Rabbi Aryeh Stern
Rabbi Aryeh SternNoam Revkin Fenton/Flash 90

Rabbi Aryeh Stern, who was elected Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem last October, took a visit to the OU Israel Center in the capital on Tuesday to learn about its activities.

The rabbi, a student of the famous religious Zionist leader Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook zt''l, was a chief editor of the Halacha Brura and Berur Halacha Institute before stepping into his new role, which had been vacant since 2003 until Jerusalem recently decided to reinstate chief rabbis.

During his visit, the rabbi met with OU Israel Executive Director Rabbi Avi Berman and President Zvi Sand.

Rabbi Berman explained that 36% of OU Israel's programming budget comes from its kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) supervision, and that profits go back to the community.

To learn more about the OU Kashrut process, and how it is different from local kashrut supervision, Rabbi Stern met with Rabbi Y. Dov Krakowkoski, Rabbi Yossi Turnauer and Yitzhak Fund, past president of OU Israel.

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Dov Kalmanovich also took part in the visit, telling Rabbi Stern that aside from Kashrut "the OU also has an important part in further Rav Kook's love of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)," with various classes and programming along with published materials furthering that message.