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Reliable Kashrus/Kashrut Signs

The rules of kashrut dictate which animals can be eaten, how to slaughter animals, and how to separate meat and dairy. Though some of these laws are driven by compassion for animals, others are unexplained. For some Jews, vegetarianism and ecologically-conscious eating are new, relevant ways to keep kosher.

A kosher home is an important element in the foundation of Jewish life. Jewish dietary laws, a kosher kitchen is designed to separate items used for preparation and serving of meat and dairy meals. Ideally, cookware, utensils, bowls, and dishes would be stored in separate drawers and cabinets.

In today's world of prepared foods, ingredients and processing methods are often unclear. Kosher certification agencies examine the ingredients used to make the food, supervise the process by which the food is prepared, and periodically inspect the processing facilities to make sure that kosher standards are maintained. Different kosher certifying agencies tend to follow different kosher certification standards, some more strict and others more lenient.

Products that have been certified as kosher are labeled with kosher symbols. The symbols are printed on the food's package. Kosher symbols are registered trademarks of kosher certification organizations, and cannot be placed on a food label without the organization's permission.

Kosher symbols not only ensure that the food is kosher, they also identify the kosher certifying organization that issued the certification. This guide identifies the kosher certifying agencies behind the most commonly used kosher symbols in the United States. More information about each agency, and the kosher standards it maintains, can be found on the agency's site. Source: About.com

Click on the Kosher symbol to get more details: Website, Kosher alerts, driving directions, and even satellite map!

DISCLAIMER: Ekollel does not vouch for the accuracy of the information submitted to the database. It is up to the consumer to verify the information by requesting to see a copy of the kashrut certification, or speaks with your local Rabbi.

	The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations 333 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10001 (212) 563-4000 Fax - (212) 564-9058 Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic Administrator Our Website is: http://www.ou.org/ The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (UOJCA), more popularly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU, is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher supervision service, with the circled-U symbol, a hechsher, found on the labels of many commercial and consumer food products. The OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy, programs for the disabled, localized religious study programs, and some international units with locations in Israel and Ukraine. It is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Its synagogues, and the rabbis who lead them, are usually identified among the stream of Judaism referred to as Modern Orthodox. This organization should not be confused with the Union of Orthodox Rabbis, a distinct Haredi rabbinical group with a similar name that was founded a few years after the OU. Source: Wikipedia
	The Organized Kashrus/Kashrut Laboratories 391 Troy Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11213 (718)756-7500 Fax - (718) 756-7503 Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, Kashrus/Kashrut Administrator Our Website is: www.ok.org
	Star-K Kosher Certification 122 Slade Avenue Suite 300 Baltimore, MD 21208 (410) 484-4110 Fax - (410) 653-9294 Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Rabbinic Administrator
	KOF-K Kosher Supervision 201 The Plaza, Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 837-0500 Fax - (201) 837-0126 Rabbi Ahron Felder, Director of Kosher Standards
	THE HEART "K" Kehila Kosher Rabbi Avromon Teichman (323) 935-8383
	The Vaad HaKashrus/Kashrut of Denver 1350 Vrain StreetDenver, CO 80204 (303) 595-9349 Fax - (303) 629-5159 Rabbi Y Feldberger, Rabbinic Administrator
	Vaad Harabanim of Greater Seattle 5100 South Dawson Street, Suite #102 Seattle, WA 98118-2100 (206) 760-2100 Fax - (206) 760-0905 David Grashin, Administrator
	Vaad Hoeir of Saint Louis 4 Millstone Campus St. Louis, MO 63146 (314) 569-2770 Fax - (314) 569-2774 Rabbi Sholom Rivkin, Chief Rabbi
	The Texas K & International Kosher Supervision and the Chicago Rabbinical Council have merged into one company. Rabbi Jenkins is the Kashrus/Kashrut administrator 2901 West Howard Street, Chicago Ill. 60645 (773)465-6632 Web: http://www.crcweb.org/ email: info@crcweb.org
	National Kashrut 101 Route 306 Monsey, NY 10952 (914) 352-4448 Fax - (914) 356-9756 Rabbi Yacov Lipshutz, President
	Montreal Vaad Hair 6333 Decarie Boulevard Suite #100 Montreal, H3W3E1 Canada (514) 270-2659 Fax - (514) 739-7024 Rabbi Peretz Jaffe Rabbinic Administrator, Rabbi Saul Emanuel Executive Director
	COR -Kashruth Council of Canada 4600 Bathurst Street Suite #240 North York, Ontario M2R3V2 (416) 635-9550 Fax - (416) 635-8760 Rabbi Mordechai Levin, Executive Director
	Kosher Australia - Kosher l'mehadrin - Rabbi Mordechai Gutnick, Rabbi Yaakov Sprung and Rabbi Yaacov Barber +613 8317 2500
	Rabbinic Administrator of Upper Midwest Kashrut Rabbi Asher Zeilingold (612) 690-2137
	BAIS DIN OF CROWN HEIGHTS Rabbi Dov Ber Levertov (718) 774-7504
	Kashruth of The Central Rabbinical Congress Rabbi Yidel Gruber (718) 384-6765
	Orthodox Rabbinical Council of British Columbia 8080 Fancis Road, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada V6Y1A4 Rabbi Levy Teitlebaum Phone: (604) 275-0042 - Fax: (604) 277-2225
	AGUDAH The Beth Din Zedek of Agudath Israel 02-385-2514
	Bais Din Tzedek of the Eida Hachareidis of Jerusalem 011-972-2-251-651 Badatz, a Hebrew acronym for "Beit Din Tzedek," or "Court of Justice," is a modern term used for a major Jewish rabbinical court. In Israel, the term 'Badatz' is often used to refer to the Badatz of the Edah HaChareidis; however, it is not the title of this group, and other batei din (rabbinical courts) use the title as well. It is often used in the context of hechsherim (kashrut certification). Source: Wikipedia

* Note: Ekollel.com is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by the OU, CRC, COR, OK, Star-K, KOF-K, Heart-K, Vaad HaKashrus, Vaad Harabanim, Vaad Hoeir, MK, BAIS DIN, BCK, EK, CK, Bais Din Tzedek, Jewish Federation Edmonton , JCC (Jewish Community Center), Edmonton Kollel, Beth Israel, Beth Shalom, Beth Tzedek, Chabad Lubavitch of Edmonton, Temple Beth Ora or Hillel.

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