JTF.ORG Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: muman613 on February 18, 2011, 03:21:13 PM
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Well this is indeed good news.... Finally a mainstream Orthodox Jewish organization is standing up to Obama and his totally misguided {evil} decision to join the censure of Israel {instead of vetoing it like he should}.
I have been a supporting member of the Orthodox Union for several years now and I am happy to see that my support of a great organization {responsible for ensuring that I can easily get Kosher food} is also standing up for issues of importance to Jews including the defense of Israel.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2011/02/the_backlash_against_obamas_un.html
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Meanwhile, the Orthodox Union is the first major pro-Israel group to push back on the president's gambit to "compromise" on a U.N. resolution condemning Israel for its settlements. The statement includes this:
We write to you on behalf of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, to urge you to direct your Administration to oppose a resolution that may be brought to the United Nations Security Council which would characterize Israeli "settlement activity" as "illegal" or "illegitimate". Anything short of the United States casting a veto against a resolution containing such language would be a deviation from America's historic support for Israel against assaults at the UN and, we suggest, counterproductive to your Administration's interests and goals in the Middle East.
Assertions that Israeli "settlement activity" is illegal under international law are incorrect as such a position is at variance with United Nations Resolution 242.
Passed in 1967, Resolution 242 calls for Israel to return "territories" captured during its defensive war of 1967. The words "all" and "the" were proposed by those who advocated a complete return, but the U.S. and Great Britain, which opposed that view, prevailed. Even partial return of captured territories is conditioned on "termination of all claims of belligerency" and "acknowledgment of the sovereignty . . . of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." Resolution 242 does not mention the rights of non-states, such as the Palestinian Authority, Hamas or Hezbollah, the latter two of which do not accept the conditions of the resolution. (Nor do Iran and several other states in the region.) . . . .
A Security Council resolution declaring "settlement activity" as "illegitimate" is no better, and no less counterproductive, than a resolution asserting it's illegality. Such phrasing by an authoritative body such as the Security Council is nothing more than semantics. Given the record of animosity toward Israel in the UN and its bodies and the actions and stated intentions of the resolution's proponents, it is clear that a slightly amended text would be used for the same purposes against Israel; to further isolate the Jewish State diplomatically, utilize the UN and other international entities to pressure Israel economically, and ultimately undermine Israel's security.
Bravo to the O.U. Now where are the rest of the pro-Israel groups? And, more to the point, will self-described friends of Israel on the Democratic side confront the president on this issue?
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בס''ד
The OU supported the Oslo suicide accords. These traitors actually placed full-page ads in the New York Nazi Times supporting the agreements to hand over the Land of Israel to the Arab Hitler Yasser Arafat and the PLO-Fatah Nazi mass murderers.
The OU also worked against freeing the Jewish hero Jonathan Pollard. David Luchins, yimach shmo vezichro, was the OU vice president at the time and he led a campaign against freeing Pollard. Luchins was also on the staff of the Jew-hating late and unlamented Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, yimach shmo vezichro. While on Moynihan's staff, Luchins contacted other Senators and Congressmen to urge them to oppose Pollard's release. When Luchins was invited to speak to Jewish groups and non-Jewish groups, he devoted his speeches to attacking Pollard and opposing his release. My sister actually heckled Luchins and caused him to run off the stage when he attacked Pollard during a speech he was giving in Israel.
The OU is an extraordinarily evil organization of self-hating traitors. "Religious" traitors are far worse than secular ones. The OU is the ultimate chillul Hashem.
Any statements they issue are completely phony.
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Yes luchins i remember that Y.U. asst to Moynahan luchins only claim to fame
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So according to JTF there is no religious Jewish organization which is doing anything to help Eretz Yisroel? Is that what you are saying?
I find it hard to believe that JTF cannot find a single Jewish organization to speak of kindly... That is troubling..
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Chaim,
I have found information which disputes your accusation...
OU has stood up for Pollards release:
http://www.ou.org/torah/article/should_jonathan_pollard_be_released
Should Jonathan Pollard Be Released?
