Kosher Symbols and Their Meanings

If you follow a kosher diet, whether for religious, cultural, or health reasons, you already know to look for the Kosher Certified symbol on food items.

And you’ve probably noticed there are many different kosher symbols, but aren’t quite sure what their meanings are - or why there are so many in the first place!

At Broadway Basketeers, all of our food items are OK Kosher certified which means our kosher gift baskets are of the highest quality.

Why Do Kosher Foods Need a Symbol?

Let’s start by explaining why the kosher symbol - or hechsher - exists in the first place.

In the Torah, we’re given the kosher law (halakha), which is given in more detail in the Talmud’s kashrut (“dietary law”). These laws provide the Jewish people strict regulations for what we may and may not eat.

For most of history, it was easier to find and shop exclusively from traders specializing in kosher foods. Many people following a kosher diet would also grow their own plant-based foods and/or raise their own kosher animals for dairy and meat.

But over time, it’s became necessary for us to use a hechsher to help identify which foods are kosher and which are not.

General vs. Kasher l’Pesach Symbols

Kosher symbols can be separated into 2 very broad categories:

• Those that designate the food item as kosher
• Those that designate the food item specifically as “kosher for Passover” (kasher l’Pesach)

All kosher food products must have the former. But the latter is only added as a second label on foods meeting the additional kosher requirements that need to be observed during Passover. This means kosher for Passover foods will not include any leavening agent, or hametz.

However, not all kosher for Passover foods need to have the label! If you need to check which Kashrus Administration does or does not require the special kasher l’Pesach symbol, you can check here.

And speaking of the Kashrus Administration - that’s why there are so many different kosher symbols and meanings!

Kosher Symbols and Their Meaning

Each Kashrus Administration has its own symbol.

If you didn’t already know, the Kashrus Administration is an organization or agency that helps make sure something is kosher.

As a general rule, the agency is overseen by a special rabbi called the Rav Hamachshir. To make their work easier, places that prepare kosher foods will employ one or more mashgiach, who oversees the preparations. This special supervision is called hashgacha.

There are many different agencies in America and each one has its own hechsher.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the most common Kosher symbols:

• The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) has arguably the best-known hechsher in North America, as it’s used the most often. Their Rabbinic Administrator is Rabbi Menachem Genack. The symbol is the letter U contained in a circle representing the letter O.
• The Organized Kashrus Laboratories (OK) has the second best-known hechsher in the United States. Their Kashruth Administrator is Rabbi Don Yoel Levy. Their symbol is the letter K contained in a circle representing the letter O.
• “Star-K” Kosher Certification’s hechsher, the letter K contained in a star-shape, is another popular kosher symbol. Their Rabbinic Administrator is Rabbi Moshe Heinemann.
• The Star-D hechsher is the letter D with a star forming the center. Although it’s technically the hechsher of the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), Star-K acts as the administrator. The D stands for “Dairy”.
• “KOF-K” Kosher Supervision is another popular hechsher, which is made of the letter K forming the central dot for the Hebrew letter “kaf” (K). Their Executive Administrator is Rabbi Dr. H. Zecharia Senter.

Many hechshers will also have the Hebrew spelling of “kosher” as part of the seal, while kasher l’Pesach certificates might only have the Hebrew words above the general kosher symbol.

If you’re interested in seeing other hechshers from elsewhere in the US and around the world, you can find them here.

Does it Matter Which Kosher Symbol I Choose?

It might or might not matter to you depending on your personal beliefs - or those of anyone you’re buying kosher products for. Some people only trust certain hechsher (commonly OU or OK).

The main reason for this is simply because some agencies accept the halachic (Jewish legal) leniency of allowing gelatin from non-kosher animals. For anyone following the Orthodox community standards, this is not acceptable, so they won’t trust the hechsher of any agency that accepts this halachic.

So, which hechsher do Broadway Basketeers online gift baskets have? All of our gift baskets are certified by OK Kosher Laboratories!