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- 12/08: Seth Greenland
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A Half-Hearted Defense of AgriProcessors |
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 by Tamar Fox, August 18, 2008 |
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Rubashkins: not winning any prizes anytime soonSince the raid on the Agriprocessors plant on May 12th, bashing the kosher meat giant has become something of a sport. Everyone from the New York Times to failed messiah to yours truly has taken a few shots (some cheap, some well-deserved) at the Rubashkin family and the business they run out of Postville, Iowa.
I’ve never been a big fan of the Rubashkin family. In fact, I called for a boycott of their meat in January, months before Uri L’Tzedek was on the case. But I’m getting a little frustrated with the way the scandal is being dealt with by liberal-minded people like me.
First of all, the boycott was a joke. It was called off too early, but even if it was still going on it wouldn’t be having any effect on the company itself. Many, if not most, of the people involved in the boycott are not regular purchasers of kosher meat to begin with. Either they’re vegetarians, or they buy non-kosher meat. So while it’s admirable that they want to be on the record against the practices at the AgriProcessors plant, they’re not creating much of a business loss for the company. Case in point: A good friend of mine manages a kosher restaurant in Chicago, and said he received an irate phone call from a Reform rabbi who demanded that the restaurant stop buying Rubashkin meat. But the rabbi in question had never eaten at the restaurant before. My friend just hung up on him. AgriProcessors is having business trouble these days, but it has to do with a lack of workers, not a lack of demand. If their workers weren’t mostly incarcerated, they would likely be producing as much as ever.
Like many lefty issues, the decision to buy other brands of kosher meat, if they’re even available, and especially to push kosher organic meat, is only viable for the people who can afford the significant price tag that comes with most AgriProcessors alternatives. An ultra-Orthodox mother of 10 in Borough Park might care deeply about labor practices and animal treatment, but if she can’t afford organic kosher meat, she’ll end up with Rubashkins.
I’d love to say that vegetarianism is the answer to this crisis. As a milchigatarian I’ve observed the Rubashkin uproar with an admittedly smug smile. But while I think vegetarianism would be great for the Jewish community, I think the sell would be about as effective as the abstinence pitch for teenagers. It might work on a select few, but for most, the allure of a hamburger is just too great.
If we want to change the way AgriProcessors does business we have to recognize how important their product is to our community and be respectful and cognizant of what they need to stay a profitable business. We should also not forget ways in which the Rubashkins have been generous in the past. This includes donating kosher meat to various Jewish institutions, and exporting members of their small community to even smaller communities that otherwise wouldn’t have had a minyan for the High Holidays.
As far as I can tell, the most effective way of dealing with the Rubashkin family would be within a halachic framework. It is clear that they don’t feel any obligation to the American legal system, but they have to pay at least lip service to halacha, so an appropriate conversation with them would focus on the halachic violations in their plant (of which there were many) and how they could change their behavior to be compliant with halacha and maintain whatever profit margin they require. Obviously this conversation needs to be initiated by someone within the frum community, preferably someone within Chabad. A liberal activist, even one with smicha, is unlikely to be taken seriously by Rubashkin.
I have some pretty serious doubts as to whether AgriProcessors is likely to ever change its ways significantly enough that it would pass inspection by the liberal Jews I identify with. But if there’s any chance it will ever happen I think we need to be realistic about what would be the most effective way of negotiating with a company that doesn’t take us seriously.
(Cross-posted on The Jew and the Carrot)
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David N. Friedman
OK, Tamar, thanks for seeking something of a balanced approach although I can't follow some of your parenthetical thoughts and one or two of your main points.
zbird
But I was about to post a comment saying I can't believe Tamar is agreeing with David Friedman.
--Z
Anonymous
" We should also not forget ways in which the Rubashkins have been
generous in the past. This includes donating kosher meat to various
Jewish institutions, and exporting members of their small community to
even smaller communities that otherwise wouldn’t have had a minyan for
the High Holidays."
"Half-hearted defense" is a drastic understatement .That reasoning was your lame attempt ,the rest of your article just attacks the method used in fighting Rubashkin. .However valid your argument is you should change the heading of your piece ,just call a spade a spade and admit you in no way attempted to defend Rubashkin
(In the interest of full disclosure i am an orthodox Jew)
RW
It's nice to see Tamar confess that this story is a bit more complex than the balance of Jewcy's coverage would suggest, especially with regards to the calls for a boycott. Economics will always play a part, and given a choice between affordable kosher meat or none at all, most people are going to choose the former, for obvious reasons.
Tamar is also on the money when she notes that the Morris Allens of the world aren't going to change a thing at Agriprocessors. This is an issue which requires a coherent Orthodox halachic response.