A broad-based interfaith coalition comprised of more than 500 members of the clergy and community leaders have sent a letter to President Barack Obama, in which they called on the President to commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard to time served.
The letter was spearheaded by David Nyer, an Orthodox Jewish activist, who collaborated on with both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations. Nyer noted that Jonathan Pollard's life sentence is grossly disproportionate when compared to the sentences of others who have spied for allied nations. Pollard, who just began his 26th year in federal prison, has repeatedly expressed his remorse publicly and in private in letters. His health has deteriorated significantly during his two-and-a-half decades in prison.
The signatories on the letter include prominent religious and communal leaders from a wide array of Christian and Jewish communities, including representatives of Alliance for Jewish Renewal, American Values, Amit, Association of Reform Zionists of America, B'nai B'rith International, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Christians United for Israel, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, EMUNAH of America, Florida Council of Churches, Hebrew Union College, Hillel, JCC's of North America, Jewish Women International, National Council of Young Israel, New York Board of Rabbis, ORT America, Inc., Orthodox Union, Rabbinical Council of America, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Religious Zionists of America-Mizrachi, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Union for Reform Judaism, Yeshiva University, and the Zionist Organization of America.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX8KY4VxoXk
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2010/100510.htm
October 5, 2010
Dear Colleagues,
We hope this e-mail finds you well, inspired anew by a very pleasant, meaningful holiday season and excited to begin the new school year.
As you will see below, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, together with Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York, Congressman Ed Towns of New York and Congressman Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, are leading an initiative to send a letter to President Obama asking the President to grant clemency to Jonathan Pollard. Congressman Frank is circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter to other members of Congress asking them to add their signatures to the letter to President Obama (a copy of the letter can be found below). The goal is to present the letter to the President within the next two weeks.
The Orthodox Union has long been supportive of efforts to secure Mr. Pollard's release. A letter signed by many members of Congress could have a powerful impact in helping make this happen. It is important that we encourage as many Congresspersons as possible to sign onto the letter. Therefore, we request that you please share this information with your students, and encourage them to bring this information home to their parents and enlist their parents' aid in contacting their Congresspersons to urge them to sign this letter. Questions about this can be addressed to Congressman Barney Franks' office.
With best wishes for a spectacular school year,
Sincerely,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
Director of Day School and Educational Services
Rabbi Cary Friedman
Associate Director of Day School and Educational Services
Orthodox Union
11 Broadway, 14th floor
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8165
Fax: 212-613-0748
www.OU.org
http://jta.org/news/article/2010/10/12/2741254/orthodox-reform-groups-back-pollard-clemency
http://www.jweekly.com/includes/print/2483/article/orthodox-union-chief-makes-plea-to-u-s-on-pollard-s-behalf/
Orthodox Union chief makes plea to U.S. on Pollard’s behalf
Friday, February 2, 1996 | by
DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN
NEW YORK—The president of the Orthodox Union has asked the U.S. ambassador to Israel to intercede with President Clinton on behalf of Jonathan Pollard, the American Jew serving a life sentence in the United States for spying for Israel.
O.U. president Mendell Ganchrow met with Ambassador Martin Indyk on Thursday of last week, just before the diplomat addressed about 350 O.U. members attending the organization's conference in Jerusalem.
Indyk did not respond to Ganchrow's request in his speech.
The O.U. held its weeklong convention in Jerusalem to honor the city's 3,000th anniversary.
Israel officially granted citizenship to Pollard last week.
"Clinton told American Jewish leaders that he would not consider clemency for Jonathan until the legal papers were actually filed, which Pollard did two weeks ago," said Ganchrow in an interview from Jerusalem.
"Now the Israeli government has granted Pollard a passport," he added.
"In view of those two facts, we ask that he act on it so that Jonathan Pollard can spend Pesach in Israel. He has served enough time. He should be allowed to leave."
The O.U. has about 1,000 member synagogues, said Ganchrow, and represents some 600,000 Orthodox American Jews.
