The OU Mandates Changes

The OU has mandated at least three changes at the Rubashkin-owned AgriProcessors slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa.

1. No more trachea-pulling/throat-ripping.
2. A second cut to slash the arteries only. (I.e., no more #1.)
3. Stunning or killing animals still walking after slaughter.

I was told in confidence last week about the changes, but the senior-level OU rabbinic official who told me asked me not to make the changes public. He feared publicity would cause Jews to think the following:

If Rubshkin was doing all these things incorrectly right under the noses of the OU, KAJ, UMK, Crown Heights Beit Din, Kehilla Kosher (LA), Margareten, and several other kosher supervisions, then why should I trust them now? Why keep kosher?

Stupidly, I agreed to his request.

Little did I (and, perhaps, little did that senior-level OU rabbinic official) realize that, as we were speaking the OU was dishing most of this information to the New York Times.

Yesterday I received a phone call from Steven Steiner, the OU's director of public relations, promising me that today or tomorrow there would be a statement issued by the OU, after Rabbis Genack and Belsky (and Rabbi Chaim Kohn from KAJ) returned to New York from Postville. When Steiner did not call me with or e-mail me the statement, I assumed the OU would issue it tomorrow morning.

Instead, the OU was dishing it to the JTA (and, I would expect, the New York Times).

In other words, I got scooped on my own story because I allowed myself to have sympathy for an important rabbinic figure and for the Jewish community.

Live and learn.

Most Jewish newspapers are sent to the printer ("put to bed", in newspaper lingo) on Tuesday night. By dishing to the JTA (whose coverage of this scandal has been weak) late Tuesday afternoon, the OU guarantees one more week of insipid coverage in the Jewish press. How's that for honest, Torah-based behavior from our rabbinic leaders?

I should also add that the senior OU rabbinic figure told me that from now on the second cut would be made by shochtim (Jewish ritual slaughterers, commonly thought of as rabbis) and not by untrained workers. Let's hope that turns out to be true.

Comments

[Yaakov]

So, instead of focusing on the fact that, B"H, the shechitta is going to now be done in a more humane fashion, your main focus is your own disappointment over getting scooped.
B"h, things are being resolved in a positive way. Just leave it at that.

[Shmarya]

My disappointment is over being trated in a less than honest fashion. I dislike being misled, and i also worry that many of the OU's 'changes' will be cosmetic in nature.

[Ploni]

Well, now I am thinking "If Rubshkin was doing all these things incorrectly right under the noses of the OU, KAJ, UMK, Crown Heights Beit Din, Kehilla Kosher (LA), Margareten, and several other kosher supervisions, then why should I trust them now?" but I'm not thinking Why keep Kosher? I'm thinking Have I really been keeping Kosher all these years? Heads need to roll.

[Mr Clock]

It would be one thing if this was run by the 'Conservadox' and they just went by the most leniant ruling possible and the slaughter house was known as a 99% kosher place. But you should see these people nothing but the strictest ruling. Cannot even use an umbrella on a Yom Tov cause it would be erecting a shelter. Milk got to inspected (halave Yisroal) lest it have pig milk in it. All the while it is not feasable to do it anyway and years ago I talked to somebody the U of Minnesota Food Science department and NOTHING strange can go in the milk, farmers can't even put water in the milk it WILL be detected, pigs are fed penicillen laced food- so the milk willhave penicillen in it, some thing that is looked at. Cheese got to be kosher cheese, nevermind that cheese can NOW be made with microbial rennent assuming meat is not brought into the plant and mixed with cheese, it should be easy to certify but can't cause it got to be supervised fully. These people fall over them selves to see how more Orthodox they can be than the next outfit. Then I find out there are running a slaughter house like a bunch on non-believing careerists would, in effect torturing animals and yet saying "nothing wrong! this beef is kosher glatt!" The stuff is simply treif. They couldn't offload that beef to McDonald's at least they insist on humane slaughter. Maybe dog food it might be good for. They could NEVER admit its treif cause then anybody could sue for a complete new set of dishes plus emotional distress etc etc etc. They must all go! can't trust them before can't trust them now . Then they label honest ethical people as NAZIS and ANTISEMITES. They sold Torah for the monthly check.