The freshman class attended a special Yom Iyun, a day of learning focusing on kashrut, on Wednesday, December 30.  Kashrut, which deals with the most basic aspect of our lives, the food we eat, may not always be the most exciting topic to discuss, but the assembly got off to a great start with a game of Family Feud. Ninth graders were challenged to name brands of kosher gum, foods that many people believe do not need a hechsher (kosher supervision), but actually do, and foods that may be purchased without a hechser.

Following the game, a representative from the kashrut division of the Orthodox Union, the OU, discussed the challenges of keeping kosher. He said that even kosher store owners mistakenly buy non kosher products, because the brand generally sells supervised products. He stressed that we always need to look for a hechsher on anything we buy, even if we are familiar with the brand.

Then, the freshmen were split up into small groups and discussed different scenarios addressing peer pressure and keeping kosher. For example in one scenario, a sports team wants to celebrate a recent victory at a non-kosher restaurant. The students then discussed what they would do in that situation. Many students believed that they would announce that they were going to go to a kosher restaurant and everyone was invited to join them.

For the last formal part of the Yom Iyun, rabbis at Frisch addressed questions about kashrut submitted by freshman, ranging from mixing milk and meat to the reason that we do not eat giraffes. One point that was discussed at length was the need to chew kosher gum as non-kosher gum may have glycerol in it, which is fat from a pig. The Rabbis stressed that they are always available to answer questions because there are times when one can be lenient and other times where strict rules apply.

The freshman class was then treated to kosher pizza and cookies.