Speaking of "Naval Birshut Ha-Torah" -- "Scoundrel within the bounds of Torah." Which is similar to the Buddhist Idea of "parasites in the lion's boundary" or "law-eating monks"; a raid by the INS on a Kosher Slaughterhouse; http://www.forward.com/articles/13394/ went on this weekend. And it is hard to figure who the biggest scoundrels are; the Coyotes bringing in the illegal workers, the company that employed them in order to save money on labor costs, or the INS which has catch 22 laws selectively enforced; but certainly not the employees picked up in the dragnet. Oye Vey! I don't eat a lot of meat, but when I do eat meat, it is always Kosher.
What really irked me (no surprise but still irksome) is that they arrested the employees, but;
a: The company, which is "Glatt Kosher" is anything but Kosher in its labor practices. (What do you expect people to be consistent in their practicing religion? -- what an the world would be a paradise -- heaven forbid!)
And b: The INS arrested employees but hasn't fined the companies officers which employed them knowing they were illegal.
and c: the reaction of the community; "Oh my our prices might go up!"
For Jewish activists who advocate tying ethics standards to the requirements of kashrut, the latest incident at AgriProcessors is more fuel for the fire.
“For too long, we’ve ignored that production of kosher food has taken place in a world where we’re concerned about the ritual aspects of food preparation and not the ethical considerations,” said Rabbi Morris Allen, director of the Hechsher Tzedek Commission, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement.
Posted by cholte at May 20, 2008 10:43 AM