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The Hebrew word kosher means "fit." The kosher laws define the foods that are fit for consumption. The laws were given by G-d and taught by Moses to the Children of Israel - see Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
We choose to keep a kosher congregation as an outward sign of the inward work G-d has done in our lives. This choice also allows us to break bread with both Jews and non-Jews with no concern as to whether someone will be able to eat at our table.
In keeping kosher, food is generally split into 3 major groups with a fourth group loosely defined. They are Meat, Dairy, Pareve and Fish.
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Pareve |
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Dairy |
Any food item containing meat or meat by-products is meat. This includes many cheeses made using animal rennet or enzymes. (These cheeses are not kosher). Meat is only combined with Pareve items. |
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Any food item that does not contain milk or meat and is grown is considerd pareve. Essentially pareve means it comes from fruits or vegetables. |
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Any food item containing milk or milk by-products is dairy. This includes some crackers and soups. Dairy is combined with Pareve and Fish items. |
Fish - the loosely defined group
Fish with fins and easily removable scales are kosher. Both Smoked Salmon and Gefilte are considered acceptable to serve with meat. All other fish is served only with pareve or dairy food items.
While it is possible to purchase kosher chicken, we do not eat chicken or chicken by-products (including eggs) in our home.
All unpackaged, fresh fruits and vegetables are kosher and considered Pareve.
Below is a list of some common hechsers or Kosher Symbols found on food (and other household) products.
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The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU)
11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004
Phone; (212) 613-8241; Fax: (212) 564-9058
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Menachem Genack
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Star-K Kosher Certification (chalav Yisrael)
& Star-D Certification (non-chalav Yisrael)
122 Slade Ave. #300, Baltimore, MD 21208
Phone: (410) 484-4110; Fax: (410) 653-9294
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Moshe Heinemann
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The Association for Reliable Kashrus
104 Cumberland Place, Lawrence, NY 11559
Phone: (516) 239-5306; Fax: (845) 352-3847
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Shlomo Ullman
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Beis Din of Crown Heights Vaad Hakashrus 512 Montgomery St., Brooklyn, NY 11225 Phone: (718) 604-2500; Fax: (718) 221-0103 Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Yossi Brook
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Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc)
2701 W. Howard, Chicago, IL. 60645
Phone: (773) 465-3900; Fax: (773) 465-6929
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Sholem Fishbane
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K'hal Chizuk Hadas of Flatbush
1421 Avenue O, Brooklyn, NY 11230
Phone: (718) 376-3755; Fax: (718) 375-2340
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Yisroel Gornish
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Kof-K Kosher Supervision
201 The Plaza, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Phone: (201) 837-0500; Fax: (201) 837-0126
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Aharon Felder
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Kosher Supervision of America (KSA)
P.O. Box 35721, Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: (310) 282-0444; Fax: (310) 282-0505
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Binyomin Lisbon
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The Organized Kashrus Laboratories (O/K)
391 Troy Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11213
Phone: (718) 756-7500; Fax: (718) 756-7503
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Don Yoel Levy
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Scroll K / Vaad Hakashrus of Denver
1350 Vrain St., Denver, CO 80204
Phone: (303) 595-9349; Fax: (303) 629-5159
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi M. Heisler
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United Mehadrin Kosher
1001 Prior Ave. South, St. Paul, MN 55116
Phone: (651) 690-2137; Fax: (651) 690-1144
Rabbinic Administrator: Rabbi Asher Zellingold
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