Kashrut is a Jewish food discipline based on a reverence for life. Specific food-related behaviors are commanded (or forbidden) in the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) and interpreted over time by the rabbinic authorities of the Jewish community. This interpretation is necessary because the commandments in the Torah aren’t always specific or easy to understand.
The laws of kashrut can be confusing and/or overwhelming upon first encounter. Understanding reverence for life as the original reason for the kashrut system is helpful in navigating all the “dos and don’ts.” See a more detailed overview of the laws of kashrut: An Introduction to the Practice of Kashrut.
Food customs play an important role in every culture, and eating together is a way of building community. Heilicher recognizes the diversity of the school community and the wide range of kashrut practices in individual homes. It acknowledges its standard of kashrut will seem stringent to some and lax to others. Regardless, its goal is to allow the school to eat together respectfully while learning about a millenia-old Jewish practice.
Food From Home
Any food brought from home for snack or lunch must be either dairy or parve (neither milk nor meat). Bringing meat (which includes poultry) or any kind of shellfish from home is not permitted.
Food From the Heilicher Kitchen
All food prepared in the Heilicher kitchen is either dairy or parve. The kitchen does not prepare meat dishes.
All ingredients used are kosher certified. Usually, this means one of the “big five” kosher certifications (OU, Circle K, Chof K, Star K, and CRC); see below for images of these certifications.
No outside food is permitted into the kitchen.
The school’s cooking and serving utensils remain in the kitchen or in the dining room and are not used anywhere else in the school.
Food Served at Heilicher Events
All food served at official Heilicher functions (e.g., Back-to-School Night), whether it is packaged food or fresh baked, will be certified kosher. A “K” without additional information is not accepted as a mark of certification.
Food Served at Off-Campus Heilicher Programs
The school’s standard of kashrut is to be maintained on all school field trips and extended off-campus programs (e.g., the sixth-grade trip to Wolf Ridge and eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C.).
The school’s standard of kashrut is to be maintained at all off-campus Parent Teacher Organization-sponsored programs (e.g., grade-level sukkah parties).
Food Served at Private Events at Heilicher Family Homes
Private events are, by definition, private. However, being an inclusive community means being sensitive to the different standards of kashrut observed within the community. Please be alert to the kashrut needs of your guests when planning birthday parties, play dates, or other social gatherings. Many local stores carry kosher-certified products (e.g., Breadsmith, Byerlys, Costco, Cub, the Kosher Spot (all in St. Louis Park).
Kosher Certification Symbols
Many individuals and organizations provide kosher certification in the United States. The following are the most common and widely accepted certifications you are likely to find on food products in Minnesota:
Questions About Kashrut
Questions about kashrut should be directed to the Director of Jewish Living and Learning.