I first read Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld’s thoughts about Tisha B’Av and Agriprocessors (re-printed below) via email this morning. My fiance’s dad is on a Jewish listserve where the article was forwarded as a d’var Torah, and he sent it along to me. I was deeply touched by Rabbi Herzfeld’s words - both their emotional and spiritual resonance and also his coherent assessment of Agriprocessors’ rippling impact on the Jewish community. “Who was this Rabbi Herzfeld?” I wondered. More importantly, “Would he let me re-print his d’var Torah on The Jew & The Carrot, so I could share it more widely?”
Then I picked up (meaning read on my laptop) the New York Times - and there he was again! This time, his words were in the form of an op-ed - slightly edited from the d’var - but equally powerful. Yesterday, I mentioned hypocrisy on the blog, in the context of examining our own food ethics, and not always liking what we find. Rabbi Herzfeld picks up on similar themes in his article. Kol ha’kavod to him for his brave words.
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The concept of sustainable kosher meat has been swirling around the Jewish community for a couple of years now, but tracking down the real thing is about as tough as an undercooked brisket.
I have come to partly dread the semi-regular emails I receive from hopeful people asking if I can tell them where to find kosher organic chickens in Topeka or, heck, Berkeley. Same thing for the farmers who call and say they have the chickens, or cattle, or lamb and just need to find a shochet (kosher slaughterer), and can we help them with that? In some cases, the answer is yes, but overwhelmingly I find myself apologizing that, while the demand for such a thing is growing, supply - and especially willing schochtim - just haven’t quite caught up yet.
That’s why I was excited to hear that New York City resident, Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein, is making it a little easier to eat one’s values, through a new sustainable kosher meat co-op: Mitzvah Meat.
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When a big news story - like say, the Agriprocessors raid - breaks, there’s an immediate storm of “you heard it here first” reports, and “you heard it hear differently, no really!” follow up reports and interviews, as well as a hail storm of commentary from urgent bloggers who mine new story angles, chomp noisily on old ones, and introduce both fact and hearsay into the mix. It’s an urgent, emotion-driven process that wipes away other news headlines, and shouts for readers’ undivided attention.
And then. There’s a pause. A lull like the last few kernels of popcorn smacking against the pot lid, but mostly settling into stillness. Other stories begin to trickle back into public consciousness (”Speaking of underage workers, did you hear about those Chinese gymnasts?”). Activists worry that people have stopped caring. But they haven’t - they are just catching their breath and digesting everything they have read and heard.
It seems that the most recent Agriprocessors story, which started in mid-May after the raid, is beginning to enter its post-pause phase. During this time, articles begin to move beyond the shocking, breaking-news headlines and dig a little deeper into the story’s nuances. These articles are more reflective, and they begin to point to the longer-lasting impact that a story might have on public consciousness. Today’s article in the New York Times, which focuses on the stories of underage immigrants who worked for Agriprocessors, is a good example of a post-pause article - one of others that will undoubtedly begin to surface now that the dust (or maybe feathers?) has cleared.
Read it here or below the jump.
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The JTA reported that an interfaith coalition is planning to demonstrate in Postville this Sunday, July 27. Participating Jewish organizations include The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the Jewish Labor Committee, and The Workmen’s Circle. Similar to the Darfur rally in Washington DC, which made waves of a couple years ago, participants will drive and bus in from across the region and country to Postville (with transportation funds supported by Mazon) for the rally. JCUA’s Executive Director, Jane Ramsy said:
There are two targets here. One is a message to the government for comprehensive immigration reform on the one hand, and secondly to Agriprocessors for the permanent implementation of livable wages, health care benefits and worker safety.”
Read the article here.
Last week, Orthodox social justice organization, Uri L’Tzedek, ended their official boycott of Agriprocessors’ meat and poultry products, a little less than one month after it began. Their decision was met with some skepticism from many kosher and non-kosher keeping consumers who felt that they were just getting started. One reader of this blog commented:
“I also think calling off the boycott is premature, and I’m not ending my personal boycott, which has been going on for over 6 months. Agriprocessor’s has consistently shown they only respond to pressure, not good intentions. Now is not the time to let up on the pressure.”
I interviewed co-director, Ari Hart, to find out why Uri L’Tzedek made the decision to end the boycott, and where the kosher meat industry might go from here.
