Orthodox Union

Not to be confused withUnion of Orthodox Rabbis.

Orthodox Union

תורה ומצוות
Current logo
Abbreviation	OU
Formation	1898(1898)
Founder	Henry Pereira Mendes
Headquarters	New York City,US
Coordinates	40°42′19″N74°00′51″W
President	Mitchel R. Aeder
Chairman	Yehuda Neuberger
Affiliations	Orthodox Judaism
Website	www.ou.org
Formerly called	Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

TheOrthodox Union(abbreviatedOU)is one of the largestOrthodox Jewishorganizations in theUnited States.Founded in 1898,the OU supports a network ofsynagogues,youth programs,JewishandReligious Zionistadvocacy programs, programs for the disabled, localized religious study programs, and international units with locations inIsraeland formerly inUkraine.The OU maintains akosher certification service,whose circled-Uhechshersymbol,U+24CAⓊCIRCLED LATIN CAPITAL LETTER U,is found on the labels of many kosher commercial and consumer food products.

Its synagogues and theirrabbistypically identify themselves withModern OrthodoxJudaism.

History

Foundation

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America was founded as a lay synagogue federation in 1898 by RabbiHenry Pereira Mendes.Its founding members were predominately modern, Western-educated Orthodox rabbis and lay leaders, of whom several were affiliated with theJewish Theological Seminary(JTS), which originated as an Orthodox institution to combat the hegemony of theReform movement.

Cracks between the OU and JTS first formed in 1913, whenSolomon Schechterdecided all alums of the institution would be allowed to apply for managerial positions in the newly createdUnited Synagogue of America(then a non-denominational communal organization), though his close ally RabbiFrederick de Sola Mendesadvocated that only strictly pious ones should be so approved. Only then did Mendes begin to distinguish between "Conservative" and "Modern Orthodox" Judaism in his diary, though he could not articulate the difference.The OU, JTS, andRIETSwere closely connected, with an alumnus of the latter two serving in the former's communities until the postwar era. Only around 1950 did Conservative and Modern Orthodox Judaism fully coalesce as opposing movements.

Development

During the early decades of its existence, the Orthodox Union was closely associated with and supported the development ofYeshiva Universityinto a significant Jewish educational institution producing English-speaking, university-trained American rabbis for the pulpits of OU synagogues. Some Orthodox rabbis viewed the nascent OU and the rabbis of its synagogues as too "modern" in outlook. Thus, they did not participate; instead, they set up more stringent rabbinical organizations.

Nevertheless, the idea for a national Orthodox congregational body took hold. The OU was soon acknowledged within the American Jewish establishment as the main, but not exclusive, mouthpiece for the American Orthodox community. Representatives of 150 Orthodox congregations, with an estimated membership of 50,000, participated in the OU's 1919 national convention. The OU became more active in broader American Jewish policy issues after 1924,when RabbiHerbert S. Goldstein,the innovative spiritual leader of the West Side Institutional Synagogue of Manhattan, became the president of the OU. Under Goldstein, the OU and itsRabbinical Council,became a founding member of theSynagogue Council of America,along with representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements and their rabbinic affiliates.

The OU played an active role in advocating for public policies important to Orthodox practice,such as advocating for the five-day workweek and defending the right tokosher slaughter.It was also involved in efforts to serve the religious needs of American Jewish soldiers and relief for European Jewry.

Kashrut

In the 1920s, the OU started itskashrutdivision, establishing the concept of community-sponsored, not-for-profit kashrut supervision. In 1923, theH. J. Heinz Company'svegetarian beansbecame the first product to be kosher certified by the OU.Company executives at Heinz were afraid of alienating non-Jewish customers. Because of this, after much negotiation, the Orthodox Union agreed to drop the word "kosher" from their initial design in favor of the less Jewish-sounding "OU" symbol.The OU's kashrut program was heavily influenced by Abraham Goldstein, a chemist who used his knowledge of food science to determine the kosher status of various products. In 1935, Goldstein left the OU and startedOrganized Kashruth Laboratories(OK). The wide acceptance of OU kashrut supervision rested largely upon the outstanding reputation of its rabbinic administrator, Rabbi Alexander S. Rosenberg. He and his staff established effective kashrut supervision standards for modern food production technology, which allowed the availability of OU-certified packaged kosher products across the US since the 1950s.

