Keeping Kosher in Contemporary Society

April 12, 2003

Source: Star Tribune

On April 12, 2003 the Star Tribune reported that "in today's society, keeping kosher is a matter of degrees for some Jews... And Rabbi Zeilingold, who is orthodox, said he applauds any effort toward keeping kosher, even something as simple as not having a glass of milk with your hamburger and fries... It's complicated, especially to non-Jews or those who have not practiced it all of their lives. The Hebrew word 'kosher' itself does not refer specifically to food, said Rabbi Asher Zeilingold, director of UM Kosher, a kosher certification organization, based in St. Paul... Kosher means 'ritually proper,' he said. When applied to dietary practice, it means eating in a proper way, as dictated by several passages in the Torah."