Criticism of kashrut

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Criticism of kashrut is criticism of or opposition to the laws of kashrut and/or dislike of kosher foods. Criticism of kashrut can either come from non-Jews or it can come from Jews who don't keep kosher, and it may or may not be motivated by antisemitism. In some European countries, kosher slaughter is either banned or restricted by law, often because nationalists or animal rights activists object to the practice. Certain aspects of kashrut have been alleged to promote sectarianism or racism, a claim that is rejected by Jews who keep kosher. Right-wing extremists sometimes criticize kashrut due to their belief in antisemitic canards and antisemitic conspiracy theories. In Classical Reform Judaism, the keeping of kosher has been discouraged, based on its belief that the keeping of Kosher is an unhelpful vestige of the past. In the Soviet Union, the keeping of Kosher was discouraged, due to the anti-religious and antisemitic policies of the Soviet government, and the anti-religious views of secular Jewish Communists.

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Examples

Non-Jewish criticism

Several countries in Europe and Oceania ban or restrict kosher and halal slaughter. These countries include Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Belgium, and Switzerland. Bans on kosher slaughter have most often been promoted either by right-wing nationalists, secularists, and animal rights activists. The United States Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism has denounced the spread of kosher slaughter bans in Europe as "disgraceful", "intolerant", and tantamount to "a forced expulsion of Jewish communities from the countries that adopt such legislation." [1]

The kosher tax conspiracy theory is a fringe conspiracy theory promoted by right-wing extremists that falsely claims that kosher certification of food products is part of a scheme to cost consumers extra money and thereby enrich rabbis. The Anti-Defamation League has called the conspiracy theory "bizarre" and a tactic that antisemites have used to "trick the uninformed into accepting conspiracy charges and stereotypes about Jews." [2]

During the 2010s, the Alt-Right promoted anti-kosher sentiment. Some antisemitic members of the Alt-Right are opposed to purchase of kosher foods. Alt-Right websites have promoted an anti-kosher app called "KosChertified?", available on Apple's App Store and Google Android, that helps users locate food that is not kosher certified. One Alt-Right website claims that consumers have been "kept in the dark" about kosher certification and advance the conspiratorial view that "the tax exempt revenue flows to many programs and institutions worth examining for its effect on you and your interests." The Twitter account for the KosChertified" app is followed by the neo-Nazi Richard Spencer and other white supremacists, and frequently posts antisemitic and anti-Israel content. [3]

In 2020, the French interior minister Gérald Darmanin was widely ridiculed and denounced on social media after claiming that kosher and halal aisles in supermarkets promote "separatism" and should therefore be removed. [4] The French columnist Christophe Barbier agreed with Darmanin's statement, stating that "A kosher food aisle or halal food aisle is the beginning of communautarisme" and that kosher and halal food should only be stocked "in the normal, general aisles...because we know that everyone who goes there is Muslim or Jewish." The French legal scholar Rim-Sarah Alouane declared Darmanin's statement to be "absurd" and ignorant, accusing him of instrumentalizing laïcité to promote separatism rather than oppose it. [5]

Jewish criticism

The Pittsburgh Platform, a pivotal 1885 document in the history of the American Reform Movement, discouraged keeping kosher as an outdated vestige from the past. The platform declared that "all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet...originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation." [6] During the late 20th and early 21st century, keeping kosher has seen a revival among some Reform Jews. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, has promoted kashrut as a model for Reform Jewish dietary practice. However, Classical Reform Jews maintain their traditional opposition to keeping kosher. [7]

The laws of kashrut specify that wine cannot be considered kosher if it might have been used for idolatry. These laws include prohibitions on Yayin Nesekh (יין נסך – "poured wine"), wine that has been poured to an idol, and Stam Yeynam (סתם יֵינָם), wine that has been touched by someone who believes in idolatry or produced by non-Jews. When kosher wine is yayin mevushal (יין מבושל – "cooked" or "boiled"), it becomes unfit for idolatrous use and will keep the status of kosher wine even if subsequently touched by an idolater. [8] According to the Orthodox rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, because non-mevushal wine cannot be touched by a non-Jew, some Jews have become uncomfortable with these laws because they "feel that it is discriminatory and perhaps racist." [9]

