ASK OU OUTREACH BRINGS ITS KASHRUS EXPERTS TO BROOKLYN,
APRIL 18, 25 DURING SEFIRAH, FOR SHIURIM; RAV BELSKY, RABBI ELEFANT
TO ANSWER HALACHA AND POLICY QUESTIONS
The Orthodox Union will present its popular OU Kosher program, ASK OU OUTREACH, in Brooklyn by holding a series of kashrus shiurim on two Sundays in April – April 18 and April 25. Both days fall during the period of sefirah, a perfect time for introspection and Jewish education.
ASK OU OUTREACH is made possible by the Harry H. Beren Foundation of Lakewood, NJ. The ASK OU OUTREACH program has successfully presented well-attended programs in Lakewood, NJ; at Lander College in Queens; and for the Satmar community in Kiryas Joel, among other locations. In fact, in Lakewood alone crowds of between 300 and 1,000 attended the various kashrus shiurim.
Rabbi Yosef Grossman, OU Director of Kosher Education, declared, “After taking the Harry H. Beren ASK OU OUTREACH Program from Los Angeles to Boston and many communities in between, we are pleased to respond to numerous requests by Brooklyn residents to bring the OU’s Kashrus experts there. For the first time, the program will have OU posek Rav Yisroel Belsky, shlita, together with OU Kosher’s Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant answer questions on halacha and OU policy submitted by the public. Another first will be the participation of our highly qualified Mashgichim/Rabbinic Field Representatives from around the country sharing their expertise with the audience. These sessions, together with the ones on fish, birds and vegetable checking, should prove to be a fascinating kosher educational experience for all participants.”
On Sunday, April 18, the shiur will take place at Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin, at 2913 Avenue L and the corner of Nostrand Avenue. The sessions are as follows:
- 8:00 – 8:45 p.m., “Ask the OU Rabbonim,” with Rav Yisroel Belsky, OU halachic decisor and Rabbi Moshe Elefant, OU Chief Operating Officer and Executive Rabbinic Coordinator will answer questions on halacha and official OU policy.
- 8:45 – 9:30 p.m., “An Ex ‘salmon’ation of Kosher Fish,” by Rabbi Chaim Goldberg, Rabbinic Coordinator and fish expert; and
- 9:30 – 10:30 p.m., “The Ongoing Struggle to Preserve the Mesoros of Kosher Birds,” by Rabbi Chaim Loike, Rabbinic Coordinator and bird/eggs expert, with a live viewing of exotic birds. (This lecture is sponsored by M.E. Korn and Family.)
On Sunday, April 25, the shiur will take place at Agudath Israel Zichron Chaim Tzvi, 2122 Avenue S. The sessions are as follows:
- 7:30 – 9:00 p.m., Meet and Hear From the OU’s Expert Mashgichim/Rabbinic Field Representatives from Around the Country, including:
- Rabbi Shraga Kaufman, of Chicago, on “How Pure is Pure?”
- Rabbi Gershon Segal, of Newton Centre, MA, on “The Complexity of the Flavor Industry”
- Rabbi Avrohom Stone, of West Orange, NJ, on “The Pasteurization of Beverages”
- Rabbi Benzion Twerski, of Milwaukee, on “The Kashrus Challenges and Opportunities from the Wisconsin Plains”
- 9:00 – 10:30 p.m., “The Bedikas Toyloim of Fruits and Vegetables – A Live Demonstration” with Rabbi Yosef Eisen, former OU Rabbinic Coordinator of Food Services, and current rabbinic administrator of the Vaad of the Five Towns.
There will be a separate ladies section available for all sessions.