Friday, July 11, 2008

Not kosher

Apparently, there is a huge kosher meat processing factory, Aggriprocessors, that has not only committed pretty serious violations for its inhumane treatment of animals, but also of its immigrant workers. The place is plagued with all sorts of denunciations, from seriously scary unsanitary conditions in the meat, to sexual harassment, to mistreatment of illegal workers. This is rich, to say the least, coming from a kosher plant.
If I am not mistaken, one of the reasons for the kosher slaughter laws is to prevent animals from suffering by giving them a quick and painless death. And if I'm not mistaken, the entire Old Testament is peppered with commandments, laws and admonitions about human decency, towards animals and humans alike.
But this is what happens in certain instances where religious people (and this is not exclusive to Jews) cloak themselves with the mantle of righteousness, while otherwise behaving despicably. They think if they beat their chests and pray to heaven long enough and in public, no one is going to notice their evildoing; when indeed, the very fact that they are religious is what may corrupt them in the first place.
In the case of the immigrants, it's as always, a sad and terrible story. Between the unethical behavior of their employers, and the zeal of the immigration enforcers, these poor hardworking people are paying with jail, while their employers (who provided them with fake social security numbers) are not punished, as far as I know.
This is not the way good Jews behave.
Just so you know, not only has the New York Times reported on this issue, as have several national newspapers, but also the Jewish Daily Forward* and the Jewish Advocate.
• This plant should be closed.
• The people who consume this plant's products should boycott them.
• Rabbis should issue some kind of injunction against this plant.
• God should smite the owners of this plant with fire and brimstone.

*The Forward has an internet page in Yiddish!!!!! Is that cool or what? I'm going to start practicing...

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