Agudah on Agri
- Author: Ben Harris
- Filed under: Agriprocessors, Kashrut
Jun 23,2008
In an op-ed yesterday in the Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Avi Shafran offers the first public statement on the Agriprocessors situation from Agudath Israel of America, the haredi umbrella group whose constituents are probably the company’s most reliable consumers.
Shafran writes:
Neither I nor Agudath Israel of America has any connection to Agriprocessors. And for all we know, it may yet be shown that the firm indeed knowingly hired illegal aliens. Or that it mistreated them, or that it was a front for a drug operation, a neo-Nazi group or a baby-cannibalizing cult. All under the eyes of the federal inspectors present at the plant at all times.
But unless and until some wrongdoing is actually proven, not merely suspected or charged, no human being - certainly no Jew, bound as we are by the Torah’s clear admonition in such matters - has any right to assume guilt, much less voice condemnation or seek to levy punishment.
It’s a fair point.
Breaking News
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- "One would never know from reading this write-up that a Bedouin soldier in the Israel Defense Forces " Herbert Grossman on Film on Tom Hurndall recalls fatal shooting in Gaza, and the fallout
- "In an environment of enmity towards Israel it is difficult to imagine how Iranian Jews are surviving" ejg1979 on A few thoughts for Yom Kippur
- "didn't the us annex texas and the southwest after several conflicts?" areyeh on The day the Golan was annexed
5 Responses for "Agudah on Agri"
Bullshit. The hire of 350 illegal workers is a violation of Federal law.
Those people were arrested, have been detained and many are being deported.
How much more proof do we need that there was wrongdoing? If nothing else, they’ve created a shonde for the goyim.
In the name of doing something for the Jewish community, they’ve broken the law and it makes us all look like we’re exploiting illegal workers by proxy just to get kosher meat.
Best to avoid the issue altogether and not by any of the Agriprocessors brands…. There are plenty of other options.
Over on the Mixed Multitudes blog I noted the same paragraphs from Rabbi Shafran.
I also got a response from Shmuly Yanklowitz of Uri L’Tzedek, which you can find here: http://www.myjewishlearning.co.....innocence/
As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, I wonder why the many moral issues related to animal-based diets are being overlooked.
Here are some “inconvenient” truths that I think the Jewish community should address: * A 2006 UN Food and Agricultural Organization report “Livestock’s Long Shadow.” Indicated that animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars and other means of transportation worldwide combined (18 percent vs. 13.5 percent).
Making the situation even more serious, the consumption of animal products is projected to double in 50 years. If this happens, it will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to reduce greenhouse emissions enough to avoid very severe effects from global climate change.
* At a time when food prices are skyrocketing, food riots are occurring in many areas and an estimated 20 million people are dying annually worldwide from hunger and its effects, over 70 percent of the grain produced in the United States and over 40 percent produced worldwide are fed to farmed animals.
* In an increasingly thirsty and energy-dependent world, animal-based diets require up to 14 times as much water and 10 times as much energy as vegan (all plants) diets.
* In addition, animal-centered diets are contributing to an epidemic of heart disease, several types of cancer and other diseases in the Jewish and other communities;
It is essential that rabbis and other Jewish leaders to make Jews aware of how animal-based diets and agriculture violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals compassionately, protect the environment, conserve natural resources and help hungry people.
Further information about these issues can be found at JewishVeg.com. JVNA will provide complimentary copies of its new documentary A SACRED DUTY: APPLYING JEWISH VALUES TO HELP HEAL THE WORLD rabbis and other Jewish leaders who will contact us (president@JewishVeg.com) and indicate how they will use them to involve their congregations on the issues. The entire movie can be seen and further information about it can be found at ASacredDuty.com.
How about a respectful dialogue/debate sponsored by Hazon on “Should Jews Be Vegetarians?”
BS”D
18 underage employees arrested in the Federal raid on May 12 is what in Israeli parlance would be called a “fact on the ground.” Back in 2004 when PETA released the first gory video of cattle surviving for minutes after shechita with their tracheas and esophagi dangling from their necks (another “fact on the ground”), Shafran was shooting the messenger, blasting PETA without any concern as to the facts — as did Agudath Israel, which passed a resolution condemning PETA without even viewing the video. So much for Shafran believing in dan l’kaf z’chut — he believes in judging favorably only when it suits his haredi agenda.
Mighty Meat:
Your statement of the law is incorrect. The mere fact that an employer has employed illegal aliens does not establish a violation of federal law. A violation takes place when the employer (a) knows the employee is not legally in the U.S. or (b) hires an employee without requiring the presentation of certain documentation. If the prospective employee submits the requisite documents, the employer is entitled to rely on them. If you read the government’s affidavit filed in support of its request for a search warrant, you will see that, by the affiant’s own allegations, these workers routinely submitted false identification papers to the company to secure employment.
Leave a reply