Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Food

Which Ice Cream Brand Is Big, Gay — And Defiantly Kosher?

Kosher ice cream lovers have a lot to celebrate this Pride month, specifically in the form of a pint of Big Gay Ice Cream. That’s because when the ice cream truck-turned-brick-and-mortar shop decided to package its popular soft serve to be sold nationally, it sought and received kosher certification.

The pints of soft-serve deliciousness, which debuted in March and are sold in grocery stores and online, are officially under the auspices of the kashrut division of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Or, as it is colloquially known, the OU.

While it’s understandable that an up-and-coming brand would seek kosher certification to expose its products to a larger audience, it’s not clear why the OU would have allowed the company to receive its certification. Being that the Orthodox Union still maintains its opposition to institutionalized gay marriage and homosexual relations, it’s odd to see its easily recognizable label emblazoned next to the words “Big Gay Ice Cream” (Especially when it comes from an ice cream shop that was christened by a drag queen).

Image by Big Gay Ice Cream

Often, kosher certification agencies will take issue with the name of a brand, deeming it inappropriate. Such was the case with former upscale restaurant Jezebel, whose name referred to a wicked woman in the Bible who led her husband astray. It was forced by the Orthodox Union to change its name to “JSoho.”

So what makes Big Gay Ice Cream any different? Who knows, but we would hazard to guess that the difference may lie in a simple fact: One is a restaurant catering specifically to Jews; the other a national brand that just happens to want kosher-keeping Jews to be able to enjoy ice cream from a company that has become a beloved New York institution.

Michelle Honig is the food intern of the Forward. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Explore

Most Popular

In Case You Missed It

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.