Anti-religious secular Jewish Communists in the Soviet Union often incorporated pork and other non-kosher foods into their diets. Secular Jewish Communists often regarded kashrut as reactionary and outdated, happily discarding the religious views of their parents and grandparents. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Kashrut is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the term that in Sephardic or Modern Hebrew is pronounced kashér, meaning "fit". Food that may not be consumed, however, is deemed treif, also spelled treyf.

Kosher is food that may be consumed according to kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory</span> Antisemitic conspiracy theory

The Zionist occupation government, Zionist occupational government or Zionist-occupied government (ZOG), sometimes also referred to as the Jewish occupational government (JOG), is an antisemitic conspiracy theory claiming Jews secretly control the governments of Western states. It is a contemporary variation on the centuries-old belief in an international Jewish conspiracy. According to believers, a secret Zionist organization is actively controlling international banks, and through them governments, in order to collude against white, Christian, or Islamic interests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halal</span> Islamic term for "permissible" things

Halal is an Arabic word that translates to 'permissible' in English. In the Quran, the term halal is contrasted with the term haram. This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification known as "the five decisions": mandatory, recommended, neutral, reprehensible and forbidden. Islamic jurists disagree on whether the term halal covers the first two or the first four of these categories. In recent times, Islamic movements seeking to mobilize the masses and authors writing for a popular audience have emphasized the simpler distinction of halal and haram.

A hechsher or hekhsher is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items that conform to the requirements of Jewish religious law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mashgiach</span> Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment

A mashgiach or mashgicha is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including slaughterhouses, food manufacturers, hotels, caterers, nursing homes, restaurants, butchers, groceries, or cooperatives. Mashgichim usually work as on-site supervisors and inspectors, representing a kosher certification agency or a local rabbi, who actually makes the policy decisions for what is or is not acceptably kosher. Sometimes certifying rabbis act as their own mashgichim; such is the case in many small communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosher wine</span> Wine produced per Jewish dietary law

Kosher wine is wine that is produced in accordance with halakha, and more specifically kashrut, such that Jews will be permitted to pronounce blessings over and drink it. This is an important issue, since wine is used in several Jewish ceremonies, especially those of Kiddush.

<i>Shechita</i> Ritual slaughter of an animal in Jewish law

In Judaism, shechita is ritual slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to kashrut.

Kosher foods are foods that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of kashrut. The laws of kashrut apply to food derived from living creatures and kosher foods are restricted to certain types of mammals, birds and fish meeting specific criteria; the flesh of any animals that do not meet these criteria is forbidden by the dietary laws. Furthermore, kosher mammals and birds must be slaughtered according to a process known as shechita and their blood may never be consumed and must be removed from the meat by a process of salting and soaking in water for the meat to be permissible for use. All plant-based products, including fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs and spices, are intrinsically kosher, although certain produce grown in the Land of Israel is subjected to other requirements, such as tithing, before it may be consumed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosher style</span>

Kosher style refers to foods commonly associated with Jewish cuisine but which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comparison of Islamic and Jewish dietary laws</span> Comparison between halal and kosher dietary laws

The Islamic dietary laws (halal) and the Jewish dietary laws are both quite detailed, and contain both points of similarity and discord. Both are the dietary laws and described in distinct religious texts: an explanation of the Islamic code of law found in the Quran and Sunnah and the Jewish code of laws found in the Torah, Talmud and Shulchan Aruch.

