As part of his whirlwind tour of New York’s Jewish organizations and institutions, Rabbi David Lau, who since last June has been Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and is the son of former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, visited Orthodox Union headquarters to learn about OU Kosher and to be the guest of honor at a luncheon. Rabbi Lau is in New York for a week, in his first official visit as Chief Rabbi.

Rabbi Lau met with the OU Kosher staff and took a close look at the OU Direct online interface between OU Kosher and its clients. He was interviewed for the OU’s quarterly magazine Jewish Action by Editor Nechama Carmel. Then he proceeded to the luncheon, where he met OU Board members and was introduced by OU Executive Vice President Allen Fagin.

“We are extremely gratified and very proud of the Orthodox Union’s longstanding relationship with Rabbi Lau and his family,” Mr. Fagin said.

Rabbi Lau stated that his relationship with the OU goes back 21 years, when he first met Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher. “It’s not just in the shuls that you hear about the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Lau stated. “In every corner of the world you hear people saying, ‘OU.’”

In response to a question from OU Executive Vice President, Emeritus Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb about the more than 1,000 teenagers – half of whom do not have Jewish knowledge– who will be visiting Israel soon on NCSY summer programs, Rabbi Lau said that he has formed an organization of hundreds of young rabbis whom he will call on to visit with NCSY groups coming to Israel.

Rabbi Lau pledged to work closely with the Orthodox Union, and then was off to another part of the organized Jewish world, based in New York.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)