Food discrimination? Pitt must offer better kosher food options

When Adam Pober, an orthodox Jew, went to a Pitt cafeteria during the week of Passover, he was… When Adam Pober, an orthodox Jew, went to a Pitt cafeteria during the week of Passover, he was greeted by a pineapple-glazed ham in the center of a table of stale matzos. On Good Friday, when he searched for the only food available to him, Eddie’s was closed for the holiday. Adam Pober keeps kosher, a strict dietary code, and he pays $1,685 per term for food he cannot eat.

The rules of kashrut are definite, based on the Bible, specifically Leviticus 11:46-47. The law is to distinguish between the pure and the impure. Animals must have split hooves and chew their cud; fish must have fins and scales and birds may not be birds of prey. Benefits include that it is a healthier way to eat, it teaches self-discipline and creates a sense of community.

Frank Caruso directs dining services for Sodexho and used to work in a kosher facility. He says kosher food is available at Pitt. For example, at Eddie’s, kosher frozen dinners are available. And Schenley Cafe provides kosher items such as Dannon and Freshens yogurt.

But Weinstein, who runs several Jewish student organizations such as the Chabad House, says that the food is kept out of sight of students. Furthermore, only the managers seem to know where to find it. Students become discouraged when they can’t find kosher food, so they stop looking. The administration perceives this as a lack of interest and cut back services.

Caruso counters that Sodexo must keep kosher meals hidden because otherwise students who don’t keep kosher would stockpile them for the week, causing supplies to be depleted.

But the fact remains that students who keep kosher aren’t able to find the food they need. And it’s especially difficult during holidays, when the diet is even more restricted. It would be easier for students to avoid the meal plan altogether and take meals at the nearby Kosher Korner or in Squirrel Hill.

But the University forces them to buy the meal plan if they live on campus. Take the case of Selene Levy. After filling out an exemption form in Pitt Central and providing religious dietary documentation, University officials offered her a reduction in meal plan, which amounts to paying $950 per term.

It’s a slap in the face for Levy, since the meals at Eddie’s are neither healthy or fresh. Besides, she has a kosher kitchen in her sorority house, making it possible for her to be observant without leaving home.

Pober pursued his right to kosher food, filling out three forms required by the housing office and presenting three letters from his rabbis. He met with Caruso, who told him that he would recommend a commuter plan. Pober made an appointment with Vice Chancellor Eli Shorak, who didn’t seem to view the exemption request as a religious need. Nonetheless, Shorak gave Pober the exemption at the beginning of October.

Mark Shabaton, Hillel Vice President, believes that more people would keep kosher if the food – or exemptions were available. About 36 students he knows of keep kosher now, and he estimates as many as 60 more would keep kosher if they had the option. He reasons that a kosher cafeteria does not exist because of politics.

Weinstein concurs, noting that at one time the University provided an allowance to students with “special interests” such as vegans and kosher-keeping students, but they abandoned that plan for no clear reason.

In reality, there is a kosher cafeteria across the street. It’s Montefiore’s Kosher Korner. There you can get a baked chicken breast with two side dishes for $3.65 and falafel in a pita for $3.25. A mashgiach is on the premises at all times and the kitchen is under the supervision of Vaad Hakashrus of the Vaad HoRabonim of Greater Pittsburgh – accommodating even the strictest diet. The kitchen would be able to serve interested students, said Joe Landolina, associate director of nutritional services.

While a kosher cafeteria for both schools would be nice, the Kosher Korner is a temporary solution that should be made available to students. Better yet, students with special dietary needs should be automatically exempted. It’s hard enough keeping kosher without additional stresses placed on you by a Christian food service.

Kate Zangrilli is a columnist for The Pitt News. Send her your thoughts on bacon at kzangrilli@pittnews.com.