Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld
Group Leader, OU Kashruth

Just press an olive or a flaxseed, and voila, oil. What’s so complicated from a kashrus perspective? Plenty! Join Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, a Group Leader with OU Kashruth, in an exploration of the oil and margarine industry. Aren’t they all be parve? Why does 100% pure vegetable oil need to be certified? What role do chemicals play? You won’t want to be “slip-slidin’ away” from Rabbi Schonfeld! This Tidbit was presented as part of the OU’s Advanced Kashrus Seminar for Women, held at OU headquarters on August 24 -28, 2009.

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Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth Division

A hamburger on a bun, with pickles and a beer. For some, picnic fare. For the OU: red flags! Join Rabbi Eliyahu W. Ferrell, a Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kashruth responsible for numerous chemical factories, as he surveys the role of fermentation in food production. The sacred and the scientific stand side-by-side in an eye-opening presentation you’re sure to enjoy. This Tidbit was presented as part of the OU’s Advanced Kashrus Seminar for Women, held at OU headquarters on August 24 -28, 2009. If you have questions or comments for Rabbi Ferrell please send them to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Rabbi Yisroel Meir Paretzky
Rabbinic Coordinator and Group Leader, OU Kashruth Division

Factory equipment is always a hot topic around the OU Kashruth office. A kosher apparatus poses no problem, of course…but how does the OU cope with devices used for non-kosher products? Join Rabbi Yisroel Paretzky, a Group Leader with OU Kashruth, as he discusses a surprising policy: using equipment in a non-kosher factory for kosher products without kashering first! Tune in and find out the how’s and why’s of this apparent enigma… If you have questions or comments for Rabbi Paretzky please send them to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Rabbi David Bistricer
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth Division

“What will the neighbors think” is often immaterial—but sometimes it’s of major importance. Join Rabbi David Bistricer, a Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kosher, as he explores the intersection between kashrus and Maris Ayin (the commandment to preserve one’s reputation as a faithful Jew). Could eating a soy burger with cheese be a problem? How about a steak with parve margarine? Listen in, and find out when “looking good” overrides “eating well”!

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Rabbi David Bistricer
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth Division

“What will the neighbors think” is often immaterial—but sometimes it’s of major importance. Join Rabbi David Bistricer, a Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kosher, as he explores the intersection between kashrus and Maris Ayin (the commandment to preserve one’s reputation as a faithful Jew). Could eating a soy burger with cheese be a problem? How about a steak with parve margarine? Listen in, and find out when “looking good” overrides “eating well”!

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Rabbi David Bistricer
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth Division

No waiter ever asked a customer, "Would you like some arsenic with your roast beef, sir?" We would run, not walk, to avoid a food if there was even the slightest chance of it being poisoned. Rabbi David Bistricer, a Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kashruth, describes another type of poison: a toxin for the heart and soul. Tune in and learn a perspective on keeping kosher which you may never have heard...

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Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth

Decades ago, the great sage Rav Moshe Feinstein, Zatzal, issued his permit to consume milk sold by American dairy companies. On what was this courageous ruling based? And is it still applicable today? Join Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer, a Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kashruth possessing vast expertise in the dairy industry, for a clear and thorough – and surprising! – discourse on what’s “moo” with milk. If you have questions or comments for Rabbi Gordimer please send them to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Rabbi Eli Gersten
Rabbinic Coordinator, OU Kashruth

Colostrum is a special kind of milk, chock-full of protein and very beneficial for infants…but is it kosher? Join Rabbi Eli Gersten, the Rabbinic Coordinator with OU Kashruth charged with recording OU P’sak and Policy, for a clear and thorough discourse that includes such topics as: Why is milk kosher in the first place? Must colostrum be Cholov Yisroel? What is OU policy? These words of Torah will be “moo-sic” to your ears… If you have questions or comments for Rabbi Gersten please send them to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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