Kol Shofar Kashrut Policy and Guide Table of Contents Policy Introduction 2 Food Preparation in the Kol Shofar Kitchen 2 Community Member Use of the Kitchen 3 Shared Foods / Potlucks 3 Home-Cooked Food / Community Potlucks 3 Field Trips, Off-site Events and Overnights 3 Personal / Individual Consumption 4 Local Kosher Establishments 5 Pre-Approved Caterers and Bakeries Kashrut Glossary 6 Essential Laws 7 Top Ten Kosher Symbols 8 Further Reading 9 1 A Caring Kol Shofar Community Kashrut Guidelines for Synagogue and Youth Education It is possible sometimes to come closer to God when you are involved in material activities like eating and drinking than when you are involved with “religious” activities like Torah study and prayer. - Rabbi Abraham of Slonim, Torat Avot Kol Shofar is a vibrant community comprised of a synagogue and a school. Informed by the standards of the Conservative Movement, we revere the mitzvot (ritual and ethical commandments) both as the stepping-stones along the path toward holiness and as points of interpersonal connection. In this light, mitzvot are manners of spiritual expression that allow each of us to individually relate to God and to one another. Indeed, it is through the mitzvot that we encounter a sacred partnership, linked by a sacred brit (covenant), in which we embrace the gift of life together and strive to make the world more holy and compassionate. Mitzvot, like Judaism itself, are evolving and dynamic and not every one of us will agree with what constitutes each and every mitzvah at each moment; indeed, we embrace and celebrate the diversity of the Jewish people. We affirm, however, that while we sincerely and wholeheartedly will continue to engage the prophetic inquiry, “What does the Lord require of you?” (Micah 6:8), we will steadfastly maintain the embodied values of K’lal Yisrael (inclusion of the all the Jewish community) and a Kehillah Kedoshah (a sacred community). Thus, we seek to establish a standard that fosters a synagogue and school community that can eat together, pray together, practice together, and learn together, engendering an atmosphere of mutual respect and knowledge of the various family traditions that each of us brings. Among the pillars of Jewish life, which includes several important mitzvot, is Kashrut (Jewish dietary laws). The Congregation Kol Shofar Kashrut Policy for the Synagogue and Youth Education is guided by the concern that all members of our diverse community feel comfortable eating at any school or youth function. I. Food Preparation in the Kol Shofar Kitchen 1. The kitchen is strictly kosher, meaning, the only foods allowed in the kitchen are (a) unprocessed foods that do not require a heksher (kosher certification) and (b) processed foods with a heksher. 2. Separate kitchens will be used for dairy and meat meals. 3. The kitchen requires a mashgiach, or kashrut supervisor, to be on site to check ingredients brought into the kitchen and at any other point that he/she or the Kol Shofar Rabbi deem necessary. 4. No food cooked or prepared outside of our kitchen is allowed in our kitchen, with the exception of food from pre-approved, certified kosher caterers. 2 II. Community Member Use of the Kitchen 1. Community use of the kitchen is permitted by certain groups (such as Thursday morning minyan), as long as (a) the preparers are trained in our Kashrut policy and approved by the Kol Shofar Rabbi; or (b) the preparers are under the supervision of an approved mashgiach (kashrut supervisor) or the Kol Shofar Rabbi. 2. Community members may cook together in our kitchen, as a community- building opportunity. All ingredients brought into the kitchen must be approved and checked-in by an approved mashgiach (kashrut supervisor) or the Kol Shofar Rabbi prior to any use. III. Shared Foods / Potlucks • Home-Cooked Food / Community Potlucks In the spirit of building community and encouraging participation among our families, Kol Shofar, its school, and Youth Department allow for potluck meals to be prepared for special events and school-sponsored events. These are events where parents are present and student participation is not mandatory. At these events, the following Kashrut conditions must be followed: • No meat or fowl. • Pre-cooked and prepared foods – whether home-cooked or otherwise – must be dairy, fish1 (no shellfish), and/or vegetarian. • Foods should be served in disposable containers (plastic, glass, cardboard, or aluminum). • Serve with new plastic utensils, preferably disposable pans and utensils. • Disposable tablecloths should cover any tables upon which the food is served. • The synagogue kitchen, as well as its ovens, refrigerators, and utensils may not be used for potlucks under any circumstance. • Field Trips, Offsite Events, and Overnights Off-campus field trips and programs sponsored by Kol Shofar and its Youth Education programs are to uphold the same aforementioned standards as those held on campus. Namely: a) Student personal lunches and snacks are to contain no meat and are not to be shared. b) Certified kosher food is preferable for shared and/or distributed foods. Field trips, Offsite events, and overnights are to adhere to the spirit and principles of Kashrut and Mitzvot expressed in this policy. There will likely be situations where certified 1 Fish is considered pareve according Kashrut – it is deemed neither meat nor dairy. Kosher fish are those with fins and scales, such as tuna, salmon, trout, and halibut. 