TRI-VALLEY: Displays at nine stores tout the benefits of eating items whose preparation conforms to biblical rules
By Sam Richards - CONTRA COSTA TIMES
The Hebrew word for kosher means "fit," as in physically fit. And Jewish organizations were at nine grocery stores Wednesday with displays and information touting the benefits of eating a little healthier.
"Kosher tables" were set up at stores in San Ramon, Pleasanton and Livermore on Wednesday afternoon as part of the area's first Kosher Day, sponsored by Chabad of the Tri-Valley and Chabad of Contra Costa.
Foods labeled as kosher are required to have been prepared in accordance with biblical rules of food preparation, with those principles made formal in Jewish law.
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick of the Chabad of the Tri-Valley said such food is generally cleaner and healthier than similar foods prepared using conventional methods. It's becoming more popular in the United States, he said, and not just among Jewish people.
Fifty teenagers from Chabad groups on the East Coast are touring the country this summer helping with this and other Kosher Day displays in the West, and they were at the various Tri-Valley grocery stores answering questions, showing videos and giving out literature touting the goodness of going kosher.
Most of the grocery stores were happy to host the displays, Resnick said.
"Overall, most of the stores were excited, and some helped us get other stores on board," he said.
