The Kosher Club is coming together to talk about what being kosher means, traditions, holidays and trying kosher foods. Meetings are the first Monday of every month in room 245 at lunch.
The Kosher Club explores the meaning of kosher food, Jewish holidays, customs and traditions. Sometimes they also look at the history behind certain foods and how kosher connects to Jewish identity. They bring different foods each time for people to try, and talk about the upcoming holidays to make learning interactive and enjoyable.
Club manager Rabbi Yossi Kagan said he hopes that students learn more about being kosher. “The goal is for Jewish students to learn more about kosher food and traditions, and for everyone – Jewish or not – to experience Jewish culture and gain understanding of the meaning behind it,” Kagan said.
Being kosher means eating food that follows the Jewish dietary laws found in the Torah. It includes which animals can be eaten (like cows and chicken, but not pigs or shellfish), how the food is prepared, and not mixing meat and dairy together. It’s a way Jews connect everyday life with spirituality and tradition.
Club sponsor Molly Kimball is looking forward to the goal of the club being achieved. She said she hopes the members expand their knowledge of what kosher means. “I hope they learn new information about what it means to be kosher and just like to learn new stuff,” Kimball said.
Club member Nicole Kaffee thinks positively of the club, and said she felt connected to others. “I really like the initiative behind the Kosher Club because I feel like it’s so hard to find other people who keep kosher but the club is a great place to meet them,” Kaffee said.
The club is primarily for Jewish people to experience their Jewish culture but the club is open to everyone. There is also a kosher club at Churchill, which leads to more involvement from more people across a larger community. This way the Kosher Club can spread their customs and traditions through multiple schools, increasing the number of members on an overall higher level.
The responsibilities for club members are being open-minded, listening and learning. The attendance is not mandatory but it is strongly suggested to experience all the activities and foods that are being shared. To sign up for this club, the google form that is posted on their Instagram page will first need to be filled out, and just come to the following meetings.
Kosher Club brings in new foods each meeting that members can try and review. They follow the dietary laws, making all the food kosher so that people can eat them. Therefore, the members are involved in a way that is interactive, because of the sampling of different kosher foods.
The goal that the Kosher Club is hoping for is to let students be aware of other people’s religion and culture. It is a way to integrate customs into schools and communities in an interactive and tasty way.
