The order counter at OSU Hillel’s Bagel Café, which is located at 46 E. 16th Ave. Credit: Kyrie Thomas | Campus LTV Producer
OSU Hillel’s Bagel Café — located at 46 E. 16th Ave. — now accepts BuckID swipes as part of a general movement to increase kosher, on-campus dining options for students.
Students who live on campus must select an Ohio State dining plan, according to Dining Services’ website. With on-campus living being a requirement for first-year students, having access to food that meets their dietary restrictions is a critical component of the college experience.
“I got approved to use one of the off-campus dining plans since there weren’t kosher options on campus,” said Talia Sukienik, a Kosher-keeping student and a second-year in biomedical engineering.
Dave Issacs, a university spokesperson, said in an email the university has utilized the same Kosher kitchen as Bagel Café uses to provide food served in Union Marketplace on campus.
Swipes allow students to swipe into the three Traditions Dining Halls on campus with their BuckID for both to-go and self-service options, while BuckID cash can be used like a debit card at on-campus and off-campus locations, according to the Dining Services’ website.
Aaron Portman, campus rabbi and senior Jewish educator at OSU Hillel, said Bagel Café previously only accepted BuckID cash as payment. Letting the eatery allow swipes aligns with OSU Hillel’s goal of bringing more convenience to the university’s Jewish community, he said.
“This is a really transformative thing, especially for students who are living in the dorms and on a meal plan,” Portman said. “They can have their meals at our kosher café three times a day if they want to, which is exciting.”
The act of “keeping kosher” relates to dietary restrictions and religious laws surrounding a kosher diet, Portman said. Not mixing meat and milk and ensuring food is certified kosher are the diet’s main two regulations.
“There’s different levels of keeping kosher,” Portman said. “Kind of like organic or vegan, you can trust that the food is made a particular way, and for people who keep kosher, it falls within their observance level.”
Supervised by Buckeye Kosher — a local establishment that supervises all of Columbus’ kosher institutions — Bagel Café strictly follows the aforementioned guidelines, Portman said.
The café will rotate its options weekly, Portman said. A dairy-based menu will be offered Monday through Wednesday, Thursdays will offer a meat-based menu and Fridays will feature a Shabbat dinner for anyone within Ohio State’s community.
“We are one of the few kosher establishments where people can come here and buy food, but we really would love anyone that’s interested in kosher food or learning more about the Jewish community on campus to come to our Hillel building,” Portman said.
Though adding Bagel Café to the list of kosher-friendly options covered by Ohio State’s dining plans is a form of progress, Sukienik said there is always room for improvement.
“It’d be awesome if we could have more kosher dining hall food where all the food is prepared with the laws of kosher, because there are certain restrictions in place,” Sukienik said. “Then, [Jewish students] could feel more included because anyone could come and they could eat together with their Jewish and non-Jewish friends.”
Providing a variety of convenient kosher options allows students to enjoy food without the added stress of confirming if it adheres to their religious restrictions, Portman said. Moreover, he said accommodating the kosher diet on a wider scale is a way the university can demonstrate its care for its diverse range of students.
“We really do hope in the next few years we can use this as a point to show Jewish students from across the country that Ohio State is a place that can really accommodate their religious needs,” Portman said.
