Today is March 29, 2024 / /

Kosher Nexus
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SECOND CLASS CITIZENS

All of us who keep kosher have had an occasion to attend a community affair, political affair, or something of that ilk, that is not kosher. As you sit there watching everyone eat their trefe meals, you wait for your kosher meal to arrive.

Everyone else has had the obligatory fruit cup and the appetizer and you have had nothing. The salad comes and you can’t eat it, either. It may have meat in it, or cheese in it, or onions, or non kosher dressing, etc- so you don’t eat it.

Finally the main course comes and you get served a little “airline” meal. Yummy!

We had such an experience recently. The main dish was a chicken thigh, string beans and cubed potatoes. The whole package weighed in at 13 ounces. Subtract the bones from the chicken and what do you have left- ten ounces?? Everyone else has enjoyed a cocktail hour, fruit cup, appetizer and a large meal, and you get a meal that would not satisfy a child.

Sadly, the caterers do not care. To make matters even worse, they often charge the family a surcharge for having to provide kosher meals. That surcharge is on top of the regular per person fee the caterer charges.

Dessert comes and you sit there looking like a dummy.

What is with people? Clearly, the hosts, or the chairs of the function, do not care, so the caterers get away with murder.

It is insulting. Most rabbis we know refuse to attend non kosher Jewish life cycle events, and they are right to refuse. Except there are some times when you have to attend a non kosher event. So you do the best you can and remain true to your halachic values. And then to be so insulted by non caring hosts/chairmen is just putting salt into the wound.

Being treated as a second class citizen is no fun.