‘Going Kosher’ on Campuses

By COLlive reporter

As the new school semester nears, students from around the country will begin their trek to their chosen campuses, settling in their dorms and for many, waking in new and unfamiliar environments.

On over 210 campuses worldwide, Chabad on Campus provides a “home away from home” for Jewish students and faculty, offering many social, educational and spiritual programs.

During the formative college years, Chabad Shluchim (emissaries) ensure that students graduate as more informed and empowered Jews in addition to the secular education they came to seek. Ongoing classes and innovative events mark Jewish holidays and observances, guaranteeing a rich Jewish experience for all those involved. Each locations’ well-stocked Jewish resource library filled with Jewish books and audio/video programming, provide students with a wealth of Jewish knowledge helping them grow in their Jewish awareness and observance.

In addition to many other Jewish enrichment programs, Chabad on Campus Shluchim offer one-on-one guidance on practical mitzvah observance. One such area is Kosher observance — a mitzvah many students don’t realize is much easier to observe today than ever before, largely due to the proliferation of Kosher products in nearly every supermarket and corner store. For those who haven’t grown up keeping Kosher, embarking on the journey toward kosher is daunting and often overwhelming. But as educators know, the younger one begins this journey the easier it is for it to become an established lifelong habit with its positive ripple effects spreading as they graduate college and build their own families.

To help boost kosher observance among students, Chabad on Campus will be distributing several thousand copies of the award-winning book Going Kosher in 30 Days! by Rabbi Zalman Goldstein to students through all Chabad on Campus locations in the USA.

The information-rich step-by-step book, which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in presentation and design, teaches all the whys and hows of kosher. With cleverly divided chapters following the days of a single month, the book contains everything needed to launch a successful path to kosher observance.

Thanks to the generosity of the Rohr family in loving memory of Sami and Charlotte Rohr OBM, each Chabad on Campus location will receive from the main Chabad on Campus office multiple copies of the book for their students for use as part of a class on Kosher, Kosher related events, and as a Sinai Scholar graduation gift.

Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Director of Administration of Chabad on Campus International, shared that his office is always looking for ways to enhance the educational experience of the students. “It is wonderful that there are these kind of resources to meet the growing demand for well-written and smartly-presented materials that speak the language of this generation,” he said.

“Chabad on Campus and its supporters care deeply about every Jewish student and it shows,” says author Rabbi Zalman Goldstein of The Jewish Learning Group (Monsey, NY), publisher of the popular Shabbat Table Companion.

“That this book has helped hundreds of people go kosher since it was first published is tremendously gratifying, yet this new initiative brings it to a whole new level serving as a catalyst for establishing hundreds, hopefully thousands of Kosher homes — it is truly breathtaking. I thank the Rohr family and Rabbi Avi Weinstein of Chabad On Campus for making this possible.”

For more information on Chabad on Campus, contact their office at 718-510-8181; for more information on “Going Kosher In 30 Days!” can be found at www.GoingKosher.com.