By the mid-1930s, the OU kashrut division had matured enough to influence and challenge the traditional local rabbinic "sole practitioner" kashrut supervision model. At the time, kashrut was a profitable business for rabbis; the OU sought to make kashrut freely available to reduce the consumer cost of keeping kosher.

Mid-century

The OU Women's Branch was also organized during the 1920s to encourage the formation and support of active sisterhoods in OU synagogues. Women's Branch took on particular products, typically related to women's Jewish education and support for Yeshiva University.

OU operations became more efficient with the appointment in 1939 of Leo S. Hilsenrad as its first full-time professional executive director. Its services were further expanded in 1946, adding Saul Bernstein to the professional staff. Bernstein became the founding editor, in 1951, ofJewish Life,the OU's popular publication for Orthodox laymen. Bernstein also succeeded Hilsenrad as the OU's administrator.

During the postwar years, there was considerable overlap in the lay leadership of the Orthodox Union and Yeshiva University. The Orthodox Union expanded its operations following the election in 1954 of Moses I. Feuerstein as its president. Its leadership ranks were augmented by a talented group of lay leaders, including Joseph Karasick, Harold M. Jacobs, and Julius Berman, who would guide the OU's growth over the next several decades.

Another significant development was the appointment, in 1959, of RabbiPinchas Stolperas director of the Orthodox Union's youth group, theNational Conference of Synagogue Youth(NCSY). By inspiring thousands of public-school educated high school youth across North America to become more observant, NCSY played a major role in launching thebaal teshuvamovement, a widespread spiritual re-awakening among Jewish youth which followed the 1967Six-Day War.

OU's board of directors has had female members since the mid-1970s.

By the mid- to late-20th century, most synagogues affiliated with the Orthodox Union were under the leadership of rabbis trained by RabbiJoseph SoloveitchikatYeshiva University'sRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.These rabbis were ideologicallyModern Orthodox.By the 1990s and early 21st century, the OU's general philosophy and observance levels have shifted towards stricter interpretations and halachic practices. This change has not necessarily affected individual member congregations but has impacted many Orthodox Jewish communities across America. The general trend toward more rigid practices among Orthodox Union congregations reflects American Orthodoxy's trend towardHaredi Judaism.

21st century

In 2009, Rabbi Steven Weil succeeded Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb as the OU's Executive Vice President and was succeeded by Allen Fagin in April 2014.In 2011, Rabbi Simcha Katz became president, and was succeeded by Moishe Bane in January 2017. In 2014, the first women were elected as national officers of the OU; three female national vice presidents and two female associate vice presidents were elected.

In 2017, the OU adopted as formal policy the normative Orthodox position that the clergy is only for men. It precludes women from holding titles such as "rabbi" or from functioning as clergy in its congregations in the United States.

In June 2018, Attorney GeneralJeff Sessionsspoke at the OU Advocacy Center's annual conference in Washington, where he was presented with an artistic rendering of the biblical command "Justice, justice shalt thou pursue." Given Sessions' policies, particularly those concerning immigrants and asylum seekers, the OU came under criticism for hosting him and presenting him with the plaque.

Activities

Alliance with the Rabbinical Council of America

Main article:Rabbinical Council of America

For many years, the OU, along with its related rabbinic arm, theRabbinical Council of America,worked with the larger Jewish community in theSynagogue Council of America.In this group, Orthodox,ConservativeandReformgroups worked together on many issues of joint concern. The group became defunct in 1994, mainly over the objections of the Orthodox groups to Reform Judaism's official acceptance of patrilineal descent as an option fordefining Jewishness.