Read the full interview below the jump.
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Uri L’Tzedek - the Orthodox social justice organization that called for an official boycott of Agriprocessors’ products after the May 12th raid, ended their boycott this week, a little less than one month after it began. The Jewish Week reported in an article this week that Uri L’Tzedek’s leaders felt that Agriprocessors had taken enough “significant steps” to make them feel comfortable purchasing their products again.
Hazon’s Executive Director, Nigel Savage, is also quoted in the article, saying that the Agriprocessors scandal has stirred the Jewish community to think more deeply about where its food comes from. The particular impact that Uri L’Tzedek’s statement will have on other kosher keeping consumers, however, remains to be seen.
Read the article below the jump, or click here.
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Two months ago, The Jew & The Carrot posted an article about the kosher-keeping couple who went undercover on behalf of PETA to videotape Agriprocessors’ treatment of the animals it slaughters. Earlier this week, Jewcy published a great interview with the couple - Hannah and Phillip Schein. Here’s an excerpt, and you can read the full interview here.
Has your view of Judaism changed since the Rubashkin scandal of 2004 and the various rabbinic reactions to it? (Especially rabbinic reaction to using a meat hook to excise the trachea and esophagus of a fully conscious animal.)
PS: I used to buy into the image that kosher meat was cleaner and more humanely produced because of the multiple levels of supervision and added scrutiny. However, the kosher meat industry is complicit in all the abuses of the conventional factory-farming and slaughter industries, and we have documented how some of the worst violations—the most inhumane practices—in recent industry history have been perpetrated in the kosher meat industry as standard operating procedure. In many ways, the additional oversight has served only as a buffer, concealing some of the most abusive practices.
HS: It’s been very disappointing that the first reaction by the Jewish community to our kosher investigations has been to circle the wagons and scream, “Anti-Semitism!” It is heartening that the Conservative movement has started to take a stand against the cruel practices that we’ve uncovered, and I have great hopes for Hekhsher Tzedek.
With the 4th of July coming up, BBQ - corn and veggie dogs, yes, but also steaks, hamburgers, and chicken - is on just about everyone’s mind. But the May 12th raid on Agriprocesors kosher meat plant is likely to cloud the celebration for many kosher keeping consumers. (Take the email I got last night from a friend as an example: “My grand plan to order meat from Fresh Direct was shot, because all their meat is from Aaron’s/Rubashkin.”)
In honor of Independence Day, The Jew & The Carrot spoke with Avram Lyon, a former employee of the Jewish Labor Committee who currently works as an independent consultant for labor and Jewish communal organizations (including Hekhsher Tzedek) for his take on the situation. Lyon spoke about the current state of Postville, BBYO’s recent decision to stop serving Agriprocessor’s meat, and what the raid might mean for the kosher food industry.
Read the interview below the jump.
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The NY Times Dining Section reported today about the havoc that summer camp food can wreak on kids’ health. Tara Parker-Pope wrote:
“[My 9-year old daughter’s] camp is typical of those around the country: days packed with archery, swimming and adventure climbing; menus packed with soft drinks, burgers, chicken nuggets and, once a week, cheese fries… ‘Camp food is terrible,’ said Susan B. Roberts, director of the energy metabolism laboratory at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. ‘The problem is that they are doing what is easiest — the lowest common denominator for what kids like, and on top of that usually it has to be not something that goes bad and is no work to prepare.’”
Meanwhile, although they will likely continue to offer grilled cheese and potato chips this summer, it seems that BBYO is not settling for the lowest common denominator when it comes to the meat served at their summer camps. The Jewish youth organization put out a statement urging camp partners to avoid using Agriprocessors products.
Read BBYO’s statement below:
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Underage workers, desperation, and extortion oh my…
Children at the plant. The Jerusalem Post reported: “‘The position of the OU has been that the only thing they are interested in is how the animal is slaughtered and whether there are imperfections in the meat,’ [Avram] Lyon said. ‘Postville is a poster child of failure of that kind of approach to kashrut. It’s proof you can’t separate one part of Jewish law from other parts of Jewish law.’ The fact that there were 18 children picked up in the recent raid was reason enough to respond, he said.” Read the story. (hat tip, Failed Messiah)
Agriprocessors turns to hiring homeless people. The JTA reported: “In an effort to restore lagging production at its Iowa plant, the country’s largest kosher meat producer has been hiring workers from homeless shelters in Texas to replace employees detained in a massive federal immigration raid last month.” Crime rates in the beleaguered Midwestern town have risen as a result. Read the story.
