What is Kosher?
Yad Ezra is a kosher supplemental food pantry which means we provide additional food to supplement our clients’ diets. Each client gets an allotted amount of food each month that should last them 4 weeks, but in conjunction with other food they get from somewhere else. So now that we have that part covered, what does it mean to be a kosher pantry? First, what does the word kosher mean? The word means “fit or proper as it relates to Jewish dietary law” (Kosher Certification Service, 2012). There are two words that can be used in terms of food meeting Jewish dietary law. The word kosher is an adjective that describes food or objects that meet the standards of kashrut. Kashrut is the Hebrew term for the Jewish dietary laws which tell people what foods are allowed to be eaten and how they must be prepared to fit under the law. The origin of these laws come from the Torah, and discuss how we should prepare the food, what food is kosher, and what food is not.
So, what foods are kosher? When looking at meat, the Torah states that kosher mammals are ones that chew their ruminants and are cloven-hoofed. Some examples are cows, bison, and deer. With poultry, the Torah states 24 species that are not kosher, so all the rest technically can be eaten, but most people only eat the poultry that has an established tradition of being kosher so chicken, turkey, and duck. A lot goes into the preparation of meat and poultry. A trained kosher slaughterer must be there and bring no pain to the animal for the meat/poultry to be kosher. A trained inspector inspects the animal for any abnormalities that can make the animal non-kosher. Next, all blood vessels, nerves, and fat must be removed by highly trained personnel. Lastly, the meat/poultry must be salted on both sides or broiled and is then packaged with tamper-proof packaging and labeled with the kosher symbol. There are many different kosher symbols, but the most common is the U inside a circle. With fish, they must have fins and scales to be considered kosher. The scales must be easily removable so there is no damage done to the skin. All shellfish are not kosher. Fish is easier than meat to prepare because there is no special preparation that must be done.
Another important Jewish dietary law is that meat and milk must not be consumed at the same time, so no eating a cheeseburger or having ice cream right after eating chicken. In the Torah there is a verse that says “Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk” which is found in Exodus and Deuteronomy (Chabad, 2010). The prohibition of eating milk and meat together comes from this verse. If someone who follows these laws wants to drink a glass of milk, but just had meat, they must wait at least 6 hours. Different sects of Judaism wait different amounts of time, but the general consensus is 6 hours. Additionally, it is customary to have different sets of dishes, cutlery and cookware for meat and dairy products to ensure that they are never cooked or eaten together.
An important thing to note is that many people have different ways of being kosher, so not all these rules apply to everyone. Some may not keep kosher at all, some may follow certain laws but not all, and some may follow them all.
Unfortunately, because kosher food has many intricate preparation and processing requirements which must be performed by highly trained individuals, the cost of kosher food is significantly more than non-kosher food. For example, one pound of chicken breasts costs around $4.22 while one pound of kosher chicken breasts costs about $12. On average, a family buys 4 pounds of chicken to feed their family for one meal, so if a family keeps kosher, they will be paying $48 for only one meal of just chicken. Depending on how big your family size is, this can be incredibly expensive and a burden to people that keep kosher. This is where Yad Ezra comes into play! Yad Ezra, as a kosher supplementary food pantry, carries all kosher foods, so people who would otherwise not be able to afford these foods can! They can keep their customary practices, without the burden of wondering if they will be able to have food on the table each night.
References
Chabad.org. (2010, March 3). Meat & Milk – Parshat Mishpatim. @Chabad. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1149824/jewish/Meat-Milk.htm
Ed. (2012, April 26). How Many Will Your Bird Feed? – Herb Fed Poultry. Herb Fed Poultry. https://www.herbfedpoultry.co.uk/how-many-will-your-bird-feed/
Kashrut. (n.d.). Jewish Museum Berlin. https://www.jmberlin.de/en/topic-kashrut
Kosher Certification Service. (2012). What is Kosher Food, Certification, and Supervision? | OU Kosher. OU Kosher Certification. https://oukosher.org/the-kosher-primer/