But the big story is…
Hekhsher Tzedek released the draft of its working guidelines today. Before jumping into the content of the statement, I want to look at the reaction. The JTA’s article included this quote:
Rabbi Avrom Pollak, the president of Star-K, a kosher certifier that works with more than 1,500 manufacturers, told JTA he is all in favor of treating workers ethically, but expressed doubt that companies would find it in their financial interest to pay for Hekhsher Tzedek.
“What does somehow trouble me a little is the fact that they are devoting all their efforts to kosher food companies,” Pollak said. “I think it should be a much broader effort. All the services that we use and buy should also be subject to the same scrutiny.”
I agree, we should. This is, however, as good a place to start as any, since food is something that unites so many people. I appreciated seeing Rabbi Pollack express this opinion; but what is he, or any other Orthodox hekhsher, doing to make changes, to give food producers the type of “scrutiny” Hekhsher Tzedek is proposing? (And Pollack’s not alone in taking this stance against Hekhsher Tzedek.)
Here’s how that additional scrutiny will come in.
Hekhsher Tzedek commission envisions its certification appearing alongside such established kashrut symbols as OU, OK, Star-K, KSA and Kof-K, to name a few.
The prospect of such double certification is made possible by the fact Hekhsher Tzedek has nothing to do with methods of slaughter or other conditions that might make a food technically kosher. Instead, the focus of the initiative is on such matters as employee health, safety and training; wages & benefits; the environmental impact of the company; corporate transparency and product development, among others.
The concept of kosher foods produced by companies that have attained this “God Housekeeping Seal,” has tremendous consumer appeal, merging the ritual aspect of kashrut with ethical consciousness, states Rabbi Morris Allen, founder and director of Hekhsher Tzedek.
“Hekhsher Tzedek is a holistic celebration of Jewish tradition, uniting ethical practice with ritual observance in the production of Jewish food,” he added. “Jewish law is concerned not only about the smoothness of a cow’s lung, but also about the safety of a worker’s hand as well as the impact that kosher food production has on the environment. Hekhsher Tzedek grows out of Jewish tradition; it does not seek to redefine kashrut as much as enhance it.”
This all sounds pretty darn good to me. I especially want to focus attention on the goal of coexisting with other hekhshers - Hekhsher Tzedek as a double/additional certification, not as competition. I think this is a great way to appease the Orthodox communities who have been quite vocal in their opposition to this new hekhsher, and start building bridges between our various communities. Specifically,
The Hekhsher Tzedek will indicate that a kosher product was made in compliance with a set of social justice criteria, in keeping with the teachings of the Jewish faith. In order to qualify for the Hekhsher Tzedek, a product must have been produced in a way that aligns with a strict set of standards regarding Wages and Benefits; Employee Health and Safety/Relations/Training; Product Development; Corporate Transparency and Integrity; and Environmental Impact. Compliance will be assessed, as applicable and wherever possible, at the level of the facility where the product was manufactured, although overall company performance will also be taken into account.
The qualifying process will take a multi-faceted approach. Data will be collected in a disciplined process from independent sources of information, including governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the media, as well as from the companies whose products are under consideration for the Hekhsher. Engagement with companies will play a key role in the process, as Hekhsher certification will require a detailed knowledge of company/facility policies, procedures and performance. Transparency and a willingness to enter into dialogue with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA), and their partners will therefore be essential for a company’s products to qualify for the Hekhsher Tzedek.
I think, in light of the continuing saga of Postville/Rabushkin’s/Agriprocessor’s (and 5WPR), transparency will be much appreciated - and possibly the toughest hurdle for the Hekhsher Tzedek team to ensure. But if they’re willing to strive for it, I applaud them.
The guidelines continue, mapping out different regulations for wages and benefits, employee health and safety, product development, environmental impact, and more. The point by point breakdown in the guideline is inspiring. I look forward to hearing more from Hekhsher Tzedek, and eagerly await their certification process for my favourite kosher foods.
The chart here and article the Washington Post is not quite a silver bullet — but it’s a decent wooden stake to jab long and hard into the little myth than the Israeli political system doesn’t suffer somewhere between skewed to possibly dragged kicking and screaming into the right-wing cave by the American Jewish community. This chart shows that US and other Diaspora donors support Bibi Netanyahu almost two-to-one (eyeballing it) compared to Ehud Barak. Bibi got less than 5% donations from Israelis (phenomenal!) in this 2007 primary.
