Advanced seminars in kashrus taught by world-class industry leaders.

(Courtesy of OU Kosher) As rabbinic positions go, Rabbi Aaron Kleinman’s is among the most unique. A commander in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, his role includes overseeing kashrus on various warships — a challenge he recently shared with over 90 men from the U.S., Canada and Panama, who are working in, or eager to join, the kashrus field, at the Orthodox Union’s ASK (Advanced Seminars in Kashrus) OU Kashrus Education Program. ASK OU offers in-depth insights and hands-on experience in the kashrus industry via two unique educational programs: a one-week course and a three-week internship.

This year’s seminars took place at the OU’s New York headquarters coupled with site visits around the Tri-State area. Rabbi Kleinman’s session, “Kosher at Sea,” touched upon the intricacies of keeping kosher while serving in the U.S. Navy.

“We had a really fun session,” he said. “After a brief overview of the Navy, Marine Corps, and their operating environments, I talked about some of the different platforms, including destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and aircraft carriers and some of the special aspects of kashrus in each of them. We covered a scenario that actually happened to me: the task of preparing a post-Rosh Hashanah services meal on a non-kosher aircraft carrier that I wasn’t stationed on. We really got into the scenario; participants shared how they would do things and actually gave me some good ideas. I wish I had had their brain trust at the time I needed it — the meal would have been even better than it was!”

A division of the Orthodox Union, OU Kosher is the world’s largest and most widely-recognized kosher certification agency, certifying over one million products manufactured in 13,000 plants, in 106 countries. ASK OU was launched by Rabbi Yosef Grossman z”l, who served as senior educational rabbinic coordinator and director of Kosher Educational Services at OU Kosher. The ASK OU Summer Kashrus Training Program has run annually on alternate years for men and women since its inception, with the exception of the Covid period. It has just completed its 16th cycle.

“The ASK OU Summer Kashrus Training Program presents a chance to demystify what goes on behind the scenes in kashrus and to observe practical applications in real-life context,” said Rabbi Eli Eleff, managing director of Community Relations at OU Kosher, who oversees the program.

Led by the OU’s world-class rabbanim, poskim and administrators, ASK OU’s weeklong program provides an overview of the processes and implications of kosher certification through hands-on seminars and visits to food service providers. A concurrent three-week internship geared for semicha students, rabbanim and avreichim, includes the one-week program and explores the intricacies of kashrus and halacha in greater depth. Participants gain hands-on experience at food-processing plants and at OU headquarters and network with worldwide industry experts.

This year’s seminar leaders included HaRav Hershel Schachter, shlita, who led a Hilchos Kashrus seminar followed by a Halachic Q & A session; OU Kosher Chief Executive Officer Rabbi Menachem Genack, who spoke about “The State of the Orthodox Union,” OU Kosher Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant, who led an “Ask the Rabbi”session, and numerous OU Kosher rabbanim who presented myriad topics, including: “How to be an Excellent Mashgiach”; “Shabbos Appliances”; “The Wine Industry”; “Cybersecurity”; “The Transportation of Commodities”; “Red Flag Ingredients”; “Cheese, Whey and
Related Products”; and “The Mesorah of Birds.”Participants also learned about industrial and retail kashering, and how to establish a local vaad hakashrus.

“Kashrus does not exist in a vacuum and there are certain ways that it’s applied,” noted Rabbi Eleff. “Whether in New York or out of town, each vaad hakashrus has its own nuances and specific requirements. We wanted participants to understand that kosher is really quite broad, rather than one size fits all.”

Visits to OU Kosher certified restaurants, Wall Street Grill and Reserve Cut, and tours of OU Kosher certified processing plants including Newburg Egg, Biazzo Dairy Products (which manufactures specialty cheeses), Hanover Foods (which manufacturers canned and frozen vegetables) and Empire Poultry, among others, offered a glimpse into kashering operations and these facilities’ unique kashrus issues.