NEW YORK (Press release) — On any given day, Rabbi Zvi Nussbaum, the rabbinic coordinator responsible for managing OU Kosher’s year-round consumer hotline, fields about 150 kashrus-related phone calls. With less than a month until Pesach — OU Kosher’s busiest season — that number will double in the coming weeks, as Yom Tov-based shaylos stream in from Jews worldwide.
Along with Rabbi Nussbaum, OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Chanoch Sofer, also known as the Webbe Rebbe, is poised to address over 3,000 Pesach-themed questions expected to arrive via email.
“We’re the only hashgacha with a live hotline, and it’s our pleasure to serve the tzibbur,” says OU Kosher Managing Director of Marketing and Community Relations Rabbi Eli Eleff. “Each year, to meet the high demand for Pesach support, an additional 30 rabbanim join our team in the week before Yom Tov, and hotline hours are greatly extended. For more detailed guidance, consumers are also encouraged to consult our OU Guide to Pesach, our dedicated Pesach website, oupassover.org, and the OU Kosher app.”
We asked Rabbi Eleff to share some frequently asked Pesach questions posed by consumers, and OU Kosher’s teshuvos:
May I buy any kosher raw fish for Pesach, or does it need to be labeled with an OU-P?
OU Kosher-certified raw frozen fish is acceptable for Pesach, as long as it is plain, additive-free, and neither smoked, spiced nor seasoned. A detailed list of acceptable brands is available at https://oukosher.org/passover/food-items/#fish.
What are the guidelines for purchasing meat and poultry?
While OU Kosher-certified factories always pack unprocessed raw meat and poultry on equipment that is chametz-free year-round, ground, cooked, or broiled meat and poultry may be processed on equipment that also handles chametz products. Accordingly, the following guidelines should be observed:
Raw meat and poultry sold in original, factory-sealed packages may be used for Pesach when bearing an OU (even without an OU-P).
Meat and poultry that are repackaged by a local supermarket or butcher should not be used for Pesach, unless there is a special Pesach program in place. For information regarding specific venues, contact your local supervising agency.
Ground, cooked, or broiled meat and poultry (including liver) are only kosher for Pesach when bearing an OU-P or another reliable supervision. Exceptions to this rule are listed in our OU Guide to Pesach.
My pet’s food contains chametz. What should I do for Pesach?
Since it is forbidden to own or benefit from chametz during Pesach, food that contains chametz may not be fed to pets. However, it is permitted to give pets food that contains kitniyot.
If one is unable to procure pet food that does not contain chametz, some rabbinical authorities allow for a sale, which would transfer the ownership and responsibility of caring for your pet to a non-Jew. Consult your rabbi for guidance.
May I buy Kirkland brand bottled water for Pesach?
Kirkland Purified Water with minerals is approved for use on Pesach, but only when purchased prior to the start of Pesach.
I take vitamin C (ascorbic acid) daily. May I take it on Pesach?
Non-chewable, unflavored OU Kosher-certified vitamin C tablets or pills are acceptable for Pesach, since non-chewable pills are inedible, and swallowing pills for medicinal purposes is not considered eating chametz. Moreover, since most ascorbic acid manufacturers do not produce it from wheat glucose, one can generally assume that the vitamin C pill being consumed is from that majority.
In cases when an OU Kosher-certified vitamin C tablet is unavailable, any unflavored tablet, pill, or vegetarian capsule of vitamin C is acceptable during Pesach.
Chewable vitamin C tablets or other flavored vitamin C supplements should be avoided for Pesach. In addition to the issue of the ascorbic acid, a number of other ingredients used to compose these products can be chametz as well.
As the primary resource for consumers seeking halachic guidance both throughout the year and during Pesach, Rabbi Eleff says OU Kosher takes its role very seriously.
“Questions come in from individuals, caterers and rabbanim from around the world,” says Rabbi Eleff. “We understand that sometimes issues come up at the last minute. We once got a call from Lubavitch shluchim in Poland right before Pesach, and we were able to provide the information they needed in time. OU Kosher is happy to be there for Klal Yisrael when they need it most.”
OU Kosher Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant adds, “The OU Kosher team finds nothing more rewarding than connecting with the community through kashrus questions. Seeing people eager to learn and do what’s right for Pesach fills us with joy, and we look forward to repeating the experience next year, im yirtze Hashem.”
OU Kosher’s hotline (212-613-8241) will be open for extended hours in the week before Pesach (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), including on Sunday (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) and erev Yom Tov (10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). It will also be open on Chol Hamoed. Contact OU Kosher’s Webbe Rebbe at kosherq@ou.org, and download the OU Guide to Passover at oukosher.org/passover/download-passover-guide-signup.
*
Preceding provided by the Orthodox Union