The chart just covers Bibi and Ehud, but nobody need think too far about where the monied givers in American Jewish society tend to spend their money: against the peace process, by and large.
Says Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street, “The American Jews who hold the more conservative views toward Israel are also the ones who tend to be most actively engaged with Israel…Liberal American Jews tend not to single out Israel as the focus of their philanthropy.”
Which is why, when we talk about the creation of progressive Jewish institutions in America, like J Street, Brit Tzedek and PJA, we generally feel like it’s about damn time. The institutions to which you could give if you wanted to support progressive causes in Israel didn’t previously exist.
The days from the fast of the seventeenth of Tammuz through the fast of the ninth of Av are known traditionally as bein hametzarim or “the narrow places,” from the verse in Lamentations (read on the ninth of Av): “Judah has gone into exile Because of misery and harsh oppression; When she settled among the nations, She found no rest; All her pursuers overtook her in the narrow places.” This period is traditionally one of moderate mourning (e.g. no weddings) which is racheted up with the beginning of the month of Av to a time of greater mourning (e.g. no wine, no live music) and finally the ninth of Av is a full-out 25 hour fast day.
The “historical” reason for the fasts is that on the seventeenth of Tammuz, in the time of the first Temple, the walls of the City of Jerusalem were breached and on the ninth of Av the Temple itself was destroyed. (According to the tradition, other things happened on these days, and there is even a dispute about what exactly happened. See Bavli Rosh Hashana 18b Soncino translation here in pdf files.) However, Maimonides writes in Mishneh Torah, (Taanit 5:1) the great thirteenth century codification of Jewish Law,
There are days when all Israel fast because of the troubles that happened to them, in order to awaken the hearts and open the pathways of repentance, … so that in the memory of these matters we will return to doing the good. As it says: (Leviticus 26) “and they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their ancestors.”
The point of these fasts, according to Maimonides, is not their historical referent, but rather that their historical referent should cause us to reflect upon the reasons that brought us to catastrophe. Tisha B’av (the ninth day of Av) is a fast which memorializes the breakdown of the polity, and forces us to confront the radical possibility that an ethical or just polity is itself impossible. For this reason the customs of the day, such as not greeting one another and sitting alone and not engaging in business or even in Torah study—all these are performances of the dissolution of society.
In this spirit I will be blogging the “nine days” starting on Rosh Chodesh Av (this Shabbes, August 2) and culminating on Tisha b’Av (August 10). (The first blog will hopefully be posted on Friday before Shabbes.) The point of these blogposts will be to remind us of the ways in which civil society is falling apart around the world, giving way to (or by way of) violence, injustice and various and myriad forms of oppression-some of which are well known to us and some that fly beneath the radar.
Perhaps others will be moved to pick up on the other side, the weeks of comfort between Tisha b’Av and Rosh Chodesh Elul, with blogs of hopeful activism.
To start off, since the seventeenth of Tammuz marks the breach of the walls of the City of Jerusalem. I want to recall an anniversary which slipped by unnoticed by most (though noted in an article in Haaretz by the always vigilant Gershom Gorenberg). June 16 marked the forty first anniversary of the settlement movement. On that day in 1967, a kibbutznik drove up to the Golan Heights in his jeep and set up camp in an abandoned Syrian army base. This settlement ultimately became Marom Golan, which is situated close to the Syrian border near Quneitra. The first breach in the wall was made by a secular kibbutznik with the backing of the Labor government. There are now (as of 2006) thirty two settlements on the Golan Heights with upwards of 18,000 settlers and 121 settlements in the West Bank (with a constantly changing lineup of so-called hilltop outposts).
One reason this anniversary is not marked or mourned, as opposed to the anniversary of the settlements in Sebastia or Hebron in the Palestinian territories, is a general schizophrenia. Settlers in the Golan are called “mityashvim” while those in the Palestinian territories are called “mitnahlim”. The latter term has an overtone of occupation while the former is tied back to the early twentieth century Zionist settler movement. Even Peace Now’s settlement watch does not track settlements in the Golan.
