Kosher products are available, says resident Dawid Gurfinkiel, but options are limited.

“Imported products and online shopping have made life easier, but there is still a need for greater education and availability, as well as a stronger kosher infrastructure,” says Gurfinkiel, who has worked as a mashgiach in Lodz. “For me, kashrus in Poland is not only a question of ‘Can I find kosher food?’ It is also a question of knowledge, trust, certification, and making Jewish religious life more accessible.”

That reality inspired Gurfinkiel to travel thousands of miles to New York to attend the ASK (Advanced Seminars in Kashrus) OU Summer 2026 Kashrus Training Program at the Orthodox Union’s Manhattan headquarters.

He was one of 65 men representing a broad spectrum of communities, from the Upper West Side and Teaneck to Monroe and Lakewood, with participants traveling from as far away as Poland, England, and Israel.

“OU Kosher is one of the most respected organizations in the world of kashrus,” Gurfinkiel says. “Having previously worked as a mashgiach, I was naturally interested in deepening my knowledge of modern kashrus and, hopefully, contributing to its development and accessibility in my own community.”

OU Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, certifies 1.5 million products manufactured in 15,000 plants across 108 countries. ASK OU was founded by Rabbi Yosef Grossman, z”l, OU Kosher’s former Senior Education Rabbinic Coordinator. Its Summer Kashrus Training Program, offered in alternating years for men and women, recently marked its 17th men’s cycle.

This year, 65 participants attended the one-week program, which provides an overview of the practical, technical, and halachic aspects of kosher certification. Twenty participants took part in an intensive three-week internship geared toward semicha students, rabbanim, and avreichim.

At the heart of the program is a straightforward philosophy, says OU Kosher Managing Director of Marketing Rabbi Eli Eleff.

“The more people know, the better equipped they are to engage in informed discussions and ask thoughtful questions, and the stronger kashrus becomes globally.”

Across approximately 60 sessions, participants explored topics ranging from bishul akum and industrial kashering to emerging food technologies, meat production, the snack food industry, the mesorah of kosher birds, and kashrus at sea. OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Moshe Elefant discussed the latest developments in kashrus, while Rabbi Captain Aaron Kleinman, the U.S. Navy’s most senior active-duty Jewish chaplain, joined remotely from the Pentagon to discuss the challenges of providing kosher food to Jewish service members.

Representatives of local vaadei kashrus also offered insight into their work, including Rabbi Dovid Shapiro of the Va’ad HaRabbanim-Rabbinical Council of Bergen County (RCBC) and Rabbi Binyomin Kreitman of Passaic-Clifton Kosher (PCK).

The learning extended well beyond the classroom. Visits to OU Kosher-certified restaurants, commercial kitchens, and processing facilities throughout the tri-state area allowed participants to see the principles they studied put into practice.

Sites included David’s Cookies, Biazzo Dairy, Pelleh Poultry, Bethel Creamery, Fresh and Tasty Foods, Culinary Depot, and Alle Processing. At Alle, the Nirbater Rav, Harav Ahron Teitelbaum, Shlita, personally guided participants through the facility, teaching about the kashering of meat and demonstrating nikkur and shechita of large animals.

“The visits and demonstrations highlighted just how much knowledge, inspection, and collaboration go into a kosher symbol,” Gurfinkiel says. “You come to realize that even an ordinary product can involve a complex certification process.”

Rabbi Dovid Lewin, Rosh Kollel of Mosdos Ahavas Yehonoson-Beis Medrash Az Yashir in Ramat Beit Shemesh, participated in the three-week internship. Rabbi Lewin certifies local businesses in Israel and regularly encounters American OU-certified ingredients.

“I wanted to deepen my understanding of the OU’s standards and hashgacha process firsthand so I could better explain them to Israelis who may be less familiar with the OU and the products it certifies,” he says.

A visit to a large Pennsylvania processor of canned and frozen vegetables was particularly illuminating.

“Some might ask, ‘What could be wrong with canned vegetables that are edible raw?’” Rabbi Lewin says. “I knew there could be kashrus concerns, but the visit allowed me to see those issues in real time.”

For Gurfinkiel, the experience reinforced a lesson that transcends geography.

“The greatest lesson I took home is that kashrus is not just about checking ingredients or putting a symbol on a product,” he says. “Behind it are halachic knowledge, attention to detail, and a deep commitment to the community. Programs like ASK OU show that you can come from a small Jewish community in Poland and still learn from, contribute to, and be part of a much larger global conversation about kashrus.”

OU Kosher is now exploring opportunities to bring ASK OU programming to South America, Europe, and Israel.

“Our participants truly reflected the wonderful tapestry of Orthodox communities around the world,” says Rabbi Eleff. “Food may bring people together, but kashrus unites Klal Yisrael.”

To bring ASK OU to your community, contact OU Kosher Community Relations at 212-613-0602 or [email protected]