HALACHA AND COLLEGIALITY COMBINE AS OU KOSHER HOLDS ITS ANNUAL STAFF CONFERENCE IN BOROUGH PARK
OU Kosher presented its annual staff Kashrut Conference last weekend at the Renaissance Ballroom in Borough Park, Brooklyn for Rabbinic Coordinators from headquarters and Rabbinic Field Representatives from around North America. There was an attendance of 135, with some RFR’s traveling from as far away as Chile, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Mexico City, as well as San Diego.
Topics included the meat industry; applications and understanding of DE (dairy equipment); OUDirect, the online program for companies; and “Thinking OUt of the Box.” Ms. Chaya Cohen of the New York State Department of Labor gave a session on ergonomics; OU posek Rabbi Yisroel Belsky presented on bitul issur l’chatchila; and Rabbi Shmuel Dishon, Mashgiach Ruchani of Yeshiva Karlin, provided divrei chizuk. The program included a chavruta session and concluded with Q&A led by Rabbi Menachem Genack and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, CEO and COO of OU Kosher, respectively.
“The rabbanim of OU Kosher taken together are equal to the faculty of any great Torah institution,” declared Rabbi Genack. “What better situation can there be for OU Kosher rabbis to learn from other OU Kosher rabbis?”
The program was arranged by Rabbi Michael Morris, in conjunction with Rabbi Elefant, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Avigail Klein and Marika Levine. “Thanks go to Harvey Blitz, Chair of the OU Kashrut Commission and to the leadership of OU Kosher for providing ongoing opportunities for substantive growth in the field of modern kosher supervision,” Rabbi Morris said.