Jewish Week Reports: It all began with a discussion between a Georgetown University law school graduate and Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) Senate Judiciary Committee staff about the lack of kosher food options in the U.S. Senate cafeteria.
David Poltorak, who was clerking for Sen. Lee’s committee staff, was dissatisfied about the absence of food options for observant Jewish staffers when he found unlikely support from his colleagues, who urged him to look into the possibility of asking the Senate cafeteria to accommodate him and other observant Senate staffers.
“I vented with my bosses on Lee’s Judiciary Committee staff and they said it was unacceptable and we should do something about it. They made me believe that it was possible, but also that it was necessary,” said Poltorak.
The encouragement from his superiors provided Poltorak with the opportunity to look into the prospect of bringing kosher food to the Dirksen Senate Office Building cafeteria.
A little persistence and support from various individuals allowed Poltorak to turn this idea into a reality when selections of prepackaged sandwiches and salads from Bubbie’s Gourmet “Made with Love” made their debut in the Dirksen cafeteria during the week of Jan. 23. Bubbie’s Gourmet is under the supervision of OK Kosher Certification in Brooklyn.
The new kosher options, which have included nutritious offerings of turkey and tuna salad sandwiches and two salad options, have already received praise from officials in the Jewish community.
