Students flock to Kosher Meal Plan

The Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, in conjunction with Residential Program Services, is offering a Kosher Meal Plan for students who wish to obey the requirements of the Jewish meal preparation.\nThe Hillel Center prepares and serves all-you-can-eat kosher dinners on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The cost of the meal plan is $400. For resident students with meal plans, $310 will be reimbursed to the Bursar account as part of the RPS meal plan service.\nFreshman Jeff Villano said he bought the Kosher Meal Plan to stay close to his religious practices.\n"I want to keep more in touch with my religion," Villano said. "I want to keep the laws better."\nRabbi Sue Shifron, director of the Hillel Center, said a true kosher meal follows strict guidelines. Animals may not be eaten unless they are a religious sacrifice, dying quickly and without pain. The blood from all meat must be drained as well. Meat and dairy cannot be eaten together.\nThe preparation of kosher meals follows the same guidelines. Utensils that have come in contact with meat may not be used to fix dairy foods. The same goes for preparing kosher food and non-kosher food. The same utensils may not be used to prepare both foods while they are still hot.\nShifron said once a kosher kitchen is established, it's easy to cook despite the strict regulations. The challenge is buying the products. Buying cheaper meats locally are not an option for kosher meals. Shifron said she buys the meat for meals from Minnesota in order to guarantee the quality.\nGraham Shepfer, coordinator of special programming for RPS, said the University provides some kosher items, but not to the extent that some students need.\n"We are trying to meet the religious diet needs," Shepfer said. "Our kitchen is not set up and doesn't have the utensils to provide the facility for (kosher) food to be cooked in."\nShifron said it's important to offer the Kosher Meal Plan to provide other options for students since freshmen are required to live in campus residence halls and buy meal plans.\n"There is a growing number of people concerned with eating kosher," Shifron said. "Sixty to 80 students regularly attend kosher meals."\nFreshman Sarah Kaplan bought the Kosher Meal Plan at the Hillel barbecue earlier in the year and feels the University is showing respect by helping to provide the plan. \n"Judaism is important to me, and kosher is a part of my Judaism," Kaplan said. "It's a great way to get to know other Jewish kids on campus."\n-- Contact staff writer Ashley Lough at amlough@indiana.edu.