Anonymous Knows
Well, Tamar, I must say I was surprised to read (finally) a statement by someone who understands this issue is much greater than what most blogs seem to say. There are many facts the public has chosen to ignore in favor of joining the "bash" of the moment. As one who lives in Postville and can say for certain that much of what is alleged, is in fact downright falsehoods and ridiculous lies, I appreciate your suggestions, and hope they can find a place in rebuilding the community's confidence in Agriprocessors.
Ari Hart
I’m surprised you are so quick to write off the Uri boycott. The
boycott was a targeted action to put pressure on the company to hire an
outside party to bring the way Agri treats its workers in compliance
with US law.
I can say with confidence that the experience of working at Agri
today is much different than it was before Jim Martin (the CCO we asked
for) was hired. Before the raid, most workers on the killing floor and
in the meatpacking departments were making only the Iowa minimum wage
of $7.25, possibly less. Those same positions are now being paid
$10.00. Safety information is now posted in Spanish. There is an
anonymous tip line workers can report problems to without fear of
punishment. Those things did not exist before.
Once Martin was hired, began implementing some change, and
established a degree of transparency with the work he was doing, it did
not make sense sustaining the boycott, since our conditions had been
met.
I understand people’s anger and frustration at the company, but the
purpose of the boycott was not to be a punitive action. We wanted to
help make change.
Regarding the signers: where did you get the idea that no one who
signed the boycott keeps kosher except Uri members? We had hundreds,
literally hundreds, of observant Jews who observe kashrut reach out to
us, sign and tell us how important this was to them and that they were
no longer purchasing the meat. Orthodox Rabbis called us to ask what
restaurants they could frequent. Orthodox weddings switched caterers.
You cited an anecdote about a reform rabbi in Chicago, I fail to see
how that proves that “many, if not most, of the people involved in the
boycott are not regular purchasers of kosher meat to begin with.”
Even if none of the above had happened, the serious conversations
about halachah, values, and kosher food that the boycott generated in
the Orthodox community have tremendous value.
Reb Yankl
I know that your criticism of the boycotters has some basis, but I know lots of people in my (Conservative) community in Brooklyn, who only buy kosher meat, who have stopped buying Rubashkin.
I admit that there is more choice of kosher meat here than out in a small town, but that also applies to the frum in Boro Park.
Anonymous
from the Jew and the Carrot:
Avrumie Goldfein Says:
August 18th, 2008 at 3:46 am
I accidentally came across this website searching for something on Google and saw this article. So let me tell you all my experience.
I worked in agri this summer for one month and I was very happy. I can assure you that all the shechitah was done according to halachah. The workers get treated normal and the plant is full of U.S.D.A officers and quality control and they were there before the raid so dont tell me that the Rubashkins are running an illegal business!
As far as the treatment of the animals go, no animals are left in the plant overnight. the animals are on farms all around Postville and are brought in the day they get processed.
There is no meth lab and there are no WMD’S in the plant. All the employees must get e-verified for social security before getting hired. The problem with the raid was the Rubashkins WANTED to use e-verify for the workers but lefty liberals said its racial profiling.
These alleged underage workers are getting caught more and more the fact that they are just lying for the union.
One of them said he was 16 but is really 26 and is a file clerk!
Its all getting uncovered. This is a major Blood Libel for the unions!!
lets not forget Rabbi Allin who wanted to make a visit to the plant on shabbat!!!and is now making up lies that he’s received death threat from hashgacha agencies
this whole thing is a massive blood libel and we are all supporting it… shame!
Anonymous
Kudos to Avramie not only for taking the time to see what was going on at Agriprocessors, but also for not being afraid to post the truth. Most of these websites are filled with lies based on heresay or made by illegals who presented false documentation and are now trying to plea bargain their way to more lenient sentences.
I can’t understand why everyone is being to quick to jump on the company but not on the workers who committed crimes. Why does no one bother to seek out what is real and what is fake - BEFORE blogging/printing in the press?
I do believe this is the work of the union and the rabbi allens of this country. The slaughterhouse business is not pretty but unless we who sit here blogging are willing to do it like Avrumie, we should just shut up as haven't been there.
By the way, I am not frum, but I do buy glatt and will continue to buy Aaron's Best.
zbird
"
I can’t understand why everyone is being to quick to jump on the company but not on the workers who committed crimes. "
Because the workers' only crime was coming to American to try and earn a living, and most people know that they would have done the same thing had they been in the workers' position.
--Z
Anonymous
This is related to this subject.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/us/23kosher.html?hp