to the guidelines below.
12. No deliveries or cooking may take place on Shabbat. This means, for example, that bagels must be purchased and brought into the building on Friday. All cooking for a meal to be served on Shabbat must be completed before Shabbat begins. Raw meats and fowl must be cooked enough to be served as “rare” before Shabbat begins. Already cooked food may be warmed (at 200˚) on Shabbat, provided the stove is not turned on or adjusted by a Jew.
13. Concerning Saturday Evening events: Delivery of all items to be used must be made either before Shabbat on Friday afternoon (or afternoon before the holiday) or after Shabbat (or holiday) is over. (This time varies from week to week. Check with the synagogue office for the exact time.) It is preferable to have food cooked or partially cooked before Shabbat begins, and then reheated or finished after Shabbat ends. When the menu calls for newly prepared food, cooking cannot begin until Shabbat ends. Non-Jews may attend to other preparations, such as table setting or cold food set-ups.
14. Food brought in for personal use by an individual must be kosher (dairy or vegetarian only). It may not be brought into the Beth David kitchen, nor may any utensil from the kitchen be used with it.
    

Home Baking

Congregation Beth David has a tradition of friends helping Bar and Bat Mitzvah families by baking for their simhah. This has been allowed because of the limited number of supervised bakeries in our vicinity. This means that great care must be taken in order not to compromise the kashrut of the kitchen. We urge you to follow these guidelines scrupulously. We trust that our members care about Beth David’s reputation for proper kashrut and will indeed observe these rules faithfully.

1. No foods other than baked goods may be prepared or cooked at home, with the exception of hard-boiled eggs. All cutting, mixing, etc. must be done in our kitchen.
2. Home baked cakes, pastries and cookies will be permitted if the following conditions are met:
   • They must be baked in disposable aluminum pans. The baked goods must be brought in still in that pan, and cut in our kitchen. All mixes or ingredients must carry a hashgahah (kosher certification). This will be explained below.
   • Baked goods must be brought in on disposable plates or in the aluminum trays they were baked in.
     
   • Regular utensils may not be used with Oneg Shabbat/Kiddush foods. We prefer that home baked goods not be served with catered meals, and some caterers’ independent hashgahah may prohibit it. Check with your caterer.
   • All baked goods served on Friday night must be pareve, which means no dairy products are used. This is because some people wait up to 6 hours after a meat meal before eating dairy, and many families have a meat meal for Shabbat dinner.
     
     NOTE: Not all margarines or so-called “non-dairy” ingredients are really pareve. Pareve is further explained below.

Standards for Raw Ingredients and Processed Foods

1. Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, salt, sugar, spices, tea, coffee, soft drinks, and milk do not require kashrut certification. Beth David follows the Conservative ruling in not requiring domestic cheese to have a hekhsher.
2. All meat products must have kosher certification from a recognized authority, as approved by Rabbi Pressman.
3. Fresh fish (kosher species having fins and scales) does not require rabbinic supervision, but must be rinsed thoroughly before being cooked.
4. Because processed foods must both contain kosher ingredients and be prepared in a kosher way, all prepared or packaged food (including canned, frozen, baked, or foods otherwise changed from their natural state) as well as dairy products (yogurts, etc.) must bear kashrut certification from a recognized authority, such as the O-U or O-K. There are dozens of supervising agencies. If there is doubt as to a particular symbol or kashrut authority, the rabbi will give final approval.
5. The “K” symbol is not trademarked and is not a symbol for a specific certification authority. Therefore, it is not sufficient to certify that the ingredients and manner of preparation are kosher.
6. Only wines, grape juices, and grape products with a kashrut certification may be used for kiddush, though fresh grapes do not require certification. Beth David does not require that kosher wine be served with meals (though some caterers do), but we urge you to give preference to the many excellent kosher wines now available. In any event, we ask that some kosher wines be provided for those who may want them.

Pareve

1. Pareve means foods that are neither meat nor dairy. Because of the complexities of food additives, this has become a difficult subject. Obviously, any foods served with a meat meal (or at a Friday night Oneg, since many people have meat meals), must be pareve.
2. All mixes, ingredients, or store-bought baked goods must have a hekhsher and be labeled pareve. “P” does not mean pareve; it means kosher for Passover.
3. Sometimes something may be hekhshered and labeled dairy, yet there are no dairy ingredients listed. This could be for many reasons, and often the only way to find out is to call the supervising kashrut agency. To keep things simple, we will simply accept that such products are dairy, without second-guessing the hashgahah.
4. DE, or dairy equipment, is another issue. The ruling for Ashkenazi Jews is that such foods may not be eaten with a meat meal, but may be eaten before or after a meat meal without the usual waiting period. Foods that are being prepared with ingredients labeled DE should be prepared using dairy utensils, which will preserve their DE designation.

Vegetarian and Special Diets

1. Since eating meat is a compromise, vegetarianism has an honored place in Jewish observance. We urge our members to always include a vegetarian option in considering menus, especially at a meat meal.
2. At dairy functions, foods which do not include fish, eggs and dairy products should be available.
3. When wine is served, it is our policy to always have grape juice available for those who can’t drink alcohol.
4. Although it is impossible to keep track of all possible food allergies, it is an increasingly common courtesy to label foods containing nuts, since some people with that allergy have severe, life-threatenening reactions.