Ask The Expert: Why is chicken parmesan not kosher? http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/ask-the-expert-why-is-chicken-parmesan-not-kosher/ JTA teams with MyJewishLearning to bring you Ask The Expert. Here’s your chance to get answers for your burning Jewish questions. en-us theexpert@jta.org Copyright 2009 2009-09-11T;18:01:00-05:00 Comment by Sharon McEachern s_mceachern@msn.com You write that Kraemer thinks the rabbis decided to classify fowl as meat because of the “sociology of the times.” What do you think about chicken and today’s sociology of the times? Consider this—last November the ballot in California had a number of propositions (in addition to presidential election). The whole country knows about the controversial gay marriage Proposition 8, but most don’t know that Californians voted against gay mariage at the same time that they voted to extend rights to chickens in a landslide vote 2-to-1. That was a “NO” for human beings and a “YES” for chickens. It reminds me of the story of the woman jogging in southern California who was killed by a mountain lion a few years ago. The fund setup for the slain cougar’s orphaned pups received more donations than the fund for the woman’s orphaned children. Ethic Soup has a good article on chicken rights at: http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/controversial-caged-chicken-ban-passed-by-landslide-in-california.html Voters in California decided that in raising animals/fowl as food to eat it was immoral to torture them and cram chickens in cages so tightly that they could never even spread their wings. You write that Kraemer thinks the rabbis decided to classify fowl as meat because of the “sociology of the times.” What do you think about chicken and today’s sociology of the times?

Consider this—last November the ballot in California had a number of propositions (in addition to presidential election). The whole country knows about the controversial gay marriage Proposition 8, but most don’t know that Californians voted against gay mariage at the same time that they voted to extend rights to chickens in a landslide vote 2-to-1. That was a “NO” for human beings and a “YES” for chickens.

It reminds me of the story of the woman jogging in southern California who was killed by a mountain lion a few years ago. The fund setup for the slain cougar’s orphaned pups received more donations than the fund for the woman’s orphaned children. Ethic Soup has a good article on chicken rights at:

http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/controversial-caged-chicken-ban-passed-by-landslide-in-california.html

Voters in California decided that in raising animals/fowl as food to eat it was immoral to torture them and cram chickens in cages so tightly that they could never even spread their wings.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Richard lipow richard@lipowlaw.com A number of years ago we declared chicken to be parve in our then annual Purim newsletter edition.  As I recall, we reported that a “tribunal of rabbis acknowledged a rabbinic mistake.” The spoof included an interview with a kosher butcher (at a local supermarket) and announcement that oven ready kosher Chicken Parmigiana was available.  Years later we heard that one of our congregants did not appreciate that our Purim Edition was a spoof (my wife was the author and editor and it was very well done).  The congregant traveled to the market and had a protracted argument with the butcher when she was told in no uncertain terms that chicken was not parve and Chicken Parmigiana would not be for sale at the kosher counter. Forsaking Chicken Parmigiana, changing dishes at Passover and the like are (in my opinion) essentially customs of this tribe.  The question of whether these customs “make sense” or have the weight of “law” are not as important as to whether they resonate with the tribal members.  That said, we could not stop laughing when we realized that our chicken spoof had wings. A number of years ago we declared chicken to be parve in our then annual Purim newsletter edition.  As I recall, we reported that a “tribunal of rabbis acknowledged a rabbinic mistake.” The spoof included an interview with a kosher butcher (at a local supermarket) and announcement that oven ready kosher Chicken Parmigiana was available.  Years later we heard that one of our congregants did not appreciate that our Purim Edition was a spoof (my wife was the author and editor and it was very well done).  The congregant traveled to the market and had a protracted argument with the butcher when she was told in no uncertain terms that chicken was not parve and Chicken Parmigiana would not be for sale at the kosher counter.

Forsaking Chicken Parmigiana, changing dishes at Passover and the like are (in my opinion) essentially customs of this tribe.  The question of whether these customs “make sense” or have the weight of “law” are not as important as to whether they resonate with the tribal members. 

That said, we could not stop laughing when we realized that our chicken spoof had wings.

]]> 2012-05-24T;14:04:00-05:00 Comment by Eugene M. Kravis ekravis@care2.com You should be ashamed to have given a hint of legitimacy to the so called “biological facts” in your above article. It is time that ALL rabbis enter the 21st Century. We wonder why the younger generation leave the synogogues. I will eat chicken parmesean and a glass of milk in front of any rabbi, and prove that my veterinary medical education has taught me more about healthy meat and milk than they ever knew! Eugene M. Kravis, DVM, Cornell, 1958 You should be ashamed to have given a hint of legitimacy to the so called “biological facts” in your above article. It is time that ALL rabbis enter the 21st Century. We wonder why the younger generation leave the synogogues. I will eat chicken parmesean and a glass of milk in front of any rabbi, and prove that my veterinary medical education has taught me more about healthy meat and milk than they ever knew!
Eugene M. Kravis, DVM, Cornell, 1958

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