Kew Gardens Hills to Feature OU’s Kosher in the Workplace Symposium, May 14

26 Apr 2006

Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills
150-05 70th Road
Kew Gardens Hills, NY 11367
Sunday, May 14, 9:30 a.m.

The highly popular Orthodox Union’s Kosher in the Workplace Symposium will be held at Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills on Sunday, May 14 at 9:30 a.m. There will be no admission charge.

The program will feature Rabbi Dov Schreier and Rabbi Seth Mandel, OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinators. They will answer office-related questions for those working in a secular environment, such as:

* Can I use the office microwave and coffee machine?
* How do I attend a meeting in a non-kosher restaurant?
* Can I eat anything at the office party?

Kosher in the Workplace is part of the Harry H. Beren Ask OU Community Lecture Series, in which Orthodox Union experts visit OU synagogues throughout North America. The symposium has been developed to answer questions frequently asked by kosher observant Jews working in a secular workplace and is a joint project of the OU’s Community and Synagogue Services Department, and OU Kosher.

This event is being held in conjunction with Congregation Ahavas Yisroel, Congregation Etz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills, Congregation Machane Chodosh, Congregation Shaare Tovah, Congregation Toras Emes, Havurat Yisrael, Jewish Community Center of Queens, Kew Gardens Adath Yeshurun Synagogue, Queens Jewish Center, Rockwood Park Jewish Center, Torah Center of Hillcrest, Young Israel of Forest Hills, Young Israel of Hillcrest, Young Israel of Holliswood, Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, and Young Israel of Queens Valley.

“Our job at the OU is to service our synagogues by offering them relevant programming,” declared Stephen J. Savitsky, OU President, and Chair of the OU Kashrut (Kosher) Commission. “Our Kosher Division is recognized worldwide as a trusted and reliable certification with years of expertise. Kosher in the Workplace is part of an overall initiative to make this knowledge readily available to the Jewish community.”

“Observant Jews can be found in ever strata of the workplace. The OU wants to empower them with knowledge of how to properly function in this environment,” said program coordinator Rabbi Robert Shur of the Community and Synagogue Services Department.”

According to Rabbi Dovid Cohen, who is coordinating the program for OU Kosher, “We conducted a poll, in which we solicited questions from two Jewish e-mail lists, regarding the keeping of kosher in the workplace. We got an amazing amount of responses, which gave us much insight into the issues and the relevance of this topic.”

To register for this event; for more information about Kosher in the Workplace; or to submit specific questions for the presenter contact Rabbi Shur at 212-613-8329 or roberts@ou.org.