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Guide Features 30,000 Passover Products, Articles and is Available Online

The Orthodox Union, the umbrella group for Orthodox Jewry and leading certifier of kosher products, has released its OU Guide to Passover, the annual publication that provides comprehensive guidance about kosher-for-Passover products. This year’s edition, which is available in both PDF and online database formats, features close to 30,000 kosher-for-Passover products and charts on ingredient substitutions, halachic times for Passover, required portion sizes at the seder and Sefirat HaOmer. Passover this year will be celebrated from sundown Saturday, March 27 through Sunday, April 4.

The guide also includes instructions on holiday preparation, articles on spices, and how to celebrate Erev Pesach on Shabbat HaGadol (which will take place this year on March 26-27) and the impact of shemittah on the Diaspora which will affect the next two Passovers.

The database, as well as the 118-page PDF, can be accessed from computers, tablets, and mobile devices at www.oupassover.org.

“The annual guide has become the benchmark resource for Jewish families as they prepare for Passover,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “OU Kosher continues to provide a wonderful and much needed community service by preparing this guide and building up the resources available to kosher consumers each year.”

“It is very rewarding for the entire staff to hear the wonderful feedback we get from kosher consumers who rely on this guide each as they go through their holiday preparations. We have paid particularly close attention to digitizing the guide over the past few years to make it available on their smart devices as they shop,” added OU Kosher Chief Operating Officer Rabbi Moshe Elefant who oversaw the creation of the guide.

On Sunday, March 7, Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services virtually hosted its 51^st Annual Gala, marking over half a century of Ohel’s critical support services for our community’s most vulnerable children and adults.

After a year-long delay, the Young Israel of Queens Valley held its virtual recognition dinner on Sunday evening, March 14, with Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, the officers, the dinner chairs, and the honorees present in the shul. The dinner chairman, Shelby Dua, successfully organized the event in accordance with safety measures, despite numerous COVID challenges.

The Chazaq Organization and Met Council spent the afternoon of Tuesday, March 16 distributing hundreds of groceries items of the Pesach holiday. The event, held at the recently inaugurated Lev Aharon Community Food Pantry in KGH, attracted a vast array of community leaders and elected officials. Representing Met Council were Benjamin Zaientz and Aron Cyperstein. Other notable attendees included Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, Council Member James Gennaro, Council Member Barry Grodenchik, Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal, District Leader Shimi Pelman, City Council Candidate Avi Cyperstein, and Jewish liaison for Public Advocate Jumaane Williams Simon Sebag, among others. Chazaq CEO Rabbi Yaniv Meirov was on hand as well.

The opportunity for an on-site lesson in state government was canceled last year at the onset of the pandemic. This week, Teach Coalition, a grassroots coalition of Jewish schools organized by the Orthodox Union, had a virtual lobbying day with community leaders, state lawmakers, and nearly 300 students from more than a dozen schools participating in a Zoom meeting to call for funding day schools.

When an individual dies, the Executor or Administrator (“fiduciary/representative”) of the estate has the responsibility of distributing the assets to the beneficiaries.  The Executor must sift through files to determine what assets the decedent held at the time of death.  With the advent of technology it has become more difficult to get a handle on people’s assets after they die.  Even if the Executor finds an asset, he or she has to access the electronic document with a password.