Extortion at Agriprocessors. From The Iowa Independent: “A former supervisor at the Postville meatpacking plant raided by federal agents last month has fled the country, Iowa Independent has learned. The supervisor, Hasom Amara, sometimes required workers to buy illicitly registered cars as a condition of work, three former workers have told the Iowa Independent.” Read the story.
Two of the most interesting stories that came out of Postville this week show two very different sides of the kosher meat industry, and particularly Agriprocessors.
Flood Relief. As you might have read (or experienced) there has been a LOT of rain and flooding in the Midwest over the last couple of weeks. According to Chabad.org Iowa’s Jewish community - including the Rubashkins - has been spared a lot of the most destructive flooding and is stepping in to help other Iowans. The company donated 1,000 pounds of meat to residents saying:
“Agriprocessors is proud to serve the greater good,” said Juda Engelmayer, a spokesman for the Postville, Iowa-based Agriprocessors, the largest kosher slaughterhouse in the United States. “The people need our help right now.”
I’m glad to hear that the Jewish community is pitching in to help their neighbors. Still, whether or not donating 1,000 pounds of meat makes up for Agriprocessors’ other “less honorable” business practices is up for debate. (hat tip to Arieh Lebowitz)
The OU Weighs In. In other news, Ben Harris over at the JTA wrote on The Telegraph that Rabbi Seth Mandell - the head Mashgiach (kosher supervisor) at the OU - has been spending time calming people down about the fate of Agriprocessors.
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Hazon’s friends Devora Kimelman-Block, founder of Kol Foods (a kosher, organic, grass-fed meat company) and Rabbi Morris Allen, Director of Hekhsher Tzedek, joined American University Radio to discuss the situation at Agriprocessors and explore the questions:
“If food meets the strict rules elaborated in religious texts, does it matter how food arrives at our plates? And where do workers’ rights and other ethical considerations factor into kosher food production?”
Listen here.
On the same page, you can also find a segment featuring Jennifer 8 Lee, author of the Fortune Cookie Chronicles which was reviewed on The Jew & The Carrot.
Here’s the latest news from Uri L’Tzedek, the modern Orthodox organization that circulated a letter in the days following the Agriprocessors raid calling for higher standards of justice and ethics from Agri (and by extension other kosher food producers). It’s a powerfully-written letter - definitely worth the read. Find the back story here.
Friends,
Yeshar kochechem.
Thanks to your efforts, over 1200 kosher consumers, rabbis, educators, and activists have no signed on the petition. Our collective call for justice has been heard by the synagogues, day schools, hillels, and summer camps that have stopped purchasing Rubashkins meat. It’s being in heard in the debates raging in Jewish listserves and blogs about immigration, workers’ rights, and kosher food. It’s being heard in the coverage of this movement in the Forward, The Nation, The JTA, The Jewish Week The Des Moines Register, and other national media outlets.
We are making our voices heard, and we are making change. But there is still critical work left to do.
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The JTA reported today that after last month’s raid on Agriprocessors, production has “slowed to a crawl” and kosher meat is in short supply across the country. The frenzy of media coverage has slowed down some too, though the issue is still very much on the minds of Jewish individuals and organizations struggling to grasp what lasting impact a raid of this proportion might have on the Jewish community.
In the midst of a confusing time, I had the chance to speak with Zalman Rothschild - a former mashgiach (kosher supervisor) at Agriprocessors. Rothschild represented an insider’s voice - someone who worked in the plant, spent Shabbat meals at the Rubashkins’, and could offer a perspective on the raid that I had not yet read. I was excited - and also terrified by the opportunity. Would he be incredibly defensive or hostile? Would he embody the mythic “Agriprocessors monster” that has been uncovered (or created, depending on one’s perspective) by the media? And most importantly, could he impact my views - a progressive, vegetarian Jew who is wary of industrial food in general and the kosher industry in particular - on the situation in Postville?
The short answers are no, no and yes, respectively. For the complete version, check out the full interview below the jump.
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