Pollard, who was arrested outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 1985, has served 10 years in federal prisons. Several parole requests have been denied.
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By the way.. I am not trying to be contrary to Chaims comments. I am seeking to see the good in an organization which, although it is not 100% Kahanist in ideology, still is a Jewish organization which does a lot for the Jewish people.
I realize that Chaims opinion comes from a good place, I reserve the right to have a good opinion of OU...
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The politicians listed such as Franks, Weiner and company are quite evil and honestly they are not worth the powder needed to blow them into h-ll... 1996 was quite some time ago... In all the years since then I have heard little or nothing about them working to free Pollard.
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The politicians listed such as Franks, Weiner and company are quite evil and honestly they are not worth the powder needed to blow them into h-ll... 1996 was quite some time ago... In all the years since then I have heard little or nothing about them working to free Pollard.
I posted their recent call to free Jonathan Pollard @ http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2010/100510.htm
It was written in October 2010...
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From the wikipage for OU:
Synagogue affiliation
The OU requires that all member synagogues follow Orthodox Jewish interpretations of Jewish law and tradition. Men and women are seated separately, and nearly always are separated by a mechitza, a physical divider between the men's and women's section of the synagogue. OU synagogues follow Religious Zionism, meaning that they support the existence of the State of Israel. The laws of Shabbat (the Sabbath) and Kashrut (dietary laws) are stressed. Members of OU synagogues have a diverse political background, and are not necessarily members of any one political party. Orthodox Jews are somewhat more politically conservative than less- or non-observant Jews. They daven (recite prayers) exclusively in Hebrew, using the same traditional text of the siddur (prayer book) that has been used in Ashkenazi Jewish communities for the last few centuries. Until recently the most common prayer book used in OU synagogues has been Ha-Siddur Ha-Shalem edited by Philip Birnbaum. In recent years the most common siddur has been the Rabbinical Council of America edition of the Artscroll siddur, a prayer book that is identical to the regular Artscroll siddur, but for the addition of a new preface, and the inclusion of prayers for the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces. Until recently the most common Hebrew-English Humash (holy book) used has been the Pentateuch and Haftarahs, edited by Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz; in recent years this has been supplanted by The Chumash: The Stone Edition, also known as the Artscroll Chumash.
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I posted their recent call to free Jonathan Pollard @ http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2010/100510.htm
It was written in October 2010...
Yes, I was just rereading your post and saw that... Still I find it very hard to believe the politicians listed would go the extra mile for Pollard... I won't argue the point because political interests make people do things that are out of character for them... If Weiner and Frank are stepping up for Pollard there is something in it for them.
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Yes, I was just rereading your post and saw that... Still I find it very hard to believe the politicians listed would go the extra mile for Pollard... I won't argue the point because political interests make people do things that are out of character for them... If Weiner and Frank are stepping up for Pollard there is something in it for them.
My comments are not regarding the politicians... My only concern here is to see the good that the OU has done by standing up against the censure of Israel by the UN...
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One final note before I stop posting because Shabbat will start in NY in about 20 minutes...
I hope that JTF can one day soon take on all of these issues and not need any other organization... But I also think that we should appreciate the good things that are done by these other organizations and point out the errors that they have made, with constructive rebuke...
Certainly it would be best if OU and other Jewish organizations take on a more active and aggressive roll in promoting Jewish interests...
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בס''ד
I don't have time to fully respond to Muman's comments. But these comments are 100% wrong! The OU are cursed traitors.
Their more recent statements on Pollard can never erase the fact that they spent decades undermining the campaign to release him - an unforgivable crime which they will burn for.
The OU are "religious" prostitutes without an ounce of principles. They represent the ultimate evil. They are far worse than Peace Now or other secular traitors.
They supported Israeli national suicide and have been loyal supporters of the self-hating, monstrous American Jewish establishment.
May they rot in hell for their crimes against the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and Jewish heroes like Jonathan Pollard.