It is, however, the settlement movement in both the Golan and the Palestinian territories that blocked the possibilities of compromise and peace (”facts on the ground”). Let us hope that the moment where a two state solution is possible has not passed.
A couple months ago, when it looked like Olmert was circling the proverbial drain, we put up a predictions thread to give our readers the opportunity to prognosticate about his political figure. Not many people participated, but maybe you made your predictions to yourself and were too embarrassed to post them. Anyway, the results are:
1. (a) Olmert resigns before he is formally charged with anything.
2. This question was ambiguously worded - it’s not clear whether it was asking when he would announce his resignation or when the resignation would take effect. In any case, the answers are July 30, 2008, and sometime in September 2008.
3. The date of the next Knesset elections is still unknown, but right now it looks like it won’t be in 2008.
4. It’s looking to be either (a) Tsipi Livni or (b) someone else from Kadima, depending who wins the Kadima leadership election in September.
So if you made predictions on your own, how did you do?
I was correct about question 1 and way off on the others, but I guessed September 16 as election day, which was only off by one day (except that September 17 will be Kadima leadership elections, not Knesset elections).
Never too soon and ever too late, Olmert’s end is near. The PM stifled by failed policies, a failed war and a corruption resume so long he’d make a mob boss blush is finally getting ready to pack his bags.
Olmert announced today that he will cease to be the Prime Minister following his party’s elections in September. He also said that he would continue with his recent peace agenda until the day he steps down. There have been more frequent non-direct meetings with Syria, negotiations for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, and talk of more serious negotiations with Fatah.
It would seem to make sense that, as noted here, Olmert is making this announcement now so that it will precede the announcement of his soon-to-come indictment.
I’m shuddering with the prospects of this notion. If you’re wanting to rid a government of corruption, something tells me Bibi is not the top choice… But well, I don’t vote in that election.
Read more about Olmert’s departure at the news source of your choice; this is covered everywhere.
Roy Trumbull has performed an excellent reading of my short story The Super Man and the Bugout — a story about Superman as a Jewish boy raised in Toronto’s suburbs (one of Superman’s creators being, of course, nice Jewish boys from Toronto!), put out of work by the arrival of benevolent aliens who welcome Earth to the Galactic Federation.
“Mama, I’m not a super-villain,” Hershie said for the millionth time. He chased the last of the gravy on his plate with a hunk of dark rye, skirting the shriveled derma left behind from his kishka. Ever since the bugouts had inducted Earth into their Galactic Federation, promising to end war, crime, and corruption, he’d found himself at loose ends. His adoptive Earth-mother, who’d named him Hershie Abromowicz, had talked him into meeting her at her favorite restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Gaza Strip.
“Not a super-villain, he says. Listen to him: mister big-stuff. Well, smartypants, if you’re not a super-villain, what was that mess on the television last night then?”
A busboy refilled their water, and Hershie took a long sip, staring off into the middle distance. Lately, he’d taken to avoiding looking at his mother: her infra-red signature was like a landing-strip for a coronary, and she wouldn’t let him take her to one of the bugout clinics for nanosurgery.
This was the lead photo in today’s New York Times story letting us know that W would leave a $482 billion deficit to his successor, not including most war costs, denoting a “sobering turnabout” in economic conditions since Bush took over an economic surplus at the inception of his term.
The numbers also exclude any “drains on the national treasury” which could be caused by the downturn in the housing market, including the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout, which raises the federal debt limit by $800 billion, “to pay for any aid that may be needed” for the mortgage giants, according to The Economist. The bailout’s direct cost to taxpayers is estimated at some $25 billion.
Whoever W’s successor is, he will have very little time to act to reverse our country’s economic situation.
The way I see it, the pickles are the Jews, and Gramps is Torquemada. But I’m sure there are other readings, some of which might include the quote “I got a great big old pickle here,” which Grandpa actually says before the torture begins.
I spent an incredible day yesterday in Postville, Iowa, where an interfaith mobilization of nearly 1,500 people prayed, marched, sang and testified in solidarity with the 390 immigrant Agriprocessor workers arrested in the May 12 raid. I’m still processing the experience the morning after - suffice to say this action provided a powerful ray of light in the midst of the ongoing tragedy that is Postville.
