JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

08/14/08 04:38 PM

Why are non of the Rabbis concerned about us loosing our children to the slut of society via TIMTUM due to the lack of kashrus standards at Rubashkin.

There is the famous articly by Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz OB"m, entiltled “I ACCUSE”, where he puts the blame of lack of kashrus on the shoulders of the Rabonim.

Kosher Consumers Union, Inc
Rabbi Yehuda Shain, Pres.

08/14/08 06:47 PM

Camping Out in Dubuque

Rabbi Zvi Zuravin and myself were the only rabbis on the National Rabbinical Mission to Postville routed through Dubuque. We arrived there Tuesday evening (after his first flight was canceled) and ended up again staying overnight Thursday night-again after another canceled flight.  Finally on Friday morning after yet another canceled flight we both left by rental cars, he to St. Louis and me to Chicago and then on to LA by plane arriving just before Shabbos.

Adrift in Dubque, no shul, minyan, or even kosher deli we decided to collaborate on writing op eds, and exchanged notes and ideas. The two articles are different, his over a thousand words and mine around 750. They are our own takes on the visit after we shared with each other.

The blog the Telegraph linked to, that finds evil in anything that is connected to Agriprocessors has claimed that this is all part of a pr plot orchestrated by the company. It was nothing nefarious at all. Just two rabbis camping out an sharing ideas in a small town in the Iowa.

My advice to all, avoid Dubuque airport at all costs, even though the people at the counter were much nicer than the ones we encounter in large cities.

By the way, a note to Ben, you can at least spell my name correctly in the headline. Its “Eliezrie”

08/14/08 07:02 PM

“Why are non of the Rabbis concerned about us loosing our children to the slut of society via TIMTUM due to the lack of kashrus standards at Rubashkin.”

Maybe because there is nothing at the plant that they find disconcerting, kashrut-wise.  I know you find it hard to stomach but you’ll just have to deal with it.  Anyways, I would be far more concerned about those other schlachthausen that sell “Menukar” meats with globs of Cheilev Mamosh hanging off them.

“There is the famous articly by Rav Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz OB”m, entiltled “I ACCUSE”, where he puts the blame of lack of kashrus on the shoulders of the Rabonim.”

There is a play by Eugene Isben called “Rhinoceros” in which all people are gradually turning into rhinoceroses It is often viewed as a metaphor for the whole world going mad and only one man knows it.  Yes, it is an absurd notion and, in the context of the play, it is meant to be so. VD"L

08/15/08 11:15 AM

fixed—sorry bout that.

08/15/08 12:13 PM

[It is] claimed that this is all part of a pr plot orchestrated by the company. It was nothing nefarious at all. Just two rabbis camping out an sharing ideas in a small town in the Iowa.

WADR, Rabbi Eliezrie, the concern is that the entire visit by the rabbinic delegation to Agri. was orchestrated specifically to buff the company’s image in the eye of the public.  Concluding that the attendees’ observations and opinions are thereby discredited goes too far, I think.  Nevertheless, there is an appearance of one hand washing the other in this entire episode.  Can you give examples of differences that your group had with Agri. management or of procedures you found that are in need of improvement?  And have you been briefed in the procedural changes being put in place both in response to recent controversies (illegal immigrants, animal handling, regulatory compliance) as well as pro-active measures to insure aganist similar issues in the future?

08/18/08 10:19 AM

The concern about so called orchestration of the visit is emanating from those who have been harshly critical of Agri. Covering airfare to fly to Hawaii would be one thing, but this is remote Potsvile. Even the closest airport is almost two hours away. So lets get real. 25 prominent rabbis are not going to fooled by a cheap ticket on a commuter airline.

If the trip would have been managed would have been one thing. The rabbis had free rein of the plant. They talked to dozens of workers pulled randomly from the lines. No one stood by them deciding who they would talk to. Chaim Abrams led them into the plant but he could not, an did not try, to restrict 25 inquisitive rabbis. So while some may criticize, and its seems the JTA was even infatuated about this point it is not relevant. We saw what we saw and it was far different than press reports relying on outside sources like the Union with agendas.

The JTA’s reporter own Sue Fishkoff also spent time in the plant and filed a report quite similar. Her ticket was not paid by Agri.

We asked numerous questions of management. It was an honest give and take of ideas. Also we visited their nemesis St. Bridget Church, something they clearly were not to happy with. But they did not try to dissuade us from going.

In my assessment, and this is a personal opinion, Agri grew quickly, beyond anyone’s expectations. The plant was run like a family business. Now they have finally realized you can’t run a plant of this size like a butcher shop in Brooklyn. They have brought in some experienced management and are hiring a new CEO. I don’t think there was anything intentionally nefarious in Potsville. Just a family business that grew quickly and is now instituting proper professional management.
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