Kosher certification

Hechsher of the Orthodox Union
Expansion	Orthodox Union
Certifying agency	Kosher Division of Orthodox Union
Product category	Food products
Type of standard	Religious
Website	oukosher.org

Main article:Orthodox Union Kosher

TheOrthodox Union's Kosher Division,headed byCEOMenachem Genack,is the world's largestkosher certification agency.As of 2023, it supervises over 1,200,000 products in 13,000 plants in 105 countries. Two hundred thousand of those products are found in the US. It employs 886 rabbinic field representatives,mashgichimin Hebrew, and about 70 rabbinic coordinators who serve as account executives for OU-certified companies; they are supplemented by a roster of ingredient specialists, flavor analysts, and other support staff.The supervision process involves sending a mashgiach to the production facility to ensure that the product complies withJewish law.The mashgiach supervises both the ingredients and the production process.

National Conference of Synagogue Youth

Main article:NCSY

The international youth movement of the OU, the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY), was founded in the early 1950s. After a few false starts, NCSY succeeded under Rabbi Pinchas Stolper by reaching out to public school-educated Jewish youth with a message of Orthodox Jewish religious inspiration. It has now expanded its reach to include many already religious, mostlyModern Orthodoxchildren attendingJewish day schools.

Orthodox Union Advocacy Center

The OU Advocacy Center is the non-partisan public policy arm of the OU, leading the organization's advocacy efforts inWashington, D.C.,and state capitals. Formerly known as the Institute for Public Affairs, OU Advocacy engages leaders at all levels of government and the broader public to promote and protect the Orthodox Jewish community's interests and values in the public policy arena.

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 amechitza,a physical divider between the men's and women's sections of the synagogue. Many OU synagogues support the concepts ofReligious Zionism,which teaches that the existence of theState of Israelis a step towards the arrival of theMessiahand the eventual return of all Jews around the world to live in the ancient national Jewish homeland. The laws ofShabbatandkashrutare stressed. TheyprayinHebrew,using the same traditional text of thesiddurthat has been used inAshkenaziandSephardiJewish communities for the last few centuries.

Until the 1980s,the most popular English translation of the prayer book used in OU synagogues had beenHa-Siddur Ha-Shalemedited byPhilip Birnbaum.In recent years, the most popular translated siddurim have been theRabbinical Council of Americaedition of theArtscrollsiddur and theKoren Siddur.Similarly, the most common Hebrew-EnglishChumashused had been thePentateuch and Haftarahs,edited by RabbiJoseph H. Hertz;in recent years this has been supplanted byThe Chumash: The Stone Edition,also known as theArtscrollChumash.

Yachad

Yachad: The National Jewish Council for Disabilities is a global organization dedicated to addressing the needs of Jews with disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in every aspect of Jewish life. The inclusive design aims to ensure that persons with diverse abilities have their rightful place within the Jewish community while it helps to educate and advocate in the Jewish world for greater understanding, acceptance, outreach, and a positive attitude toward disabled persons.

Controversy

Baruch Lanner abuse scandal

The OU has been accused of ignoring multiple reports of child abuse when appointing RabbiBaruch Lanneras Director of Regions of itsNational Conference of Synagogue Youthmovement. Lanner was ultimately convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse and imprisoned. In response to the scandal, the OU implemented several new initiatives to better protect children under their care.

Shechita supervision

In 2005, an undercover video purportedly showed cruel treatment of animals in an OU-certified slaughterhouse. The story was featured many times in national newspapers and Jewish media. The OU defended its limited supervision scope while studying changes to its policy. In 2006, the OU's response was the subject of a video narrated byJonathan Safran Foer,Irving Greenberg,andDavid Wolpe.

Agriprocessor, Inc.

Main article:Postville Raid

In May 2008, theU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,together with other Federal agencies, raided akosherslaughterhouseandmeat packing plantinPostville, Iowa,owned byAgriprocessors,Inc. At the time, the OU provided kosher certification services to the plant. The raid was the largest single raid of a workplace in U.S. history. It resulted in nearly 400 arrests of immigrant workers with false identity papers, many of whom were charged withidentity theft,document fraud,use of stolensocial security numbers,and related offenses. Some 300 workers were convicted on document fraud charges within four days. The majority served a five-month prison sentence before being deported. The OU had numerous rabbis working on-premises, yet none reported child workers working illegally at the plant or the abusive conditions workers faced on-site.

See also

• Rabbinical Council of America
• COR

External links

• Orthodox Union official website