BBYO to steer clear of Rubashkin’s
B'nai Brith Youth Organization will abstain from Agriprocessors meat this summer. Here's their statement:
Camp Food is No Joking Matter BBYO Teens Demand Agriprocessor-Free Camp ProgramsAs a result of the allegations of intolerable injustices at Agriprocessors, the largest producer of kosher meat and poultry in the U.S., BBYO takes major stand by asking its various camp partners to avoid serving Agriprocessor products, to which they comply.
Nine hundred teens participating in BBYO's summer leadership experiences at Perlman Camp, PA; Beber Camp, WI; and American Hebrew Academy, CA, over the course of this summer, will eat meals free of Agriprocessor products, showing a unified commitment to social justice and Jewish values.
Teens make concerted effort to expand summer program curricula to address the Agriprocessor issue from variety of angles, including the ritual and ethical implications of kashrut, worker's rights, immigration reform and Jewish values.
The first program will take place on Thursday, June 26, 11:45 am – 1:15 pm, when nearly 100 Jewish teens will gather at Beber Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconson (suburban Milwaukee) to make their voices heard against the intolerable injustices at Agriprocessors. Confirmed speakers include Rabbi Morris Allen, a Minneapolis-based leader of the Heksher Tzedek campaign for kosher foods to be produced ethically, who has been to Postville multiple times and will share first-hand accounts from factory workers. Lauren Shenfeld, BBYO's International Teen Co-President, will also address the group, to raise awareness among her peers and encourage action when teens return home to their local communities.
"If anyone is going to make their opinion on this problem matter to the Jewish community and communities at large, and ultimately stand up against an issue in which human rights and Jewish values are demeaned, it's BBYO teens." – Lauren Shenfeld, BBYO International Teen Co-President
"The reason this issue has struck such a deep chord with BBYO teens is because it's the story of their grandparents and great grandparents – the story of immigrating to find a better life, fighting oppression and standing up for social justice." – Marilyn Sneiderman, BBYO Deputy Director and former Director of Field Mobilization for the National AFL-CIO
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“Teens make concerted effort to expand summer program curricula to address the Agriprocessor issue from variety of angles, including the ritual and ethical implications of kashrut, worker’s rights, immigration reform and Jewish values.”
Oh? What about the Jewish value of not condemning and executing someone before the facts come out?
“on Thursday, June 26, 11:45 am – 1:15 pm, when nearly 100 Jewish teens will gather at Beber Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconson (suburban Milwaukee) to make their voices heard against the intolerable injustices at Agriprocessors.”
What about the **alleged** intolerable injustices?
What an outrageous claim to make, nothing has been established as fact, yet it is repeated as if it is.
“make their voices heard against the intolerable injustices at Agriprocessors”
This is an embarrassment to Jewish education and youth.
I bet BBYO wont have any opposition speakers present. This is a one sided rant fest to promote Morris Allen’s agenda.
How can we trust anyone anymore based on all of this information and misinformation? Agri says this, Shmarya, JTA and Forward say that, and all of the bloggers say other ridiculous things.
The raid on Agriprocessors has become more of a witch hunt, and even more of a game of broken telephone. This whole debate is lashon hora, because no one has printed bona fide facts, it’s all hearsay.
The blog editor here claims to know the truth, the PR guys claim to know the truth, and the pseudo experts here claim to know the truth.
The truth is that some of what is claimed against the meat processors are true and need to be fixed, while a lot of it is rumor designed to besmirch the movement Chabad and organized orthodox so-called “organizations”.
This fight, and it is a fight, is not one that ought to be fought by a food maker/distributor, but between the rabbis, religions, streams and the consumers to see whether an idea of a hechser tzedek warranted, but more so, is even doable. Where are lines drawn, who makes the rules, is a “little bit” illegal, the same as a little bit pregnant, is immoral, my morals, your morals, Avi Weiss’ or Morris Allan’s, Avi Shafran’s?
Asking for a hechser tzedek is a big deal, because once you declare it and firm it up, can Avi Weiss still eat at the Rivedale Pizza shop if the guy who sweeps or flips the dough is illegal? Can Morris Allan’s synagogue be considered treif because the janitor’s wife is illegal (not saying that any of this is the case)? Can I buy my tzitit at the Judaica store where a Mexican is crushing boxes in the back?
Shmarya says its a 70%/20% in another post here. he says its not about Federally illegal, but more of a moral code. So if shmarya says one guys’s use of illegals is good because he pays them better wages, doe sthat rise to the level of Avi Weiss’ level of Uri LTzedek - which asks for U.S. legal guidelines?
The questions here are not meant to be sarcastic, but will certainly be answered that way. They will get torn apart and mocked, my motives will be too, all in an attempt to deflect the true questions here. Can tzedek work, who will be the enforcers, and is the use of this company as the posterchild for non tzedek - the rumors, gossip and destruction of people’s lives, livelihoods and reputations - contrary to the whole point of tzedek in the first place?
Or, to paraphrase a famous Kohen, “do the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few?” Do we continue to be counter to tzdek, using these people until they are destroyed for the purpose of building a greater call for Tzedek?
Tear away people…
The thesaurus uses synonyms of “fairness, impartiality, even-handedness, fair play” for the word “justice”.
You guys have missed the mark and you are misleading hundreds of Jewish youth to do the same.
The Jewish value of not condemning and executing someone until the facts come out has also been laid aside.
Your leadership should be ashamed of themselves.
further demonstrating the lack of any Jewish learning in the BBYO to go balance their liberal indoctrination. It would be nice to see the adults responsible for these budding revolutionaries to talk about benefit of the doubt and halacha. legal woes at Agriprocessors have nothing to do with Kashrus. inflamatory remarks based upon lack of knowledge (who is BB can speak to working conditions? how can Morris Allen speak to working conditions at Agriprocessors vs. other meat plants? One can guess that the fairness of the discussion went out the door with the choice of so-called adult supervision:
Marilyn Sneiderman, BBYO Deputy Director and former Director of Field Mobilization for the National AFL-CIO . No agenda there huh?
Wow.
A former director for a branch of the AFL-CIO Union, organizing Jewish youth? Convincing the youth to boycott a Jewish company that produces Kosher products. Amazing.
Ben Harris what is your agenda??
It does not appear to be impartial reporting.
It is good to see young people involved in Social Justice issues. The Labor movement and Jews go back over 100 years - fighting for the rights of workers and immigrants (Jewish immigrant women fought for this in the clothing sweatshops of New York City) for dignity and justice on the job. Keep it up BBYO. Do your homework on this issue and speak out for justice. Nothing could be more Jewish!
According to Maimonides, the highest level of the charity is to provide a person with a job, but it does not mention anything about checking his work papers.
Please teach your youth with REAL Jewish values!
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Dan
06/24/08 03:48 PM
This letter had me scratching my head until I read the name signed at the end. BBYO and former director for Field Mobilizaion for the AFL-CIO is bringing her old job to her new one, it seems. She’s mobilizing BBYO to help boycott a non-union business. Is this mixing business and pleasure, or is it business and business?
Either way, it stinks.