UW Eliminates Kosher Meals

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will not be offering kosher dining options in its residence halls next fall, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. The university had ended its kosher food service initiative last November when the last of its certified kosher supervisors left. Administrators cite cost and lack of sufficient demand for the decision.

UW initially began serving kosher meals in November 2007 following a renovation of its Chadbourne dining hall, which added a kosher kitchen to the facility. It employed two mashgiachs (special kosher supervisors trained and certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Council) to ensure that food was being prepared and served according to Jewish dietary law. The gap may eventually be filled by a new Hillel facility that plans to open a kosher cafe—Madison's first—or by UW Dining Services, the Journal reports.