Some brief background for those who still need it: on May 12, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the Agriprocessors kosher meat packing plant. It was the largest single-site workplace raid in US history, resulting in the detainment of 390 employees (out of a total of 968). Ninety were subsequently released (many with GPS ankle bracelets) - the remaining 300 have convicted as criminals on felony charges.
This is the first time that criminal charges were used as a deportation tactic in an immigrant raid. Most of the detained workers were sentenced to five months in prison for engaging in identity theft, in addition to being charged with committing a civil offense for living in the US illegally. According to the terms of their sentence, they are to be deported after serving their time. (Agriprocessors has not been charged, although there have been widespread and growing charges of worker abuse at the plant).
Yesterday’s demonstration was organized to show solidarity with the Agriprocessor workers and their families and to shine a bright light on our profoundly broken immigration policy. This action brought together an unprecedented coalition of activists and was organized by Postville’s St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, Jewish Community Action (St. Paul, MN), the Jewish Coucil on Urban Affairs (Chicago), and the Office for College Ministries at Luther College (Decorah, IA).
Marchers came from throughout the Midwest - largely from Iowa, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago. I joined two full tour buses organized by JCUA for the five hour ride. As we arrived, the scale of the action quickly became evident - throngs were simply pouring into Postville from every direction. I was honored to participate in an interfaith service at St. Bridget’s (below) - the Catholic church that initially provided refuge for families of the detained and has been the base of operations for the crisis response team.
After the service, we began our march. Our first stop was the Agriprocessor’s plant which was adorned, horrifyingly enough, with a menorah, a Jewish star, and a banner that read “Agriprocessors: A Great Place to Work!” Needless to say, I was heartened by the strong Jewish presence at the demonstration, which provided Postville with a very different face of the Jewish community.
Our march also stopped at large playground that has remained largely empty since the raid. (The Postville school system has been decimated since employee children have either moved away with their families or are living in fear in their homes). In one of the many emotional high points of the day, a group of employee children (below) recited this piece, inspired by the poem “I Am A Jew” (from the classic collection, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.”)
We are Latinos and will be Latinos forever.
Even if they should try to separate our families
never will we submit.
We will always fight for our people
on our honor.
We will never be ashamed of them
we give our word.
We are proud of our people,
how dignified they are.
Even though we are supressed,
we will always come back to life.
Our march then took us into downtown Postville, where we encountered the inevitable counter demonstrators. As you can see from the pix below, their signs ranged from the more than mildly offensive to the outright repulsive. (We quickly learned, however, that these fine citizens were not locals. I want to take pains to note that we were largely received with respect and appreciation by the citizens of Postville).
During the final rally, the skies opened up with a thunderstorm, so we moved back into St. Bridget’s. By far, the most moving part of this gathering were the personal testimonies of Agriprocessor workers and their families. One young boy, whose mother is currently imprisoned in Leavenworth, KS, spoke eloquently about his family and their plight, while choking back tears.
As painful as it is, I believe it is so essential for us to bear witness to stories such as these. They are critical reminders that the immigration debate in our country is not about abstract policy, but real people whose lives are literally being torn apart by structural violence. At the end of the day, this really is the crux of the issue. All the rest, as the ubiquitous Rabbi Hillel once said, is mere commentary.
Still, yesterday was a proud day for us all. And I can’t help but hope that this newly emboldened coalition will now take the struggle to the next level.
I’ll close with the picture below. Take a close look - I think it says it all. (The mother with the ankle bracelet is Maria Garcia, an ex-Agriprocessor employee originally from San Luis Potasi, Mexico. That’s her son Anthony holding the American flag…)
The yeshiva student apologised for removing Obama’s note from the Western Wall and giving it to the press. “I’m sorry. It was a kind of prank,” he said on Channel 2.
A federal judge has ruled that as long as witnesses are dead or don’t object, their testimonies can be released.
One crucial aspect that will remain secret is the testimony of Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, still alive at 84. He worked on the Manhattan project and was accused of being recruited by Julius as a spy. A few years after his sister’s execution Greenglass recanted, saying he had testified against Ethel to protect his wife.
The historians who requested the records will put in a new request after Greenglass’s death. Take from this what you may. Declassification of controversial materials can happen. Only slowly. Very slowly.
