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Kosher for Consumers
Useful articles and interesting information about Keeping Kosher and Kosher Supervision.
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Survey Finds OU The Clear Leader in Kosher Certification
Consumers Trust OU to Ensure Highest Standards of Kosher, Food Safety and Cleanliness
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Brandy Is Dandy, But Needs Special Attention to Be Kosher as Well
Brandy is short for brandywine and is derived from the Dutch brandewijn, meaning burnt, or distilled, wine. The alcohol for brandy is produced by fermenting fruits to produce wine. Because fermentation is a result of the action of microbes in yeast, there is a natural limit to the alcohol content of the fermented material. When the alcohol concentration reaches a level of about 12 percent, fermentation stops. The reason is that the alcohol kills any remaining yeast so that no more alcohol is produced; the limit of alcohol content in wine, therefore, is around 12 percent. There is, however, a type of bacteria, called acetobacter, which thrives on alcohol, turning it into vinegar, thereby souring the wine. Thus, wine is ordinarily subject to two drawbacks in quality: The one is a limit to its strength, the other, a limit to its shelf life.
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OU Kosher Announces Second Annual Essay Contest For Grades 4-12
It’s baaaaaak! The Second Annual OU Kosher Essay Contest for Grades 4-12, building upon the success of the First Annual Event, is now open for entries from students across North America, with the deadline for submissions being March 7, 2008.
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Profile: Meeting the Demands of Shemittah:
Israeli Farmer Ariel Porat Speaks with Journalist Michael Freund It’s that time of year again in the Jewish State. An entire industry has shut down, workers are refraining from taking up their posts, and their tools and machinery lie about idly gathering dust.
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“And the land shall rest” (Vayikra 25:1-7). Every seventh year, residents of the land of Israel are reminded that the land that flows with milk and honey is God’s property and domain. He grants the bounty of the six “regular” years and He commands that the land lie fallow during the seventh year, the shemittah year. During this period, landowners are required to relinquish ownership of their produce--whatever grows on their property must be made accessible to all. In this way, shemittah also serves as an antidote to greed and stinginess. Special halachot regarding the sanctity of the produce also prohibit their disposal as well as their profitable sale.
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The source for the laws pertaining to Yoshon are found in Vayikra (23:9-14). These laws are applicable to the Chamishas HaMinim of barley, oats, rye, spelt and wheat. These grains are Yoshon if they took root prior to Pesach. If the grains did not take root prior to Pesach then they are chadash until the subsequent Pesach. There is a halachic dispute if the hashrashah (grain taking root) must be 3 days or two weeks prior to Pesach. The laws of chadash do not apply to other grains such as rice, corn and buckwheat.
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Sales and Marketing Expert Anthony Chan Joins OU Kosher as Asian Sales Representative
Anthony Chan of ACESAP Marketing Services of Singapore has joined the Orthodox Union as an Asian Sales Representative, Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, Vice President of Communications and Marketing for the Orthodox Union Kosher Division, announced today
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“But Rabbi, what are you going to eat???”
Have Tuna Will Travel: How OU Rabbis on the Road Survive without Kosher Restaurants
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OU Kosher Announces Second Annual Essay Contest For Grades 4-12
It’s baaaaaak! The Second Annual OU Kosher Essay Contest for Grades 4-12, building upon the success of the First Annual Event, is now open for entries from students across North America, with the deadline for submissions being March 7, 2008.
