Opinion
What is the deal with keeping kosher?
By Paula Weiman ’18 and Caroline Kreidberg ’17
April 14, 2016
Tags opinion
Hillel has been meeting with members of the Hamilton administration for over a decade to talk about implementing kosher facilities on campus. Recently, however, we concentrated our efforts to push for these facilities, partly in response to an incident last week, as well as in response to the general lack of progress over the past several years. We do not expect to have these facilities overnight, but we do think it is reasonable for the administration to give us a concrete timeline on the project to improve kosher facilities at Hamilton. Our newly public efforts have prompted a lot of questions, which we hope to address in this article.
What does kosher mean?
The laws of kashrut come from the Torah, and they dictate what is or is not kosher. These laws are too complex to explain fully in this article, but here are some of the basics: no mixing of meat and dairy; no shellfish; no pork; all livestock must be raised and butchered according to specific humane standards in order for the meat from that livestock to be kosher, which means that chicken (which is a kosher meat) is not kosher unless it has been certified that the chicken was raised and butchered according to those standards; utensils, dishes, cookware and cooking appliances that are used to cook food that is un-kosher are no longer kosher and render anything that they touch un-kosher.
What are the kosher facilities like at Hamilton?
There are no kosher dining options or facilities at Hamilton College. Hillel currently has a closet that does not lock, a refrigerator and a broken microwave. There is not a kosher oven or stove top, which means none of the food we have cooked has ever been truly kosher, although we prepare it in a way that would be kosher if a kosher oven were available. As woefully insufficient as the situation is now, it has been worse in the past. Before we were given the closet, we had to store our dishes in a Tupperware bin in the entryway to one of the bathrooms in Azel Backus House. However, at this rate of improvement, it will be decades before we have access to a kosher kitchen.
There are no truly kosher options in the dining halls either. It is not a matter of searching the dining hall diligently for something that works for a kosher meal; every meal that the dining hall serves is not kosher, no matter the ingredients that are in that particular meal, because it is served on plates and prepared with cookware and eaten with utensils that are not kosher.
Why is this an issue right now?
Last Thursday, a Hillel e-board member observed members of a different organization using kitchen items from the Hillel closet in Azel Backus House to cook food that was not kosher, including shellfish and pork, which means those items and everything they have touched are no longer kosher. They also stored non-kosher food in the Hillel fridge, so that fridge is no longer kosher, and neither is the food being stored within it. While there is a process to kasher a kosher item that was contaminated and make it kosher again, which we will use for the fridge, that process is only applicable in specific instances—for example, if a kosher meat dish has been contaminated by dairy—and that process requires tools that we do not have access to on this campus. Furthermore, it is not possible to re-kasher a dish that has touched foods that were never kosher, such as shellfish or pork. Nor should we have to; those are our personal dishes, paid for by Hillel for the sole purpose of having kosher-style dishes available for people who keep kosher.
Even though much of the Hamilton community is learning about this issue now for the first time, the problem is not new. Hillel students and advisors have been trying to work on a solution with the administration for over a decade. The idea for a kosher kitchen did not originate with the incident a week ago; we have been asking the administration to approve a plan for a kosher facility and allow us to fundraise for years.
Why does Hillel think they deserve an exclusive, private kitchen?
That is not actually what we want. We want a kosher kitchen. It is not possible to have kosher food that is not prepared in a kosher kitchen. The kosher kitchen would not be private or exclusive; rather, it would be regulated and monitored to the degree that we can ensure the kitchen remains kosher. As is currently the case, all students, faculty and staff would be welcome at every Hillel event. Hillel is an open organization. Anyone can come to Shabbat and enjoy a kosher meal. A kosher kitchen would benefit the entire campus community because it would make it easier for us to prepare the Shabbat meal we cook for the campus every week.
Right now there is no facility on campus that can accommodate our needs. People have to stand at our services because there is not enough space to sit in Azel Backus, the building where our closet is located. The oven in Azel Backus is broken to the point that it is a safety hazard; in order to open it, we must raise the stovetop, use utensils to pry open the oven lock and then open the oven door. In a meeting this week, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Nancy Thompson recommended a potential temporary alternative to Azel Backus, which Hillel is willing to try, although the temporary space is not kosher either and comes with its own set of complications.
We want to stress that we are not just asking for a place to cook dinner. We are asking for one space on campus to be kosher so that we can can properly celebrate Shabbat, an event which is one of the most important religious and cultural aspects of Judaism.
Is it really necessary to have kosher options at Hamilton?
Yes. Keeping kosher is not a choice; it is an important aspect of the Jewish religion. I cannot choose not to follow the laws of kashrut (which dictate what is and is not kosher) any more than I can choose not observe the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; because I am Jewish and that is part of how I practice Judaism, I must do those things. Refusing Jews the right to keep kosher is a time-honored tradition among those who seek to oppress Jews, from the Ancient Assyrians to the Nazis. During the Holocaust, people suspected of being Jews were ordered to break kosher laws by eating pork to prove they were not Jewish, and many refused; there are Jewish people who have died rather than break kosher laws.
Some people have suggested that we are treating kosher food as a higher or equal priority to food allergies. This is simply not the case. We understand that food allergies can be quite severe. We are not asking that food allergies not be accommodated; we are asking that our religious beliefs be addressed and accommodated. The way that I have been raised to practice Judaism has never imposed punishment for breaking kashrut, but I have never intentionally broken kashrut. To me, that would constitute a rejection of my religion. Telling me that I have the choice not to keep kosher is akin to telling me that I have the choice not to be Jewish. Being Jewish is not simply a choice that I make; it is who I am. No one has the right to tell someone else to “choose” not to be true to their identity.
As for food allergies, Hillel accommodates everyone who approaches us with their dietary restrictions. We regularly prepare separate meals for students who cannot eat certain foods but still wish to celebrate Shabbat with us. We understand the importance of providing options for students with food allergies, even though it would be more convenient and cheaper not to prepare them separately. We do this because it is important to us to be an inclusive organization, and we want everyone who wants to participate in our holiday celebrations is able to do so. We are asking Hamilton College to extend the same courtesy to us, to accommodate and be inclusive of the Jewish identities of those who follow kashrut.
What can I do to help?
Educate yourself and others. We have been asking for this for over a decade. If it was not truly important we would have given up by now. If you are confused about anything, reach out to members of Hillel. There will be events in the coming weeks to learn more about what it means to keep kosher—show up! Most of all, keep talking about this. When everyone recognizes that it is important, that is when we will really be able to make things change.