Paramilitary American Jews aren’t just for the territories anymore. According to an article in the Jerusalem Post, “Kitat Konenut New York,” has been in existence since 2006. They describe themselves as a “competent and professional group of armed volunteers ready to respond to a threat at a moment’s notice in any area where Jews reside.” The article goes on to explain that Kitat Konenut New York holds 10-day training camps in the Catskills where participants get sharpshooter and assault rifle training (with some halacha thrown in) for a mere $400.
Says one of the men quoted in the article, “We believe all Jews in the US must be legally armed and trained, and towards this goal we hold paramilitary training camps to train and equip Jewish American youth.” The article mentions that private donors help fund the program but does not give names.
Boy, won’t you feel safer at your retreat this summer knowing these guys are around the corner?
I came across this image in a blog I read every now and again. Regret the Error reports on mistakes, errors, and corrections in the media. But today’s post included photos from the Newseum (museum of news in Washington, DC). Including this gem:
We regret that posts from the last few days have gone missing. We will do our darnedest to get them reposted but, most likely, your comments will be missing.
The Super Man and the Bugout, a short story by Cory Doctorow from his collection A Place So Foreign and Eight More, is “about Superman as a Jewish boy raised in Toronto’s suburbs (Superman’s creators being, of course, nice Jewish boys from Toronto!), put out of work by the arrival of benevolent aliens who welcome Earth to the Galactic Federation.”
“Mama, I’m not a super-villain,” Hershie said for the millionth time. He chased the last of the gravy on his plate with a hunk of dark rye, skirting the shriveled derma left behind from his kishka. Ever since the bugouts had inducted Earth into their Galactic Federation, promising to end war, crime, and corruption, he’d found himself at loose ends. His adoptive Earth-mother, who’d named him Hershie Abromowicz, had talked him into meeting her at her favorite restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Gaza Strip.
“Not a super-villain, he says. Listen to him: mister big-stuff. Well, smartypants, if you’re not a super-villain, what was that mess on the television last night then?”
A busboy refilled their water, and Hershie took a long sip, staring off into the middle distance. Lately, he’d taken to avoiding looking at his mother: her infra-red signature was like a landing-strip for a coronary, and she wouldn’t let him take her to one of the bugout clinics for nanosurgery.
Roy Trumbull has done a great performance of the short story, now available on mp3. At 56 minutes long, I recommend downloading it to your favourite portable mp3 player and listening as you walk around town, take your daily commute, or go on your lunch break. Definitely worth a listen!
The New York Times has a pretty good article that focuses less on Rubashkin and more on the immigrants. What is striking about this article is it specifically addresses the issues involving child labor (with sound clips of three teenage workers). It seems that the underage workers could be the “coin that tips the scale,” so to speak, regarding whether or not Aaron Rubashkin (and presumably others) will face criminal charges. According to the report,
In formal declarations, immigrants have described pervasive labor violations at the plant, testimony that could result in criminal charges for Agriprocessors executives, labor law experts said.
There are also some shocking accounts, as shocking as things found in the previous post on the Agriprocessors scandal, like this:
“The floor supervisor then took one of the meat hooks and hit the Guatemalan with it,” the informant said, adding that the blow did not cause “serious injuries.”
And this one, for myself, is particularly hard to read:
Elmer L. said that he was clearing cow innards from the slaughter floor last Aug. 26 when a supervisor he described as a rabbi began yelling at him, then kicked him from behind. The blow caused a freshly-sharpened knife to fly up and cut his elbow.
He was sent to a hospital where doctors closed the laceration with eight stitches. But he said that when he returned, his elbow still stinging, to ask for some time off, his supervisor ordered him back to work.
The next day, as he was lifting a cow’s tongue, the stitches ruptured, Elmer L. said, and the wound bled again. He said he was given a bandage at the plant and sent back to work. The incident is confirmed in a worker’s injury report filed on Aug. 31, 2007, by Agriprocessors with the Iowa labor department.
Ma’ariv has published Barack Obama’s note that he left in the Western Wall.
I read it–I feel pretty ashamed I did, it’s quite beautiful and simple (and I hope honest). This never should have been printed, but since it is now widely spread around the world, thanks to the handy InterWeb, if you care to take a look, click here.
But, really, what kind of yeshiva student steals a person’s note in the Western Wall, and what kind newspaper prints it? hutzpah, shande or umfarshemt? I’m not sure which applies.
The chart here 
