(Courtesy of OU) In a first for the Dallas Jewish community, over 500 people of all ages and hashkafot recently learned about kashrus, in a series of fascinating shiurim and workshops led by OU Kosher.

The world’s largest and most widely recognized international kosher certification agency, OU Kosher is on a mission to make consumers more aware of the inner workings of the kashrus certification process through its expanded “Kashrus Across America” program, an ASK (Advanced Seminars in Kashrus) OU educational initiative.

Presented by OU Kosher and the city’s local Vaad HaKashrus, Dallas Kosher, the program, “From Ranchers to Rabbis: A Journey into the World of Kashrus,” was led by

OU Kosher Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant, OU Kosher Community Relations Managing Director Rabbi Eli Eleff, and OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinators Rabbi Chaim Goldberg and Rabbi Daniel Sharratt.

“The Dallas Jewish community has been growing over the last several years, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to go there and to meet its members,” said Rabbi Eleff, who oversees ASK OU.

Rabbi Shaya Fox, CEO of DATA (Dallas Area Torah Association) and Dallas Community Kollel, coordinated the visits to each location, and said the community was excited to learn from the expert OU Kosher team.

“Kashrus is a topic that resonates with diverse audiences,” he noted. “The OU Kosher team addressed hundreds of men, women, teens, and kollel bachurim in a very short span. The shiurim and workshops were on all levels, and the programming was both educational and highly interesting.The community gained tremendously from their visit.”

In less than 36 hours, Rabbis Elefant, Eleff, Goldberg and Sharratt gave dozens of separate presentations, and met with community lay leaders at multiple locations, including shuls, day schools, and yeshivot.

Over 50 men and women attended a memorable evening at Congregation Ohr HaTorah in the South Eruv region, which included a live demonstration about the kashrus of fish, a presentation on the kashrus of alcoholic beverages, and an engaging Q&A session led by Rabbi Elefant, where audience members posed various questions.

Remarkably, over 30 women also participated in “Tolayim: What’s Bugging You?,” a hands-on Bedikat Tolayim (checking for bugs) practicum, which only began at 9 p.m. at Ohr HaTorah following the first workshop. Run in conjunction with Nshei of Dallas, the session spanned 90 minutes, and Rabbi Fox credits the high level of participation to the appeal of both the topic and the speakers.

“The attendance at the women’s session was incredible, especially given that 10 p.m. is like midnight in Dallas,” he quipped. “People are eager to learn about kashrus, and the ASK OU program offered something for everyone.”

At Congregation Ohev Shalom in the Northern Eruv region, participants learned about the kashrus of appliances, “The Oreo Cookies Dilemma: Dairy (D) vs. Dairy Equipment (DE),” and the halachot of bishul akum.

In addition to leading a second Q&A at Ohev Shalom, Rabbi Elefant captivated community members at multiple shiurim geared at high-level learners: His 6 a.m. Daf Yomi shiur at Or HaTorah drew over 20 men—an unprecedented number, who attended with the express purpose of learning from Rabbi Elefant; at the Dallas Kollel, he spoke about the halachot of dairy bread; and at the Texas Torah Institute yeshiva, he explored the concept of Uman Lo Mareh Umnato, whether the kashrus of an expert craftsman may be relied upon since he is concerned about maintaining his good reputation.

“The attendance and level of engagement were both extremely high,” said Rabbi Elefant. “Only a week after we returned from Dallas, one of the roshei yeshiva called me with follow-up questions related to one of my shiurim. Everyone really connected with us, and the feedback we received was incredible.”

The OU Kosher team also taught the fundamentals of kashrus to students at Akiba Yavneh Academy, Ann & Nate Levine Academy, Cheder Lubavitch of Dallas, Mesorah High School for Girls, Texas Torah Institute, and Torah Day School of Dallas.

“Yasher koach to Rabbi Elefant and Rabbi Eleff for giving shiurim in the yeshiva,” Texas Torah Institute Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman expressed via email. “The talmidim gained tremendously from learning about the practical day-to-day operations of the OU. ”

Mesorah High School for Girls Headmaster Rabbi Avraham Zev Kosowsky noted: “It was so amazing to have the OU join us and present such a wonderful presentation to the girls. The program was informative and engaging, keeping the girls’ attention for over one-and-a-half hours. One thinks they know a lot about kashrus until they realize how much more there is to learn.”

Rabbi Fox was moved by OU Kosher’s outreach to schools of varying hashkafot.

“At one of the schools, most students likely do not keep kosher,” he said. “Through ASK OU, they were thoroughly engaged and learned about the importance of kashrus. They now understand the concepts better, and perhaps in the future some will be more inclined to observe it.”

Beyond uplifting the community via educational programming, the OU Kosher team spent considerable time fostering connections with, and advising, local rabbanim and lay leaders at separate meals,including a dinner for the board of Dallas Kosher, hosted by its president, Jeri Finkelstein. Beyond the dinner, Rabbi Elefant met extensively with the Dallas Kosher board, which is searching for a new kashrus manager and undergoing operational changes.

At the Texas Torah Institute, local community members also consulted Rabbi Eleff about kashrus operations.

“Everyone was very grateful for our insights, and we will have follow-up discussions with them moving forward,” he noted.

As a communal organization, Rabbi Elefant said the OU has much in common with other, community-based organizations.

“We share an affinity, and they respect the OU’s knowledge and experience, which is very meaningful. OU Kosher’s objective is to share our knowledge of kashrus, so that individuals and communities can use that knowledge to go further in their shmiras hamitzvos.”

It is this unwavering commitment to sharing Torah l’shem shamayim, which most impressed Rabbi Fox.

“OU Kosher came to Dallas simply to share Torah,” he said. “Unlike other organizations which sometimes have another agenda, the OU had only one interest in mind—to spread kashrus knowledge. The visit was wonderful, and the entire Dallas Jewish community feels tremendous gratitude to the OU.”