Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa

I interviewed the Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen early this morning. Rabbi Cohen was widely quoted early in the scandal in support of PETA, but as of late has been characterized by the OU and others as retracting those statements. Some – most notably employees of the Rubashkin family – have claimed that PETA deceived Rabbi Cohen and misled him. Without detailing our entire conversation, let me note the following:

1. Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen was adamant that PETA had not deceived him.
2. Rabbi Cohen said that, after speaking to Rabbi Menachem Genack from the OU and Rabbi Chaim Kohn from KAJ, he no longer knew what the truth was.
3. If the PETA video is accurate (and both the OU's Rabbi Genack and KAJ's Rabbi Kohn have questioned this), and if the throat-ripping was done while the animal was sensate, then Rabbi Cohen would have problems with the process at AgriProcessors/Rubashkin.
4. Rabbi Cohen said that the animal is usually sensate for 20 seconds after shechita.
5. Rabbi Cohen stressed that, without seeing the shechita in person (or sending his own representative to do so), he could make no definitive ruling on the issue.
6. I asked Rabbi Cohen if PETA's representative had disguised himself or represented himself as a ba'al teshuva (a returnee to Orthodox Jewish observance). Rabbi Cohen said, "No, he did not." But because Ronnen wore a kipa (skullcap) during his meeting with Rabbi Cohen (probably as a sign of respect, much like many non-Orthodox Jews don a kipa when entering a synagogue or a rabbi's study), Rabbi Cohen assumed that Ronnen was most likely a ba'al teshuva.
7. In other words, despite the claims of the Rubashkin's and their lawyer Nathan Lewin, no intentional deception took place.
8. Rabbi Cohen noted that he thought his statement would be used to work with the plant and the government to repair the problems he saw on the video. He did not expect his comments to appear in the press.
9. He did not realize that PETA had made non-public efforts to work with Rubashkin, etc., but that Rubashkin had rebuffed those efforts.
10. He also did not realize that any complaint made to the USDA would automatically be made public.
11. Rabbi Cohen did not know the name, location or supervising agency – if any – of the slaughterhouse shown in the PETA video.
12. When he found out that it was Rubashkin and that the OU supervised the shechita, he was surprised.
13. "If I had known it was the OU I would have called Rabbi Genack directly," Rabbi Cohen said.
14. He also noted that, according to "this morning's Jerusalem Post the OU is making changes" at the plant. [The OU did not notify him of the changes.]
15. When I told him the number of different kosher supervising agencies certifying Rubashkin's operation, he was stunned. "That many? Why?"
16. Rabbi Cohen is a member of the Kashrut Committee of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. He noted that the OU was highly regarded in Israel because it is a community-based supervision, and the supervising rabbis are not paid by the plant.
17. Rabbi Cohen also noted that, now that the issue has been made public, he could not issue any definitive statement regarding the kashrut of AgriProcessors until the Rabbinute officially evaluates the situation.
18. The Rabbinute has not yet decided if it will officially evaluate the situation, or if it will continue to rely on the OU in this matter. [Although it seems that they will continue to defer to the OU.]
19. Rabbi Cohen also told me that he did not see a proper bedika (inspection) after the shechita.

I would also point out that Rabbi Cohen was clear and forthright, did not hesitate when answering questions and seemed to be a very kind man.