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So according to JTF there is no religious Jewish organization which is doing anything to help Eretz Yisroel? Is that what you are saying?
I find it hard to believe that JTF cannot find a single Jewish organization to speak of kindly... That is troubling..
Are you trying to deny what he just claimed about the OU?
Or you accept that it's true they did those things but you prefer cognitive dissonance?
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בס''ד
The OU supported the Oslo suicide accords. These traitors actually placed full-page ads in the New York Nazi Times supporting the agreements to hand over the Land of Israel to the Arab Hitler Yasser Arafat and the PLO-Fatah Nazi mass murderers.
The OU also worked against freeing the Jewish hero Jonathan Pollard. David Luchins, yimach shmo vezichro, was the OU vice president at the time and he led a campaign against freeing Pollard. Luchins was also on the staff of the Jew-hating late and unlamented Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, yimach shmo vezichro. While on Moynihan's staff, Luchins contacted other Senators and Congressmen to urge them to oppose Pollard's release. When Luchins was invited to speak to Jewish groups and non-Jewish groups, he devoted his speeches to attacking Pollard and opposing his release. My sister actually heckled Luchins and caused him to run off the stage when he attacked Pollard during a speech he was giving in Israel.
The OU is an extraordinarily evil organization of self-hating traitors. "Religious" traitors are far worse than secular ones. The OU is the ultimate chillul Hashem.
Any statements they issue are completely phony.
This is why I always rip up their mailings for donations...what a waste!
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As far as this October 2010 business, it sounds to me like they finally decided that after all this time making Yonatan Pollard suffer, maybe now since he has enough years in jail, they can speak on his behalf and not have as much fear that the goyim will backlash against them for demanding his release (or requesting). That, or their constituents have become far more rightwing than they ever imagined and now they are trying to save face. Of course neither of these are the roles of a Jewish leader!
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Here's another example of their failure:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/SendMail.aspx?print=print&type=6&item=1871
Why is American Jewry Silent?
Adar 16, 5771, 20 February 11 07:39
by from "Fundamentally Freund" - Michael Freund
(Israelnationalnews.com) Where is American Jewry?
At a time when thousands of Jews in Gush Katif and northern Samaria face the prospect of expulsion from their homes in just two weeks' time, most US Jewish groups seem to have lost their voices, preferring to ignore the plight of their brethren rather than speak out on their behalf.
Nowhere has the political cowardice been more blatant than among the leadership of American Orthodoxy. Despite the close ties that many religious Jews in the United States have to the Jewish communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, organizations such as the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America have refused to come out openly against the expulsion.
In the article below that I wrote, which ran in the Jerusalem Post, I tried to draw attention to this failure of leadership. If you feel as I do, e-mail the two organizations (keep it short and polite) and let them know what you think of their wishy-washy stances on the issue of expelling Jews from their homes in the Land of Israel.
Write the Orthodox Union at: [email protected] and [email protected]
Write the Rabbinical Council of America at: [email protected]
The clock is ticking, and there is no time to waste. We must raise our voices now on behalf of the Jews in Gush Katif and northern Samaria, and pray for Divine mercy at this critical hour. The future of our people, and of our Land, is at stake.
The Jerusalem Post, August 3, 2005
The Silence of American Jewry
By Michael Freund
The bulldozers are revving up, thousands of protesters are taking to the streets, and Israel's security forces are practicing mock evacuations – but that hasn't stopped the bulk of American Jewry from striking a shamefully casual pose of inexplicable silence.
With just two weeks remaining before the start of the proposed withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria, an event that could prove to be one of the most wrenching and painful in all of Israel's modern history, one would have expected US Jews to be in an uproar.
Sure, you'll find an occasional article on the subject, and perhaps even a protest or two, but there is little passion informing the debate and, quite frankly, not much of a debate taking place on the subject at all.
With the exception of a handful of groups such as the Zionist Organization of America and Americans for a Safe Israel, it is as if much of the organized American Jewish community has chosen to disengage itself precisely when Israel faces one of its most divisive moments ever.
