Kashrut Regulations for The Jewish Center

Since Biblical times, the Jewish People have always believed that kashrut is an important value. The laws of kashrut that were first described in the Torah and then developed in Rabbinic texts. Throughout our history, we Jews have taken one of the most basic things we do as human beings and raised it to a level of sanctity. Just as we begin and end our meals with blessings to remind us that eating is a religious act, so too we have certain standards of what food is acceptable and what is not acceptable. An equally important standard is that we want everyone to feel comfortable in our community especially when it comes to eating in our synagogue. Therefore, the Religious Affairs Committee, in consultation with Rabbi Feldman, has established these regulations for kashrut at TJC. We establish these standards as a way of helping people understand the importance we give to kashrut and we do so in a way that helps everyone feel comfortable with our standards. We also see this as an opportunity to educate members of our community about the laws of kashrut and the meanings of the laws. We hope that many people will take advantage of the educational opportunities we will all have in the coming months toward that goal.

1. Only meat products purchased from and delivered by one of our acceptable kosher caterers may be brought into the building. No other meat products may be brought into the kitchens, social hall, lobby or any other part of either building. This includes individual lunches for our students.
2. All products brought into The Jewish Center must carry a symbol of kashrut supervision such as U or K. This applies to all dairy products, cake mixes, etc. Major supermarkets in our area have extensive kosher sections including the Kosher experience at Shop Rite on Rt. 1. There are also many places to buy kosher baked goods including the ACME in East Brunswick. For more information about where such products can be bought, please contact The Jewish Center main office.
3. All fresh fruits and fresh uncooked vegetables are acceptable in The Jewish Center
4. Only kosher fish may be brought into the building. Acceptable fish include tuna, salmon, flounder, lox and sole.
5. When a meal is being prepared in one of the two kitchens, please do not use the other kitchen. It is much safer to do all work for a particular meal in the appropriate kitchen.
6. If you would like to bring baked goods into the building we ask that you purchase these baked goods at a kosher or an approved bakery. If they have been baked in someone’s home they should either be baked in a kosher oven or in disposable pans using disposable utensils. Please bring these utensils with you to serve them at TJC. Please do not use our utensils for these baked goods.

These standards apply to the school building and the main building as well as all parts of the building including the kitchens, the social hall, the lobby, the libraries, offices and all classrooms.

Any questions about these standards should be directed to Rabbi Feldman.

Thank you for your assistance

The Religious Affairs Committee – Spring 2006