Next Dor: Solving the Kashrut Issue

In a recent post, we talked about some of the issues that arose in trying to make the Next Dor house truly non-denomenational and welcoming for to everyone. Kashrut came out as the item that was most contested. After a conversation earlier in the week, we believe we have found a good compromise.

It is interesting, although not totally surprising that Kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws, came to be a contentious issue. After all, there are a great many different understandings of the laws of Kashrut that trace back directly to the Torah all the way to more modern understandings and cultural interpretations.

While we could use this space for a discussion on intentions of the laws of Kashrut, interpretations over the years, and controversies, I'd rather focus on practical outcomes.

First, no pork or shellfish will be allowed in the house. That includes pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, and swine flu.

Second, we will have two sets of kosher cook-, dish-, and silverware; one for milk and one for meat. We will also have one set of non-kosher kitchenware. We will also have plenty of biodegradable disposable plates for certain situations.

In terms of keeping the kitchen itself kosher enough to not treyf up the kosher kitchenware, we will have buckets which can be placed in the sink in which to wash the kosher dishes. The oven's self-clean mode also doubles as a self-kashering mode that will enable us to make the change between milk, meat, and non-kosher foods.

So long as the cookware we use is glass or cast iron, if someone makes a mistake, we'll be able to get things back on track pretty easily.

Will it be difficult to keep everyone on the same page? Sure, and we might run into several different people in the kitchen doing different things at the same time. To help keeps things straight, whenever kosher cooking is going on, there will have to be someone involved who has a deeper knowledge of the laws of Kashrut to make sure things are being done correctly.

If we can stick to this plan, then it means that those of us who do or don't keep kosher, and to all of the varying degrees, will hopefully be able to eat and enjoy together.
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A 'kosher' way to treat employees?

CNN is reporting on the fall-out of the Agriprocessors kosher meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, at which illegal and underage immigrants were found to be working.

The question this seems to have opened up is, do the laws of Kashrut extend beyond the actual food, into the company and it's employees?

Jewish dietary laws, known as Kashrut (from whence the word, Kosher comes), are part of the 613 commandments contained in the Torah, although the interpretation of these laws has become something of a business.

Much like 'Certified Organic' requires certain payouts, the 'heksher' or mark of kosher-ness on food is also big business, due to the portion of Jews who still strictly (or otherwise) adhere to this dietary system.

The situation with Agriprocessors is so interesting because, strictly in terms of the actual food and how it is processed, the meat is kosher.

Because Kashrut is part of a set of laws bounded in ethical monotheism, however, the broader implications of Agriproc's actions have caused quite a stir to the point that some are advocating for another level of kashrut, a righteous kashrut.

According to the article, "Interest in Allen's "hekhsher tzedek," or "certificate of righteousness," has ballooned since a May 12 immigration raid at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa.

As a pick-n-choose-Jew (patents pending), I have never eaten shellfish or pork (knowingly), I try not to mix red meat with cheese (usually), and I try to rationalize my decisions based on my limited knowledge of the actual content of the Torah. But I don't only eat food (meat included) that has been branded by a heksher

This story, however, has a very interesting angle in it closely related to 'stuff Jewish young adults like'. That angle is the feel good angle. We want to feel good about what we eat, where it came from, how it was handled, and now, under what working conditions it was handled.

I may not want to pay the increased price for beef produced at living wages, but dammit if I want my meat tainted with the tears and (underpaid) sweat of underage immigrant labor.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as this is really the case of a niche market to whom these ethical concerns be turn out to be paramount depending on which rabbi decides to make a proclamation one way or the other.

How do you rationalize the omnivore's dilemma?
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