The OU Takes On Another Face

It was just eighty years ago that the familiar Orthodox Union (OU) logo was created to be placed on the labels of twenty-six Heinz products, among the first to be certified OU kosher.

The logo—the letter U inside the letter O—became one of the most-recognized, and most trusted, symbols in the Jewish world. Soon, another version of it, with the words Orthodox Union and Torah U’Mitzvot around it, began to be used for the organization as a whole.

Today, although it is still best-known for kashrut, the OU is celebrated for its work in many other fields—Youth (NCSY); Special Needs (Yachad); College Life (Seif JLIC); Shul Life (Karasick Department of Synagogue Services); Community Life (Department of Community Services); the Public Square and World Jewry (IPA); Israel (Seymour J. Abrams Israel Center) and even more.

Therefore, while you will still be seeing the kosher certification mark on all OU-certified products, we felt the need for another symbol to represent the impact that the OU has on all these areas of Jewish life. Chosen from a multitude of designs, the new logo was created by well-known graphic artist Josef Tocker, who recently designed the new NCSY logo, as well as the IPA and Yachad logos some years ago.

Together with the logo, our new slogan “Enhancing Jewish Life” reflects the many faces of the OU, and how it impacts thousands of Jewish lives each and every day.

Communications Commission Chair Jerry Schreck and I thank marketing consultant Milt Weinstock, executive vice president emeritus of Grey Advertising Worldwide, for his ongoing advice and support.

David Olivestone is national director of planning and communications of the Orthodox Union.