Rabbi Morris Allen's testimony on behalf of a state bill, the meatpacking workers' bill of rights
It is truly an honor to present testimony before the committee chaired by my distinguished Senator, Jim Metzen. Sen. Metzen, as you know represents the 39th Senate District. It runs from South St. Paul to Mendota Heights. There is great economic disparity between the communities. That economic disparity should not translate into any disparity in the dignity of the labor that any one performs --whether in Mendota Heights or South St Paul. As a state we cannot tolerate any situation where the dignity of a human being is considered a matter of debate, or an issue worthy of disregard. What this bill represents is the powerful voice of this state weighing in on matter of human dignity with resolve and commitment.
I have spent the better part of 21 years in the pulpit, in the same congregation, promoting the observance of Kashrut, the Jewish Dietary laws. Kosher means fit. The animal which we are permitted to eat must be kosher--must be fit. The slaughter of the animal must be done in a kosher manner- it must be fit. The meat from that animal must be processed in a kosher fashion- it must be fit. I am not sure if anyone of you has seen kosher slaughter. It is truly a moving and beautiful act, carried out by a trained individual who must approach the animal about to be slaughtered with awe and respect. The purpose of their act is to remind us that in the taking of the animal's life, we continue to understand that we must minimize its suffering and understand with gratitude the gift that the meat represents. I have witnessed this act, done by a trained ritual slaughterer--called a shochet. It is moving and meaningful.
But what happens when the person down the line must work on and process that meat. Should we not be as concerned about that worker down the line as we are about the meat coming down the line. Should the meat not be produced in a way that we say the worker is also fit--is also kosher. The ancient Jewish scholar, Maimonides stated that a product which is the result of tainted labor is not to be used. Our workers need to be treated in a way that is just as kosher as the meat which they are producing. They too need to know that their work is kosher, that it is fit.
We should not tolerate a workplace where training takes place in a language other than the language in which one is able to communicate. In a world in which meatpacking workers are often new workers from Guatemala and other Spanish-speaking countries, their ability to be fully trained and able to understand the intensity of the work they are to perform should not be compromised by the language by which they are trained.
Workers in this industry need to know that their bodily needs can be taken care of and are protected by the state of Minnesota. One aspect of the laws of kosher meat involve the lung itself--whether it is smooth or not. That is the difference between glatt and non-glatt meat. Our concern as Jews about the lung of an animal should in no way compromise our concern as citizens of this state about the bladder of the line-worker.
Let me just close with the following. At one plant I visited, I met with a worker from another plant that happens to be a union plant. As the chair of the commission I chair for the USCJ and the RA(the congregational and rabbinic arms of the Conservative Jewish movement), I opened our meeting with the following:
"I am a Conservative Rabbi and serve as the chair of our joint commission on worker dignity and kashrut. We are interested in knowing what it is like for you to work in a plant that processes the meat that we are obligated to eat."
He turned to me and said:
"I have worked in X plant for 10 years. In that time I have on a daily basis worked next to rabbis and ritual slaughterers who were slaughtering and supervising the meat. In that entire time, no rabbi has ever has me what it is like FOR ME to work in such a plant."
At that point, I realized that all faith communities sometimes focus exclusively on the rituals that we are to perform, and forget the ethics by which we are to live. This Bill, coming from the state itself, secular in nature, reminds us all that the purpose of our lives is to celebrate the dignity of labor and the dignity of the individual performing that labor.
I have spent the better part of 21 years in the pulpit, in the same congregation, promoting the observance of Kashrut, the Jewish Dietary laws. Kosher means fit. The animal which we are permitted to eat must be kosher--must be fit. The slaughter of the animal must be done in a kosher manner- it must be fit. The meat from that animal must be processed in a kosher fashion- it must be fit. I am not sure if anyone of you has seen kosher slaughter. It is truly a moving and beautiful act, carried out by a trained individual who must approach the animal about to be slaughtered with awe and respect. The purpose of their act is to remind us that in the taking of the animal's life, we continue to understand that we must minimize its suffering and understand with gratitude the gift that the meat represents. I have witnessed this act, done by a trained ritual slaughterer--called a shochet. It is moving and meaningful.
But what happens when the person down the line must work on and process that meat. Should we not be as concerned about that worker down the line as we are about the meat coming down the line. Should the meat not be produced in a way that we say the worker is also fit--is also kosher. The ancient Jewish scholar, Maimonides stated that a product which is the result of tainted labor is not to be used. Our workers need to be treated in a way that is just as kosher as the meat which they are producing. They too need to know that their work is kosher, that it is fit.
We should not tolerate a workplace where training takes place in a language other than the language in which one is able to communicate. In a world in which meatpacking workers are often new workers from Guatemala and other Spanish-speaking countries, their ability to be fully trained and able to understand the intensity of the work they are to perform should not be compromised by the language by which they are trained.
Workers in this industry need to know that their bodily needs can be taken care of and are protected by the state of Minnesota. One aspect of the laws of kosher meat involve the lung itself--whether it is smooth or not. That is the difference between glatt and non-glatt meat. Our concern as Jews about the lung of an animal should in no way compromise our concern as citizens of this state about the bladder of the line-worker.
Let me just close with the following. At one plant I visited, I met with a worker from another plant that happens to be a union plant. As the chair of the commission I chair for the USCJ and the RA(the congregational and rabbinic arms of the Conservative Jewish movement), I opened our meeting with the following:
"I am a Conservative Rabbi and serve as the chair of our joint commission on worker dignity and kashrut. We are interested in knowing what it is like for you to work in a plant that processes the meat that we are obligated to eat."
He turned to me and said:
"I have worked in X plant for 10 years. In that time I have on a daily basis worked next to rabbis and ritual slaughterers who were slaughtering and supervising the meat. In that entire time, no rabbi has ever has me what it is like FOR ME to work in such a plant."
At that point, I realized that all faith communities sometimes focus exclusively on the rituals that we are to perform, and forget the ethics by which we are to live. This Bill, coming from the state itself, secular in nature, reminds us all that the purpose of our lives is to celebrate the dignity of labor and the dignity of the individual performing that labor.
--Rabbi Morris J. Allen
posted by Jewish Community Action Staff at 11:13 AM
1 Comments:
I read with much interest the article in the NYT concerning Rabbi Allen's 'hechsher tzedek.' While this concept is important it seems that the Rabbis's focues should be First were his congregation are attempting to keep All of the Torah's requirements.Is the Rabbi on a crusade that his members actualy keep the laws of Sabbath etc.? Otherwise he is lacking in His basic moral obligation. If he wants to be a social crusader let him rather call it as such instead of cloaking it in religion. There is no pressing Torah obligation to promote Social Justice before the majority of Jews have some kind of understanding and begin to practice authentic Judism.
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