Kosher food companies will soon be able to display a seal that certifies they adhere to high ethical standards in the treatment of workers, animals and the environment
By MORDECAI SPECKTOR
The May 12, 2008, immigration raid at the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, exposed the sordid side of the kosher meat industry. Nearly 400 immigrant workers were arrested, and around 300 of them were subsequently convicted of document fraud, imprisoned and deported.
Rabbi Morris Allen, spiritual leader of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights, was part of a commission of inquiry that traveled to Postville in August 2006, following the publication of an exposé about abuses at Agriprocessors in the Forward newspaper. Allen and Vic Rosenthal, executive director of Jewish Community Action, traveled again to Postville, in September 2006, and met with the Rubashkin family, the owners of the company, and their leadership team.
Allen and Rosenthal presented three recommendations to reform business operations at the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouse. In November 2006, the Rubashkins responded and declined to implement the suggested changes.
In an interview with the American Jewish World last week, Allen recalled that, around the time he was traveling to Postville, he realized that the problems at Agriprocessors “were potentially a systemic issue and that addressing just one company… was not going to change a much larger situation.”
Rabbi Morris Allen: All too often, the dignity of labor in this country is anything but respected. (Photo: Courtesy of St. Paul JCC)
Rabbi Morris Allen: All too often, the dignity of labor in this country is anything but respected. (Photo: Courtesy of St. Paul JCC)In his Kol Nidre sermon that year, the rabbi “wondered aloud” about the Jewish community’s ability to develop a program to “evaluate ethical norms of the Jewish tradition, and laws that emerge from them that are no less important and may be found in the same Torah as the laws of kashrut.”
Specifically, the Torah “contains laws about how one is to treat one’s employees. One section of the Torah is not written in large type, and another section of the Torah is not written in small type… they are actually written in the same size letters and, therefore, they carry with them the same significance.”
Allen admits that he had “no idea what it would take to bring a product to market,” but the initiative known as Magen Tzedek, which will provide an ethical certification for kosher food products, is now close to rolling out.
Rabbi Allen, who has been at Beth Jacob since 1986, and now serves as the project director of Magen Tzedek, will speak on “Kashrut, Justice and Judaism: Engaging the Conversation” 11 a.m. Sunday, April 3 at the St. Paul JCC.
Magen Tzedek has proceeded under the auspices of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the umbrella group of Conservative congregations in North America, and the Rabbinical Assembly, the organization of Conservative rabbis. Allen explained that a “supplementary seal” will be given to kosher-certified products — food items that already have a kosher hechscher (rabbinic stamp of approval) — that make an application and satisfy the requirements in five areas: wages and benefits; health, safety and training; corporate integrity; environmental impact; and “product development, which includes animal wefare.”
Allen said that two of three “vettings of major producers of kosher food” have been completed, and a third vetting site visit (to the largest producer of kosher food that Magen Tzedek is working with) should be done “shortly after Pesach.” The Magen Tzedek project has subcontracted with Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) to design and implement the certification process.
Applications will be processed and SAAS has suggested that the first Magen Tzedek certification should be awarded before Rosh Hashana, according to Allen.
“One of the things I have learned is that labels [on food products] take a long time to retool,” Allen allowed. “It’s not like you’re suddenly going to go out and change a label overnight.”
However, an announcement of certification is expected to be made during this Hebrew year; and the Magen Tzedek seal should appear on a food package in 2011.
In observance of confidentiality agreements, Allen could not divulge the names of companies working with Magen Tzedek.
In her recent book Kosher Nation, Sue Fishkoff wrote that kosher food products now account for an astounding $200 billion a year in sales. The Magen Tzedek project, which encompasses an array of ethical criteria for food production, potentially could have a significant global impact, if manufacturers seek the certification.
Allen said that about two weeks after his talk at the St. Paul JCC, families will sit down together for Passover seders and tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
“Far too many people will believe that when they close their Haggada that evening, the story is over,” he said. “Indeed, what we have discovered in the work that we’re doing for Magen Tzedek is that the work is not over, and that the work is dependent on the commitments of many Jews to ensure that the story of Pesach continues to resonate in ways in which the dignity of those who are called upon to do labor in this society is elevated and respected… and all too often, the dignity of labor in this country is anything but respected.”
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Rabbi Morris Allen will speak about the Magen Tzedek project 11 a.m. Sunday, April 3 at the St. Paul JCC, 1375 St. Paul Ave. For information, call 651-698-0751.
(American Jewish World, 4.1.11)
“Rabbi” Allen would do well to remember that contemporary “ethics” are very ephemeral, changing with the blowing of the winds of society. True ethics that stand the test of time can only come from the wisdom of the One who created both the world as well as human intellect. A look back at the history of the world bears witness to that.
So far, all of the ethical charges mentioned by the article, brought about via this type of thinking against Mr. Rubashkin have been dropped by the courts. On the contrary, the picture of Mr. Rubashkin that emerged from the trial was one of a very compassionate, concerned employer who had been lied to by a number of his employees. It seems to be only a matter of time before an unbiased court will conclude that the entire case was not only a collossal waste of government time and money, but a witch hunt and a human tragedy for the residents of Postville, the employees of Agriproccessors and the Rubashkin family. I suppose that since “Rabbi” Allen feels that he is smarter than G-d, he is not concerned about the blight this cast on the name of the G-d of Israel, the Torah, and the Jewish nation.
