November 2009/Cheshvan 5770
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NORTH READING, MA
PERMIT #168
A Journey into the Ethics of Kashrut
DYONNA GINSBURG
This year our Sigi Ziering
column focuses on the
ethics of kashrut. Each
month an esteemed guest
columnist will wrestle with
what Jewish texts and our
tradition teach us about
the food we eat; the
preparation of food; the
people who prepare our
food; the food and
restaurants that are
deemed kosher. This
column is sponsored by
Bruce Whizin and Marilyn
Ziering in honor of Marilyn’s
husband, Sigi Ziering, of
blessed memory. Visit
shma.com to view the
series and responses.
Ethics Sigi Ziering
Dyonna Ginsburg is the
executive director of Bema’aglei
Tzedek (“Circles of Justice”), an
Israeli NGO that engages
thousands of young Israelis,
religious and secular alike, in
ongoing educational programs
and social action campaigns
incorporating Jewish text study
and in-depth understandings of
current socioeconomic issues
in Israeli society. For more
information, visit
www.mtzedek.org.il.
In light of last year’s scandal at the Agri- processors meat plant, Bema’aglei Tzedek (“Circles of Justice”) is probably best known
for being a pioneer in the field of ethical kashrut.
Our Tav Chevrati, a certificate granted free of
charge to restaurants that treat their employees
ethically and are handicapped accessible, now
graces over 350 establishments throughout Israel
in places as diverse as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Kfar
Saba, Beer-Sheva, Maale-Adumim, Givat Shmuel,
Efrat, and Emek Israel.
My journey with Bema’aglei Tzedek, in
general, and the Tav Chevrati in particular,
began four years ago shortly after the organization’s inception. At that time, I made a very
personal decision to eat only in establishments
that bear a Tav Chevrati. Although today there
are hundreds of certified restaurants, the pickings were rather slim back then. This meant
that every time I met a friend or colleague for
coffee, I couldn’t help but think about workers’
rights, handicapped accessibility, and what it
means to be a Jewish-ethical consumer living in
a Jewish state. Although I had been involved in
many social justice ventures before, it wasn’t
until I switched my eating habits that my entire outlook shifted. All of a sudden, I saw
things that I had not seen before and became
sensitive to the suffering of people whom I had
previously ignored. Anyone who has changed
their diet — for religious, health, or other reasons — knows that such a decision not only impacts oneself but also one’s friends, family, and
associates. Indeed, there is not a single person
in my address book who does not know that I
only eat in places that are accessible and comply with basic Israeli labor laws — i.e. pay minimum wage, overtime, and social security;
register work hours properly; and reimburse expenses related to travel and in-service training.
Several months ago, I had the privilege of
sharing our organization’s hard-earned wisdom in the field of ethical kashrut with a group
of rabbis and lay leaders in Los Angeles who
wanted to launch a similar initiative in their
own community. Skeptical as to the efficacy of
ethical kashrut certification, one of the people
at the meeting asked: “In my day job as a labor
lawyer, I file class action suits helping thousands of exploited workers. Why should I
spend my precious free time worrying about
the rights of two Mexican kitchen staff at the
local kosher pizzeria? Wouldn’t my time be
better spent staying at work an extra hour a
day?” I answered that an ethical kashrut certificate without a built-in enforcement mechanism is worthless. Consumers will not have
faith in a certificate that lacks teeth nor will
restaurant proprietors regard such a certificate
with seriousness. But, to speak solely in terms
of compliance, is missing the point. The power
of this certification far surpasses questions of
compliance and civic enforcement. Ethical
kashrut is about shifting the discourse and behavioral norms in the Jewish community and
rediscovering what it means to be a Jew in the
modern age. It is about educating an entire generation of young Jews to use ethical considerations in their daily actions and to appreciate the
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