3 kosher food is not available. In those situations, only dairy and/or pareve food will be served and in concert with guidelines outlined by those of the Conservative Movement, and under the supervision and authority of the Kol Shofar Rabbi. IV. Personal / Individual Consumption Personal Lunches and Snacks: 1. Vegetarian and Dairy. In order to preserve our standard of Kashrut, we ask that any food brought from home contain no meat. 2. Restaurants. If food is brought from a restaurant, we ask that it be dairy-vegetarian and/or pareve. 3. In the School: No Sharing Snacks. For reasons of personal levels of Kashrut observance, as well as allergies, no child is permitted to share his or her snack with another. 4 Local Kosher Establishments Pre-Approved Caterers Approved Local Caterers: Avi-ously Delicious, Avi Cohen (415) 892-7685 or (415) 883-8283 Delicious! Catering, Jan Goldberg (415) 453-3710 Eli’s Gourmet Cooking, Eli Gilad (510) 912-8235 L’Chaim Foods, Marcus Hoffman (415)-323-0030 Mangia Nosh, Robert Meyer (415) 472-2894 Taste by Two, Susan Schatzberg (415) 454-9979 Approved Regional Kosher Caterers: Epic Bites, Heshy Fried (646) 853-4630 Milk & Honey, Deborah Kelman (650) 212-6455 Park Avenue, Bruce Riezenman (707) 793-9645 Too Caterers, Wendy Kleckner (650) 322-4189 Pre-Approved Bakeries • New York Bagels, Strawberry Village • House of Bagels, San Rafael • Barton’s Bagels, San Anselmo • Sweet Things, Tiburon • Safeway Bakery, Strawberry Village • Redwood Bagels, Novato • Ultimate Cookie, San Francisco • Panorama Bakery, San Francisco • Semi-Freddi’s Challah (found at Whole Foods, Mollie Stones) • Irving’s Premium Challah (available at the JCC and Andronico’s) • Grand Bakery Challah (available at Mollie Stones) • Nothing Bundt Cakes • Arizmendi Bakery and Pizzeria 5 Glossary Kosher (kasher, Hebrew) – fit or proper for use. Kashrut (Hebrew) – relating to kosher food; the system of Jewish dietary laws. Treif (Yiddish) or Treifah (Hebrew) – the opposite of kosher; not fit for use and forbidden. Literally, it means torn as in “torn flesh,” referring to animals that have been killed by other animals or not according to the humane Jewish laws of slaughter. Such animals are forbidden for Jews to eat. Fleishig (Yiddish) or Basar (Hebrew) any meat or poultry product (including duck) or derivative that contains meat. Milchig (Yiddish) or Chalav (Hebrew)– any milk or milk-based food or a product containing a milk derivative. Pareve (Yiddish) – “neutral”; neither meat nor dairy, i.e., fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and grains. Heksher (Hebrew) – Certification that the product is kosher, indicated by a registered symbol of the supervising authority. Cholov Yisrael (Hebrew) – Strictly kosher supervised milk product, whereby the milk is watched from the time of milking to the time of bottling. With the stringencies of US FDA laws for milk, most Jews, including many Orthodox Jews, accept any milk as kosher. Glatt (Yiddish) – “smooth,” referring to the Kashrut of the lungs of a non-fowl animal. Once the animal is slaughtered, its organs are inspected for irregularities and scars. If its lungs are scar-free and smooth, it is deemed Glatt Kosher and acceptable for butchering and eating. The majority of kosher meats sold in markets and restaurants today are Glatt Kosher. Pas Yisroel or Pat Yisrael (Hebrew) – grain-products that were cooked or baked with the participation of an observant Jew. 6 Essential Laws The laws of Kashrut originate from the Torah, specifically, Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy chapter 14:4-21. These laws are elaborated in the Talmud, Tractate Chullin, which almost exclusively deals with Kashrut. These laws are discussed in every post- Talmudic legal code. Most notably the Tur (Jacob ben Asher, 1270-1343) and the Shulchan Arukh (Joseph Karo, 1488-1575) designate one third of the volume Yoreh De’ah to Kashrut. SEPARATION OF MEAT AND MILK The most significant area of Kashrut surrounds the prohibition of mixing meat and milk, which originates from the thrice-repeated Torah law “You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.” Here are some rabbinic guidelines we hold today: 1) Meat and milk products may not be cooked together or eaten together at the same meal. 2) Dairy and meat foods may not be cooked in the same oven, but may be in separate pots on the stove at the same time.