The Two Letters That Feed the Jewish World

Walk down any supermarket aisle in America and you will see it: a small "OU" printed on more than a million products. Most shoppers never give it a thought. But behind that modest symbol stands one of the oldest, largest, and most consequential Jewish organizations in the world — the Orthodox Union. Who They Are Founded in 1898 as the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Orthodox Union (OU) is the umbrella organization of American Orthodox Jewry. For nearly 130 years it has served a dual mission: strengthening Jewish life within the community — through synagogues, education, youth work, and Torah study — and representing Jewish interests to the wider world through advocacy and public policy. Today its network reaches hundreds of synagogues, tens of thousands of teens and college students, and Jewish communities across North America, Israel, and beyond. The Kosher Empire That Feeds the World The OU’s most visible contribution is OU Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency. Its rabbinic experts combine deep knowledge of halacha (Jewish law) with an insider’s understanding of modern industrial food production, certifying over one million products from companies across the globe — from coffee concentrates in America to food manufacturers in Malaysia. This is more than a service; it is infrastructure. Because of the OU’s scale and credibility, a Jew committed to keeping kosher can shop almost anywhere in the developed world. No single institution has done more to make kosher observance practical in modern life. What Else They Do Kosher certification may be the flagship, but it funds and anchors a remarkable portfolio of programs that touch nearly every stage of Jewish life. NCSY, the OU’s youth movement, instills a passion for Judaism in some 35,000 teens each year across 40 states and five countries. JLIC (the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus) places rabbinic couples on college campuses, sustaining Torah learning and religious life for Jewish students — and is now expanding to Israeli universities like Tel Aviv and Bar-Ilan. Yachad champions the inclusion of more than 5,000 Jewish individuals with disabilities. OU Israel, active since 1979, reaches 35,000 Israeli adolescents annually and recently launched Frontline Support for English-speaking IDF soldiers. In the public square, the OU Advocacy Center works as the nonpartisan policy voice of Orthodox Jewry, while its Teach Coalition secures government funding for Jewish day schools and yeshivot — a lifeline for families facing tuition burdens. Add OU Press (Jewish scholarship and thought), OU Torah and All Daf (daily Torah study for a digital generation), Jewish Action magazine, the Women’s Initiative, Israel Free Spirit Birthright trips, and services supporting over 400 synagogues, and the picture emerges of an organization woven into virtually every thread of observant Jewish life. Who Leads It The OU is governed by a partnership of lay and ra