Bishul Yisrael is a Hebrew term for one of the laws of kashrut in Judaism. The rule prohibits eating certain foods if they are cooked exclusively by non-Jews. The term is the opposite of bishul akum, which the rule forbids. Akum (עכו"ם) is an acronym of Ovdey Kochavim U'Mazalot, literally "worshippers of stars and zodiac signs", but is actually a term for non-Jews).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legal aspects of ritual slaughter</span>

The legal aspects of ritual slaughter include the regulation of slaughterhouses, butchers, and religious personnel involved with traditional shechita (Jewish) and dhabiha (Islamic). Regulations also may extend to butchery products sold in accordance with kashrut and halal religious law. Governments regulate ritual slaughter, primarily through legislation and administrative law. In addition, compliance with oversight of ritual slaughter is monitored by governmental agencies and, on occasion, contested in litigation.

Antisemitic tropes or antisemitic canards are "sensational reports, misrepresentations, or fabrications" that are defamatory towards Judaism as a religion or defamatory towards Jews as an ethnic or religious group. Since as early as the 2nd century, libels or allegations of Jewish guilt and cruelty emerged as a recurring motif along with antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Tza'ar ba'alei chayim, literally "suffering of living creatures", is a Jewish commandment which bans causing animals unnecessary suffering. This concept is not clearly enunciated in the written Torah, but was accepted by the Talmud as being a biblical mandate. It is linked in the Talmud from the biblical law requiring people to assist in unloading burdens from animals.

Moshe D. Gutnick is an Australian Orthodox rabbi, and a member of the ultra Orthodox Chabad Hasidic movement. Rabbi Gutnick is a senior member of the Beth Din in Sydney, Australia. Gutnick is currently President of the Rabbinical Council of Australia and New Zealand. Gutnick is the head of the NSW Kashrut Authority. He formerly served as the rabbi of the Bondi Mizrachi Synagogue in Sydney.

The "Kosher tax" is the idea that food companies and unwitting consumers are forced to pay money to support Judaism or Zionist causes and Israel through the costs of kosher certification. The claim is a conspiracy theory, antisemitic canard, or urban legend.

Kosher Australia is the largest Australian based kosher certification agency. As of 2018 they had certified over 500 companies both in Australia and abroad. It was initially called Mizrachi Kashrut, followed by Melbourne Kashrut before becoming Kosher Australia in 2004.

Kosher by ingredient is an approach to observing the laws of kashrut that determines whether a food is kosher or not based on ingredient, rather than by the presence of a hechsher. This approach has fallen out of favor with Orthodox Jews, but is practiced by many Conservative Jews as well as by some Reform Jews and Reconstructionist Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halal conspiracy theories</span> Conspiracy theories about halal certification

Halal conspiracy theories revolve around a series of Islamophobic conspiracy theories and hoaxes regarding halal certification in products such as food, beverages and cosmetics. The claims usually made include that the sale of halal-certified goods in stores is a precursor to the Islamization or institution of Sharia law in a non-Muslim country, that the fees paid by companies for halal certification fund Islamic terrorism, that halal slaughter for meat is cruel, unhygienic or constitutes as animal sacrifice, among others. The spread of these claims has resulted in boycotts and harassment campaigns against businesses who sell halal-certified products, most notably in Australia and India, although anti-halal boycott movements also exist in Denmark, France, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Countries Banning Kosher Meat Are Forcing 'Expulsion' of Jews, Says U.S. Anti-Semitism Envoy". Newsweek . Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  2. ↑ "The "Kosher Tax" Hoax: Anti-Semitic Recipe for Hate". Anti-Defamation League . Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  3. ↑ "The Hate Report: The alt-right's newest target is kosher products". Reveal News. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  4. ↑ "Gérald Darmanin: Who is France's interior minister?". Aljazeera English. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  5. ↑ "ANALYSIS: Why does France's interior minister think supermarket ethnic food isles are a threat to the nation?". The Local . Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  6. ↑ "The Dietary Laws: Fitness for a Life Well-Lived". ReformJudaism.org. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  7. ↑ "Is Reform movement going kosher?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  8. ↑ "Uncorking the Secrets of Kosher Wine". OU Kosher Certification. 5 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Needed: Redemptive Halakha". Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  10. ↑ "Defining Soviet Jewish Cuisine". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
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