Take, for example, the intimidation and harassment faced by opponents of the withdrawal in Israel, numerous cases of which have been documented in recent months.
In the past, American Jews have consistently shown themselves to be among the most vocal of critics when it comes to issues of human rights and civil liberties, both domestically and abroad.
Nonetheless, despite a series of disturbing developments, ranging from the singling out of religious Jews by Israel's police to the illegal detention of minors, the American Jewish community has largely fallen silent, failing to raise its voice against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's heavy-handed tactics.
Even the underlying moral issue at stake here – whether a Jewish government should be forcing Jews out of their homes in the Jewish state – has hardly received the airing it deserves.
Regardless of whether they support or oppose the pullout, how is it possible for so many American Jews to utter barely a peep when such a momentous issue is confronting the Jewish state? Have they become so disconnected from life in Israel that they fail to appreciate the importance of the current situation?
This state of dormancy is not limited to a particular sector of US Jewry. But nowhere has it been more palpable, or more startling, than among the Orthodox leadership, whose constituency has perhaps the strongest ties of any group to the Jews of Gush Katif.
Indeed, for all their outspoken stances on a range of other issues, many of America's Orthodox leaders have been unusually reticent when it comes to the Gaza expulsion plan, preferring to avoid taking a clear stance on the issue, or sidestepping it altogether.
And so, in recent months, the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) chose to release just one statement regarding the withdrawal, the same number of statements that were released on issues such as downloading material from the Internet and utilizing gambling as a fundraising tool in the Jewish community.
BUT WHEREAS the RCA at least had the moral courage to take a stand against gambling, it failed to muster a similar level of clarity when it came to Sharon's gamble with Jewish lives known as the Gaza withdrawal plan.
Incredibly, its statement on the proposed withdrawal takes no position on the issue, simply stating that "If an evacuation occurs, it should be done with the greatest sensitivity and honor." In other words, as far as the RCA is concerned, if you are going to throw thousands of innocent human beings out of their homes, at least make sure to do it with a smile.
Then there is the Orthodox Union (OU), the venerable organization that aims to serve as the central voice of Orthodox Jews in the United States and Canada. A month ago the group issued a statement that, despite being long-winded, also failed to delineate a clear stance regarding the Gaza retreat.
To its credit, the OU has taken Sharon to task for his government's "indifference to civil liberties," but it has still refused to condemn the expulsion itself, instead invoking slogans about a diversity of views among their membership.
Apparently, some Orthodox leaders seem to think that political convenience trumps Jewish law. They would do well to recall the words of Maimonides, who noted in his Mishneh Torah that it is a biblical commandment for Jews to cry out to God when we are beset by a national crisis or trauma, such as when land is about to be taken away from the Jewish people.
In the Laws of Fast Days, Maimonides warns that if the Jewish people "do not call out and do not blow the shofar, but rather say that this is happening to us because it is the way of the world," they will inevitably bring still further trouble upon themselves and their brethren.
In other words, remaining silent is simply not an option. Inaction also has consequences, and American Jews deserve to know where their leaders stand, and whether they are for or against the proposed retreat.
The sad state of affairs of the Orthodox leadership in America was best summed up by a recent editorial in the Brooklyn-based Orthodox weekly, The Jewish Press, which said, "Rabbis, where are you? Rabbis of Agudath Israel, rabbis of the Orthodox Union, rabbis of the RCA: Why are you not crying out until your prayers reach Heaven? Why are you not leading us?"
At a time of such great turmoil and upheaval for the Jewish people, it is a question that deserves an answer.
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More OU (and RCA by the way) failure
http://www.ou.org/pdf/ja/5766/winter66/DidAmerJews.pdf
Pay attention to the rejoinder article though because one important point Rabbi Blau makes is that the charedim in Israel also betrayed the settlers. It doesn't justify the evil of the OU and RCA, but R Feldman's portrayal in the initial article was not totally accurate when he tried to portray haredi solidarity with the gush katif people. There was no such thing.
