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We would never eat from a restaurant, caterer, or food vendor that does not display a hechsher that we trust. Why are camps and schools any different?
Why don’t you need a hechsher at a friend’s house before you eat there?
MW13
#1 If you trust the school to properly fill your child’s mind with kosher education, you trust it to fill their stomach with kosher food.
Kosher kitchens at public schools…such as the Universities or colleges have have heckshers. Here in CT The Harford Kashrut Commission supervises kosher dining at UCONN, Trinity, and Univ of Hartford. Yale is under the supervision of the Vaad HaKashrus of Fairfield County.
#2 Camps vary. There is only 1 Jewish sleep-away camp in CT. It was founded 80 years ago by the Jewish Community Council of New Haven. For decades it’s kashrut was questionable and kosher keeping Jews did not send their children there. In the early 1990s the local rabbanim insisted on a complete kashering of the camp. It’s kitchens were put under the supervision of the local Vaad and a mashgiach was sent out from New Haven every weekday to inspect and supervise cooking.
It was now kosher, but not CY.
Other camps are run by organizations and sects. If you adhere to a particular chasidic ideology, then you will trust the kitchen at their camp, just as you would eat from their shuls’ kitchen. The administration of the camp takes responsibility of the kashrut.
If the camp is privately owned and run (for profit) then it absoluteky needs a hecksher same as a hotel or restaurant.
Often they do have a hashgacha… YU’s cafeterias are certified by the OU, but with all fresh-made food Chalav Yisrael, and there’s a teudah and mashgichim at all times. My high school brought in a restaurant for food and they were obviously certified. While I’m sure some places do rely on the ne’emanus of the cook, others also have a mashgiach who may or may not come from an agency.
Once parents cease sending their children to camps lacking adequate (however they define that term) kosher standards, those standards will rise to meet the demand. However, that will undoubtedly significantly increase the cost to parents.
The school/camp gives a hecksher to itself, based on whomever they say they follow in matters of halacha. If the school/camp is not associated with someone well known, or is run by people not consider all that frum, they will need to pay for hecksher.
Consider, does the OU or Star-K need a hecksher for their own activities?
CT Lawyer,
Yes, thankfully, many universities and hospitals have kosher cafeterias under reliable hashgachos.
There’s a case to be made for proper hashgacha in schools and camps. I’ve seen many mishaps and systemic issues in such venues.
“Why Don’t Camps and School Need a Hechsher?”
Who said they dont, and why do you assume they dont have one? Have you ever asked?
“We would never eat from a restaurant, caterer, or food vendor that does not display a hechsher that we trust”
Why not? If you trusted the store owner why do you need someone else to tell you it’s true?
If r’ belsky z”l owned a restaurant you would only eat there if he paid the ou to certify it?
Camps and schools have a moral Horaah that passes their shallow, why would you need some other hashgacha?
(sorry for the worse than usual sloppy autocorrecting/spelling in previous post should read:)
“We would never eat from a restaurant, caterer, or food vendor that does not display a hechsher that we trust”
Why not? If you trusted the store owner why do you need someone else to tell you it’s kosher?
If r’ belsky z”l owned a restaurant you would only eat there if he paid the ou to certify it?
Camps and schools have a morah Horaah that pakens their shailos, If you find him releiable, why would you need some other hashgacha on top of that?
“Here in CT The Harford Kashrut Commission supervises kosher dining at UCONN, Trinity, and Univ of Hartford.”
The Hartford Kashrut Commission also certifies the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, where I just spent all eight days of Pesach.
The kashrus in a camp is the job of the camp’s rav. Same in a shul.
Popa_bar_abba
Don’t assume all ‘Jewish Camps’ that profess to be kosher have a Rav.
The one I wrote about in CT does not. It has Jewish Culture staff who lead prayer services. More than 50 years ago when I attended the shul shammos who taught me my Bar Mitzvah parsha was also the ‘Camp Rabbi’ in the summer, but he was not a Rav. That’s why a hecksher is needed.
CharlieHall>>>
Been there a number of times for events. BTW saw your pic accompanying a comment this week on an on-line AngloJewish Paper.
mw13: That doesn’t answer my question.
Secondly, there are two distinct aspects to any kashrus organization; the Poskim, who set the halachic policy, and the Mashgicihm, who ensure that the halachic standards are actually being kept up. So even if I do trust the Posek of a camp/school to set the halachic policy, how can I be sure that that halachic standards are actually being upheld?
Because that’s the rav’s job to worry about that.
“how can I be sure that that halachic standards are actually being upheld?”
How can you be sure about anything. Are you sure the UL standards the sticker claims to adhere to, were 100% complied with the last time you plugged in an appliance? Does it stop you from using it?
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