Kashrut Policies for Pot-Luck Meals

A message from Rabbi Michael Strassfeld:

In response to a request by the Hebrew School Committee, I developed a new policy for The SAJ that would allow for pot-luck meals at the synagogue. This policy was approved by the Ritual Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

Everyone was interested in finding a way for members of The SAJ to join together for meals and programs without the cost of catered dinners being a deterring factor. Yet, at the same time, we wanted to pay attention to the laws of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws).

Kashrut is valued as a Jewish tradition. Since it is also the practice of some members of the congregation, we wanted to make sure that all our members would feel comfortable in partaking of a pot-luck meal.

The Guidelines:

The following guidelines are the result. We believe that these guidelines accomplish our varying goals.

1. Only dairy or pareve (neutral) food can be brought to a pot-luck meal. No meat (even if kosher) can be brought to a meal.
2. Fresh fruit and vegetables are kosher and do not require a kosher symbol such as (U) or (K). Drinks such as milk, juice or soda are also kosher, even those without a kosher symbol.
3. All domestically produced cheeses are kosher even without a kosher symbol on the package.
4. Fresh fish is also kosher without a kosher symbol if it is on the list of kosher fish. Fish with scales and fins are kosher such as tuna, scrod, sole, salmon, sardines, whitefish, herring, halibut, flounder. (Canned tuna is also considered fresh fish.) Eel, catfish as well as all shellfish are not kosher.
5. Members who have a kosher home (defined below) may cook/bake in their kitchen and bring the food to share at a pot-luck meal.
6. Members who have a non-kosher home may cook/bake in their kitchen if they use brand new pots, e.g. aluminum pans, and bring that food to share at a pot-luck meal.
7. All ingredients for such food (in numbers 4 and 5 above) must be kosher. This means any processed food to be used as part of a recipe for a dish cooked in a member's home must have a kosher symbol such (U) or (K). Thus tomato sauce bought in a store must have a kosher symbol.
8. At a pot-luck meal, The SAJ kitchen will be used only as a staging area. Specifically, the conventional ovens, stove, and microwave oven will be off-limits. The refrigerators and counters can be used for storage, preparation, cutting, transferring to trays etc. (This will allow a more strict standard for the kashrut of The SAJ kitchen/ovens/stove).
9. Any commercially prepared food that has kashrut supervision can be brought to a pot-luck meal such as Entenmann's cakes or Sabra salads.
10. All food for a pot-luck must be cooked or purchased before the beginning of Shabbat.

Definition of a kosher home

A kosher home uses only kosher meat and fish. All food products used in the home's kitchen are kosher either because they carry a kosher symbol, or because the ingredients are checked to be sure that they are "naturally" kosher. There are separate dishes, pots and silverware for meat and dairy.

The decision about whether a member's kitchen meets these standards for a kosher kitchen is made by the member.

Need more help?

If there are any questions, please feel free to call me in the office 212.724.7000. I know these sound complex, but I believe with a commitment by all of us to work together we can enjoy pot-luck meals that are delicious and kosher.

Rabbi Michael Strassfeld