Kosher News in Brief

Washington - After 3 years of partisan wrangling, the US Senate, following the House, passed a landmark farm bill. The measure will now go to the President for signing. Many of its provisions call on the Secretary of Agriculture to implement an Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) - a hunger-reduction program - that increases the purchase of Kosher-certified and Halal food. It also calls for new labeling so that entities participating in the program - such as food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens - can better identify Kosher and Halal food.

Sochi, Russia - Rabbi Ari Edelkopf of the Sochi Jewish community said Chabad in Russia was ready to serve tens of thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish visitors during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Since Sochi won the right to host the Olympics in 2007, Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia and president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, had been working closely with government officials and event organizers to ensure Chabad's programs and products were seamlessly integrated into visitors' experiences. Rabbi Edelkopf expected to provide 7,000 Kosher meals. In addition to the three-story Jewish community center in the city center, Edelkopf said two temporary Chabad houses would be strategically placed in the area.