It is certainly true that the Law of G-d contains many, many laws, and we cannot presume to know which are more important. “Rabbi” Allen would do well to learn the laws of interpersonal relations- ethical teatment of human beings, Emes- truth, Lashon Harah- gossip mongering, as well as the laws of ethical treatment of animals and employees. All are part of an indivisible whole. If he is truly as intellectually honest as he thinks he is, he would probably also check out the philosophical, mystical and practical ramifications of the laws of kosher slaughter. It is certainly true that no one topic in Jewish Law is written in capital letters, however there is a clear hierarchy in Jewish Law and thought, and humility is way up there!
I for one, as a kosher consumer, would not buy a product with the magen tzedek seal. To me it would be an indication that the company agrees to destroying human beings in the name of imagined animal welfare.
It’s very disturbing that Morris Alan hurt his fellow Jews in Postville Iowa. The laws of a Rabbi include loving a fellow Jew and uncompromising all The Torah laws to the highest observance. Torah’s laws do not waver to accomodate inferior Torah observance in any area.
If Morris Allen truly wanted improve kosher business he should have started in his own back yard. Have his congregation keep kosher, buy kosher products. When you come to a manufacturer and say “I have a 1000 people congregation that wants to keep kosher” I bet any manufacturer would be willing to meet a reasonable request. It was never about kosher, it was never about ethics, it was about making a name for himself.
For Allens ethics see
http://lifecycle.beth-jacob.org/wedding/marriage-and-the-standards/
“While recognizing that marriages between two same-sex individuals do not yet enjoy civil recognition in Minnesota, Rabbi Allen will officiate at their religious ceremony.”
It is no great secret that Kosher in this country has more to do with business and pumping money, and has very little to do with observing the religious law. The whole kosher enterprise has turned into a giant racket, with “rabbis” of all denominations competing for turf and income in this lucrative market. The constant declarations of “I is holier than thou, and the food that I oversee is more kosher than yours” are getting tiring. Unfortunately, kosher food overseers, producers and distributors have taken the route of “buy the cheapest, sell the highest”, without any regard for ethics or concern for people who are involved in production. To put it simply, this is a money gouging operation, where the prices are unjustifiably sky-high, and the quality of the product is absolutely atrocious.
This is nothing new, kosher production in this country has been like this for a long time. When my family first immigrated to US, in early 80’s, to Denver, Colorado, opportunities to work at a local kosher chicken processor presented itself occasionally. Mostly they were interested in young girls and women. One time, when we were dire for money, my sister, then 20, took advantage of such an offer. She worked there for one 16-hour day, at wages below minimum, that were then taxed, and a huge “transportation fee” was also withheld. Work conditions were such that my mother would not let her go again, even though we needed money badly. From what my sister told us, there was nothing hygienical, let alone kosher, at that plant. I do not think conditions have changed much, except that now young latino girls are being employed instead of young jewish immigrant girls.
While Rabbi Allen’s efforts are admirable, I want to pose a different kind of question. While all the work and worry about the humane kosher certification have been wonderful and dandy, what has been done by the jewish community, our jewish community, to help all those affected by the INS raid? I do not wish to instigate this collective guilt that the american jewish community is so good at perpetuating, but where were we during and after the raid, when families were broken apart and left without sustenance, when people were arrested and deported, when kids were pulled from school and mothers were tagged with tracking devices? We were all happy to buy and eat food produced by these people. How come we crapped into our collective jewish pants when it came to opposing INS and trying to help these poor people?
Why is it that Rabbi Allen took the pain and honors to speak at the immigration rally in Washington D.C., which no doubt brought him a lot of exposure, but did not try to put up protests in front of INS, or organize legal defense for those who worked at Agriprocessors? Perhaps, as has been professed to me by a different Twin Cities rabbi almost five years ago, “American Rabbis do not actually help people, but just mediate conflicts”?
To see how much jewish organizations contributed to the relief of these people, just do a search for news articles on Agriprocessors, and see if there is a single name of a jewish charity mentioned. I would also recommend watching a public television special about the people who were sent back to Guatemala, and the hardships that they experience now. It would not be a bad idea for someone like Rabbi Allen to go and visit them, maybe?
So “humane kosher” is fine and dandy, but let’s try to make sure that the word “humane” is not superseded by the word “business of certification”. Perhaps some of the proceeds from this process can be contributed to those displaced during Agriprocessors raid?
As to the previous post, by “ag”, I would like express my great outrage at the attitude expressed by the poster.
Here is where Rabbi Allen has earned my deepest admiration and respect. There is nothing more humane and compassionate than to sanctify the union of two responsible adults who decided to commit to each other and spend their lives together. This action in itself shows that Rabbi Allen is indeed a compassionate and good person. I see no ethical or other issues whatsoever with his decision to help people and defy a stupid, inconsiderate law.
Allen states that the entire Torah is equally important. Does he require his congregation to believe in the basic statement appearing many times in the Torah: And G-d spoke to Moses saying. In other words, does he even believe that the Bible is the word of G-d? Does he require Shabbat observance, Kosher observance, Shatnez observance, Mikva observance, etc?
Is he using the Torah as a fig leaf for his own socialict agenda? Is he using the kosher laws, which presumably most of his conservative congregatio do not keep, as a basis for self promotion and self enrichment? Is the sky blue?