Melbourne – Australian Rabbis Call for Kosher Catering at Functions
- November 2, 2009 - ט"ו חשון תש"ע
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Melbourne – Australia’s pre-eminent body of rabbis is encouraging all Jewish organisations to provide kosher catering so as to avoid embarrassing those who observe Jewish dietary requirements.
The Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia (ORA) has drafted a statement “respectfully” appealing to the community to provide only-kosher food at functions.
The request follows complaints by rabbis that an Australia Israel Cultural Exchange (AICE) lunch scheduled for early December was only offering “kosher by request”.
Albert Dadon, founder and chairman of AICE, called the matter a “storm in a tea cup”.
“Our function on December 3 is a corporate and not a communal function,” Dadon told The AJN from Israel.
“Further, and in order to have no-one feel excluded, we provide a kosher meal if you ask for it, at no further cost, even though the cost is much higher.”
He added that for organisations that represent themselves as religious, it is valid to ask them to provide only-kosher catering.
“AICE is a non-Orthodox organisation, but is respectful of the Orthodox community and serves food that is fully kosher when it invites only the Jewish community, and kosher-on-demand when it is not the case.”
Dadon added he would be eating a kosher meal at the upcoming function, as would his Israeli guests.
But ORA president Rabbi Dovid Freilich called on all organisations where Jewish people are in attendance to go further.
“ORA respectfully appeals to every Jewish communal organisation to ensure that such functions are properly kosher,” Rabbi Freilich said.
“Not just because it is the right thing to do and shows respect to our religion, but in order that no Jewish person in the community should be made to feel excluded or different because they are observant of our Jewish faith.”
He added that if it is the cost of kosher catering that is the concern for organisations, then they should approach the kashrut organisations for assistance.
“If the reason for communal organisations not having a kosher function is due to a financial consideration, then we suggest that representatives of those organisations discuss this with their state kashrut authority, who we are sure will do their utmost to use their good offices with caterers and venues to ensure the best possible pricing,” he said.
AICE is not the only organisation to serve non-kosher food at its events. The Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce in NSW has previously come under fire for serving non-kosher meals, and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council also does not always provide kosher catering at its events.
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