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I am not here to defend or accuse OU...
I will just say that their involvement with Kashrut, Kiruv, and Torah education is amazing.
I also think it is better to try to work with other Jewish organizations than to tear them down, which sometimes I feel like we do too often.
Of course I am an advocate for the release of Pollard, and of course I was against Oslo and the suicide solution. But I also think that people can change... There are many who were duped by the prospect of peace, and their intentions were still good.
I will consider what has been said here, but I wish others would consider what I am saying...
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I honestly feel that groups like this counteract and negate all their positive work (in kashrut, kiruv, Torah, or whatever else) when they betray the Jews as a people and they look out only for their own hides and their own bottom line ($$$$). It is NOT the role of true Jewish leadership to make profits and guard profits over the Jewish values and Jewish law that they preach. And of course it's not the role of Jewish leadership to be in utter fear of what the goyim will say when they are living in the freest country on earth and their job is supposed to be to stand up for Jews.
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I honestly feel that groups like this counteract and negate all their positive work (in kashrut, kiruv, Torah, or whatever else) when they betray the Jews as a people and they look out only for their own hides and their own bottom line ($$$$). It is NOT the role of true Jewish leadership to make profits and guard profits over the Jewish values and Jewish law that they preach. And of course it's not the role of Jewish leadership to be in utter fear of what the goyim will say when they are living in the freest country on earth and their job is supposed to be to stand up for Jews.
Years ago I always had great respect for the OU and organizations like it because I always felt the were keeping an eye on the foods they put their seal of approval on... As time went on I see that they are not what the uninformed believe them to be... This is sad in a way because whenever I bought a product with their seal on it I always felt that I was getting a better product since the supplier was being held to a standard... Organizations like the OU should go back to basics and concern themselves with issues of kashrut and nothing else.
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If I remember watching one of the JTF shows on MNN with Yosef Ben Meir, who said he hated the OU. Because of that, he would never buy anything with an OU label on it. Instead he went with foods showing the "K" label.
Chaim, can you please elaborate on this, as well as the time your sister heckled David Luchins?
Thanks.
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Most kashrus agencies are corrupt as it is.
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If I remember watching one of the JTF shows on MNN with Yosef Ben Meir, who said he hated the OU. Because of that, he would never buy anything with an OU label on it. Instead he went with foods showing the "K" label.
Chaim, can you please elaborate on this, as well as the time your sister heckled David Luchins?
Thanks.
I was actually misled to believe that the OU was the higher of the standards however is the K label the better of the two? Yosef Ben Meir was a person I highly respected so if he went by this I would think he was on the right track.
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The OU are vicious Jew-hating Nazi beasts who consider oceans of Jewish blood and endless Jewish torture to be Kosher.
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CJD, I don't think you were misled. From what I've always understood, the OU logo means food is kosher by Orthodox standards. The K logo means kosher by Conservative standards. As for the difference, one time, my sister bought this fruit flavored yogurt with a "K" logo, which also contained gelatin. So she called the company and asked why the yogurt was given the K logo being that it contained gelatin. The people she spoke with gave her some cockamamie explanation of how the gelatin was so processed that it didn't really matter, or something to that effect.
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I have heard that OU is of higher Kosher standard than K... But it depends on who you ask...
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CJD, I don't think you were misled. From what I've always understood, the OU logo means food is kosher by Orthodox standards. The K logo means kosher by Conservative standards. As for the difference, one time, my sister bought this fruit flavored yogurt with a "K" logo, which also contained gelatin. So she called the company and asked why the yogurt was given the K logo being that it contained gelatin. The people she spoke with gave her some cockamamie explanation of how the gelatin was so processed that it didn't really matter, or something to that effect.
Lisa,
This may be relevant to what you were talking about:
http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/printAsk.aspx/ENG/2628
Topic: When is a "by-product" no longer a "by-product"?
