Letters
LETTERS Hypocritical Kashrut To the Editor: It seems to me (at the ripe age of 23) that kashrut is an exercise in hypocrisy. When I first began to learn about kashrut at the Brandeis-Bardin...
...Does organized Judaism always dodge difficult problems which call into question the ultimate perfection of the religion...
...One year ago I wrote to the Committee on Jewish Law of the Rabbinical Assembly and presented this problem, assuming that Conservative Judaism might be flexible on this issue...
...When the calf lies down, he must lie "hunched up, sitting almost on top of his legs rather than having them out to one Continued on page 63 Letters continued from page S side as he would do if he had more room...
...The Torah could not possibly approve of this...
...We are hypocrites...
...elimination of socio-economic inequalities through affirmative action and other compensatory programs...
...Consequently, I refused to eat any meat unless it was rabbinically approved...
...The calf is fed a "totally liquid diet" which includes growth-promoting drugs...
...building a healthy and viable culture drawn from the best of our Jewish and American traditions...
...What an ignorant and sorry lot indeed...
...to render the slaughter of animals as painless as possible...
...As if this were not enough, there is the fact that the calf is kept deliberately anemic...
...Kashrut has* obviously not kept pace with the 20th century...
...I can only guess that our beef is drugged to prevent flatulence and that our chickens are brutally debeaked to facilitate crowding...
...We mistreat the animal all the days of its life, but give it a pleasant funeral, and then have the nerve to call it kosher...
...William Friedman Van Nuys, California Within the past year Agenda has grown from a group of fifty rabbis, communal leaders and interested individuals to a mailing list of over 1700 from 42 states and foreign countries...
...This is only part of the story of veal production...
...Then my mother served some of Mr...
...A great Judaic scholar extolled the virtues of our painless method of slaughter...
...Digestive disorders, including stomach ulcers, are common in veal calves, as are chronically loose bowel movements...
...Readers who endorse this attempt to synthesize the best of the Jewish tradition with the best of contemporary ethical sensitivities might appreciate knowing of a broad based movement called New Jewish Agenda which has formed during the last year...
...Rabbi Gerald Serotta New Brunswick, New Jersey New Jewish Agenda To the Editor: Your comments on the dangers of rightward trends in the Jewish and general community ("Norman Thomas, Where Are You Now That We Need You...
...The treif animal indeed dies in a horrendous manner by comparison...
...The idea that veal can be kosher is ridiculous...
...As Upton Sinclair noted in The Jungle, the animals destined for kosher meat shops were separated at the end of the line...
...Officically Agenda asserts the following: "We are Jews concerned with the retreat from social action concerns and open discussion within the organized Jewish community...
...The veal calf destined for the kosher dinner table is killed painlessly by a schochet because this is the humane thing to do...
...The stall is designed to render the calf essentially immobile, keeping it from even turning around, le>t its flesh become tough...
...This is like allowing policemen to take bribes as long as fhey give the right change...
...To how many other types of meats this principle applies I do not know...
...At any rate, after fifteen weeks of such treatment the animal is put out of its misery...
...Is this a demonstration of the responsiveness of our institutions...
...He describes in detail the production of veal...
...Box 320, New York, N.Y...
...concern with the problems of the elderly in a culture which lacks respect for their position...
...as long as the last five minutes or so are lived according to Talmudic principles...
...The veal calf is reared under the most cruel and inhumane conditions...
...Perhaps we will begin to eat only meats which come from animals treated properly during life, as well as during death...
...As Jews who believe strongly that authentic Jewish life must involve serious and consistent attention to the just ordering of human society and the natural resources of our world (Tikun Olam), we seek to apply Jewish values to such questions as economic justice, ecological concerns, energy policy, world hunger, intergroup relations and affirmative action, women's rights, peace in the Middle East, and Jewish education...
...The conference will work toward goals in three areas: American Jewish Community— working toward democratizing Jewish life and institutions...
...Any moment readers who share our concerns and would like to know more about our work or the national conference are invited to write to Agenda, P.O...
...working for a healthy Israel-Diaspora relationship that recognizes the integrity and interests of each partner...
...What a consolation prize...
...A painless eternal reward after a life of misery...
...It is time that kashrut enter the 20th century...
...elimination of discrimination against women through support of ERA and related causes...
...Dennis Prager writes, "With regard to animals kashrut aims...
...strengthening family life and maximizing individual Jewish expression through shared responsibility and power of men and women, extended communities with roles for the elderly, and improvement of Jewish education...
...Who cares about fifteen weeks of constant torture, as long as the final blow causes no further pain...
...10025...
...When I first began to learn about kashrut at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute it appeared to be an excellent way to express one's humanity...
...A newsletter appears bimonthly and a National Conference on a New Jewish Agenda for the 1980's will be held December 24-28...
...supporting those forces within Israel working for an ethical, progressive nation in the prophetic and Zionist tradition...
...Davis' finest kosher veal...
...continue moment's unique editorial position which refuses to concede that Jews ought to abandon their commitment to social justice...
...Most people think that veal is just the tender meat of young calves...
...He stated that the committee would consider this issue...
...I have heard nothing from them...
...Three days after birth the animal is taken from its mother and housed in a stall...
...It's O.K...
...I commend to the readers of moment an article by Peter Singer entitled, "Down on the Factory Farm...
...At the same time I think of all those who "keep kosher" and carry with them a false air of moral superiority...
...The Committee Chairman wrote to me and said, "the situation you describe is indeed horrendous...
...And I felt better, or at least less guilty, when I ate meat...
...But roughage is strictly forbidden and so, again, the calf may resort to vain attempts to chew the sides of its stall...
...Israel-Diaspora Relations and the Middle East—supporting policies leading to lasting peace and true security for the State of Israel, including a just solution for the Palestinian people...
...Obviously the calves sorely miss their mothers . . . Later on the calf develops a desire to ruminate—that is, to take in roughage and chew the cud...
...World Community—working toward a sane nuclear policy and the eradication of poverty in the developed and undeveloped world...
Vol. 5 • September 1980 • No. 8
