The rule of law, which is the only mechanism that separates this country from tyranny, requires that decent respect be paid to the accused. Thats on the one hand. On the other hand, some judicial proceedings exist mainly to determine the level of guilt, not the fact of guilt. For example, in the case of Francis Hernandez, who allegedly killed three people with a vehicle (see editorial below), the principal point of a judicial proceeding seems to be to choose between deportation or jail, and if jail, on the basis of vehicular homicide or some higher degree of murder.
Very few cases are this black and white, however. In the case of Agriprocessors, the largest kosher slaughterhouse in the nation, serious charges have been levelled against it informally. These charges have not, until now, risen to the level of criminal charges. Also muddying the waters is the fact that any business today that relies on low wage workers is liable to be afoul of our unclear, unenforced or unenforceable immigration laws. The problems facing Agriprocessors in this vein are shared by any large American industry today. Still more, one of Agriprocessors main detractors, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), has a clear bias against kosher slaughter. For all of these reasons lack of criminal charges, informal charges a few of which were later found to be unfounded, and the long history of bias against kosher slaughter we have not taken a stand on Agriprocessors. This week, that changes.
First of all, and constituting sufficient justification unto itself, Temple Grandin has withdrawn her support of Agriprocessors. She is a renowned animal welfare expert, whose lack of bias is attested to by no less than the head of the kashrut department of the largest kosher certifying agency in the world, the Orthodox Union. She witnessed a video of Agriprocessors engaging in treatment that she termed inhumane. Now, Grandins prior testimony on behalf of Agriprocessors was touted by the company as proof of its good intentions and good practices. The same company that used Grandins testimony to its benefit now stands accused by her to its detriment. To us, that speaks volumes.
As if this were not enough, formal criminal charges have now been filed against Agriprocessors. The OU now says that unless Agriprocessors management is entirely charged, its kosher certification will be withdrawn. This is right. The benefit of the doubt has been extended to the company time and again. And time and again, new charges arise. All this can no longer be chalked up to coincidence or to anti-Semitism.
Just the opposite, in fact. A company that deals in Jewish ritual has an obligation to meet a higher standard and not just ritually. Agriprocessors represents the Torah and the name of G-d in the eyes of a very large public spectrum. For a Jewish company such as this, it is not enough be be right; it must be seen to be right. It is not enough to keep to the letter of the law; it must sanctify the name of G-d. On both counts, Agriprocessors has failed miserably. Its failures implicate both that set of Jews who keep kosher and that set who do not. Such is the responsibility of being the largest kosher slaughterer in the country. It is now time for the company to clean house comprehensively if it wants to survive, and if it is serious about upholding the Torah in its fullest sense.
Search the IJN using the term Agriprocessors, and find all of our stories tracking this landmark case in the kosher meat industry.
