A limited number of positions are still available for the one-week session of the twelfth Harry H. Beren ASK OU Kosher Advanced Seminar in Kashrus summer program, to be held from August 11-15. The one-week seminar is a companion program to the more intensive three-week initiative, to be held from August 6-26, which will include the one-week session. Applications are being accepted from rabbis and advanced students interested in enhancing their knowledge of practical applications in the world of kashrus.
Funding for ASK OU 12 comes from the Harry H. Beren Foundation of New Jersey. The Beren Foundation provides financial support to a wide variety of OU kashrus education programs for all levels of knowledge and ages.
The ASK OU advanced seminar programs have more than 750 graduates from all over the globe, many of whom have gone on to take important positions in the kosher world.As in past years, many of the full time professionals are expected to work for large kosher certification agencies or for their local Vaad HaKashrus.
According to Rabbi Yosef Grossman, Orthodox Union Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Director of Kosher Education, the three-week internship is intended for semicha (rabbinical) students or members of a kollel for post-rabbinic education. The one-week session is intended for congregational rabbis, semicha students, kollel members or members of a local Vaad HaKashrus certifying organization, who take the program to refine their skills for use in their communities.
Both the three-week and one-week programs will consist of classes and demonstrations held at OU Kosher headquarters in New York, taught by OU senior rabbis and visiting experts, together with field visits to plants certified by the OU.
For information on registration contact Rabbi Grossman at 212-613-8212 or via email at grossman@ou.org. He may also be reached by cell phone at 914-391-9470. The application is available online at oukosher.org.
Registrants in the three-week session come not only from Brooklyn/Lakewood/ Monsey, but from Fresno, CA; Minneapolis; and Silver Spring, MD. One-week participants will hail from Portland, OR; Cleveland, Pittsburgh; and Vallejo, CA, in addition to the New York/New Jersey area.
“ASK OU 12 will take participants behind the scenes at the world’s largest kosher certification agency and give students the opportunity to witness the cutting edge of modern day kosher food technology,” declared Rabbi Grossman. He emphasized that although “kosher law is immutable, the technology is continually evolving, and OU expertise evolves with it.”