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2 Av 5763 - July 31, 2003 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Mobilize to Resist Anti-Schechita Attempts in US
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Orthodox Jewish groups are concerned about attempts to tamper with shechita in the US. Although shechita is protected by a special exemption in the US Code, some Orthodox Jewish leaders point to a number of recent developments of concern.

One group that has set its sights against shechita is the PR savvy animal rights advocates who recently compared ritual slaughter to the Holocaust. Though so far they have not (at least openly) advocated a ban on shechita, the animal rights activists speak of making shechita more humane, suggestions, which rabbonim say are unnecessary since shechita was proven to be humane decades ago.

Another group that is arousing concern are food scientists associated with major universities, as reported in last week's Yated. These "kosher experts" claim to have the interest of kosher at heart. They speak of advances of technology to making shechita more humane and offer suggestions that some Orthodox groups say conflicts with their interpretation of halacha or age-old practices, even though they insist that their proposals are halachically acceptable.

Kosher Today reported last week that these academicians "misrepresent" kosher opinions consistently. The net effect of this is that at least two major plants came under renewed scrutiny by USDA officials for practices long approved. It was reported that in the two plants shechita was temporarily halted, although the issues were quickly resolved.

Rabbi David Zwiebel, the General Counsel and Vice President of Government Affairs for Agudath Israel of America, called this latest challenge to shechita "the next frontier" for Orthodox Jews. Rabbi Menachem Genack, who heads the kashrus division of the Orthodox Union (OU), shared Zwiebel's view and lashed out against those "who misrepresent themselves as spokesmen for kosher when in fact they are damaging the interests of kosher." The Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel and others are coordinating their response to what they call "this latest attack against shechita," as reported in the latest issue of Kosher Today.

 

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