Shalom! I saw a recent news item that a company has developed a machine to turn the waste parts left from animal slaughter into "food-grade" proteins, flavorings, colorings, etc. I know that this is the very thing the kashering organizations are to guard against, but I was disturbed to hear that some rabbinic opinions hold that this "waste" undergoes such an amount of processing that it becomes parve. Do the major organizations (i.e. OU, Circle K, Triangle K, Star-K in the US) hold this opinion or does the material remain trafe?
Rabbi Elchanan Lewis
Answer:
I don't know exactly what you are talking about but it sounds very much like the Gelatin case.
Gelatin is made of non kosher animals' bones etc. and yet can be Kosher.
Derivatives of animals which are uneatable under specific circumstances can be kosher as it is not classified as meat from a non-kosher animal.
There are endless Responses over this issue and more than one opinion can be found.
The Kashrut authorities follow the different Halachic authorities and will treat Gelatin and similar by products accordingly.
(Rambam Maachalot Asurot 4, 18; Rema YD 87, 10; Har Tzvi YD 83; Minchat Yitzchak 5, 5; Tzitz Eliezer 4 introduction, and many more)
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I have heard that OU is of higher Kosher standard than K... But it depends on who you ask...
K is BAD hashgacha! It's conservative or something. OK is good (it's a K inside of an O, like how OU has the U inside and O). Triangle K is also iffy from what I heard.
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K is BAD hashgacha! It's conservative or something. OK is good (it's a K inside of an O, like how OU has the U inside and O). Triangle K is also iffy from what I heard.
Yes, I know about triangle K... I think that is what Hebrew National Hot-Dogs has...
http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=71361
Hebrew National, a major purveyor of kosher products, last year replaced its in-house supervision with the independent Triangle K kashrut organization.
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Yes, I know about triangle K... I think that is what Hebrew National Hot-Dogs has...
http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=71361
Yeah but Rav Abadi (former posek of Lakewood!) on his site kashrut.org says that it's kosher, it's just that some may want to keep to higher stringencies if they are completely observant and punctilious about everything else. But m'ikkar ha din (the essence of the law is the translation I guess), the hebrew national hotdogs are kosher if a person eats them, and if they are not holding at a high level in everything else, it's the least of their worries. That was the basic overview of the response on his site to queries about that.
(BTW the triangle K is run by a frum Jew (orthodox rabbi), not a conservative rabbi!)
It is a combination of politics and extra stringencies which have caused the "controversy" over hebrew national hotdogs.
As to just a letter "K" - I don't even know if that's a hashgaha at all because any company can put any letter on a box of their products, there is no trademark on just a letter, it has to have a design. So a letter K by itself means nothing.
However, some cereals which have a K, or which have no hashgaha (and no K at all) are indeed kosher, which I found listed at Rav Abadi's site, where they determine this based on the ingredients (the old-fashioned way). For instance - Fruit loops. Because there really is no need at all for certification on non-dairy, non-meat product if the ingredients are verified and known individually to be kosher. Certification is red tape in that case or a certainty so the buyer doesn't have to look up every ingredient (or post them to Rav Abadi's site, or whatever) to determine if the product is kosher.
Nowadays there are a great number of hashgaha's including half-moon-K (which is now kosher to orthodox standards), circle K, triangle K, OU, Khof-K, etc etc etc
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Years ago I always had great respect for the OU and organizations like it because I always felt the were keeping an eye on the foods they put their seal of approval on... As time went on I see that they are not what the uninformed believe them to be... This is sad in a way because whenever I bought a product with their seal on it I always felt that I was getting a better product since the supplier was being held to a standard... Organizations like the OU should go back to basics and concern themselves with issues of kashrut and nothing else.
Indeed it was once a great organization led by a great man Rabbi Shlomo Alexander Rosenberg ZT"L. He was a tzaddik who refused to compromise his values and kept the standards no matter what monetary concerns arose. I don't know what to think about its state of affairs today.
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The OU are vicious Jew-hating Nazi beasts who consider oceans of Jewish blood and endless Jewish torture to be Kosher.
LOL, that's one way of putting it.