They've been setting themselves up to cash in on this boom!!!!

Stuff is NAS-TAY !!!!!

Please understand that in the US Madonna and Paris Hilton are viewed as icons of hedonism, not spirituality. Not to insult or attack the value that Jewish people place on kosher foods, but if Americans are embracing kosher foods (and, frankly, I'm not seeing it), it certainly is not due to any "spiritual" leadership provided by those two.

What I want to know is how many are converting to Judaism or becoming more observant? There are many mitzvot to follow. I love being Jewish. If I hadnt been born Jewish I would have converted to Judaism.

Kosher food is clean based on GOD's food laws.

Funny that Gentiles think that Kosher is cool, but in a Jewish city like Tel Aviv, you are kind of old fashioned and un-cool if you you don't eat spare ribs Friday night at the pub

mission: impossible! money talks loud.

You're assuming that kosher wine means that icky, sweet grape stuff. Not at all. In fact, there are several Israeli wines ( I don't know if all of them are kosher, but I imagine some of them might be) that have been winning very prestigious awards in Europe.

I really don't see how it can be a good thing. At least not the meat products. How can it be positive that more people are chosing food that has been tortured to death in a sadistic way? We have a ban on kosher/halal slaughter in my country, i'm surprised it isn't the same in the USA.

Do you actually think that non-kosher meat comes from animals that are treated humanely? I'm not kosher, but it's delusional to think that except, in a few cases, animals that are raised for food are living anything but a pretty miserable existence. And if you eat veal, for instance, you should check out how those calves are raised if you want to talk about barbaric. It's enough to make you never want to go near a piece of veal again.

I don't know how things work in your country, but here we have very strict laws how you can treat animals. The reason kosher/halal is illegal here is because it is an exceptionally cruel and painful way of slaughter, i'm surprised it's legal in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if it was in a third world country, but i thought better of USA. Guess i was wrong.

Having rules does not necessarily mean they're being obeyed. I assure you that 99% of the meat you it was tortured, raised in crowded cages or kept in inhumane conditions. If you eat goose liver, for instance, have you never wondered how it gets its taste? Kosher slaughtering isn't cruel if done right- it's the opposite. According to the rules, the animal must be kept in humane conditions and the slaughtering itself must be done by a proffessional in one clean hit- without causing needless suffering. It's clean and it's almost painless for the animal if done right. It is not Judaism's fault if some amateur fails to do it right, indeed causing terrible pain and suffering. The original meaning behind Kosher slaughtering was, among other things, refraining from causing needless pain and torture to the animal. And it's a fact it's healthier. The Nazis banned it, portraying it as something it is not. If your country prohibits something like that, then you can only cry because you do not know where your food came from. We do, mostly.

I'll have to leave it to somebody who knows more about it than I do to respond to your talkback, but as far I understood it, one of the motivations behind some of the laws of kashruth was an effort to be humane. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, killing animals in order to eat them is disgusting to begin with, so don't expect me to be overly impressed with the way it's done in Sweden.

Mr. Nensak, when Kosher slaughter is done correctly, it is very humane. That you decided to call kosher slaughter torture and sadistic shows your true agenda...shechitah should, of course, be as humane as possible...but remember, when it comes down to it, both Jew and gentile are still murdering animals. I personally believe that vegetarianism is the derech, Rav Kook knew as much, and we should be pushing that as much as possible.

Do your research first before coming to false and unintelligent conclusions and accusations. Kosher slaughtering is a precise art aimed at causing the least amount of pain to the animal. That is why Jews cannot hunt for their meat. Please respond once you've done your homework and provide some reasoning for your senseless argument.

it is no wonder people want kosher food. It is less likely to be tainted with toxic substances from China or to have BSE or mercury or lead...at least I hope so. The last Chinese restaurant I went to in Fresno, the salad dressing tasted like antifreeze instead of the usual lemony taste. So it was an internet acquired EDTA rectal suppositorie and DMSA oral capsule and a quart of Florescence tea when I got home to pull the gunk out of my system which caused pain in my liver and kidneys, as well as nausea and dizziness. The Fresno police referred the matter to the Health Department and someone called me to say they could nto send anyone to the restaurant until the following week. I never did hear back from them. Wonder how many people got sick or are people selectively poisoned instead of everybody? I had eaten a salad at the Joy Luck Club many times, so it was a surprise to be poisoned there. In a few weeks, I will send a shaved hair sample to Doctors Data Inc. labs in Chicago for an analysis that will tell me what I was poisoned with. I have also been poisoned at Starbucks restaurants. They did not care, either. I was not even sent a refund by the company. You learn to look for KOSHER after a few poisonings.

For your info : Israeli wines are kosher , even kosher for Pesach .

Have you assisted once in your life a slaughter in your country ? How are those animals [mis]treated before they are killed on an "human" way ? It is not allowed by the Kashrut rules to let the animals suffer . They have to be killed with one cut , instantly .

I just wasn't certain if ALL Israeli wines were kosher, and whether all of them that had won the awards were.

Try some of the newer boutique Israeli wines. They are fabulous. Try Yarden, Dalton, and many others. You'll be pleasently surprised. I find the non-mevushal wines nicer than the mevushal brands.

Of course the rules are not always obeyed. Chicken producers here for example have an awful reputation. But in general the standards are pretty high. Kosher slaughter is cruel however it's done, do you seriously believe it's painless to have your throat cut and then be left to bleed to death? It's not quick and certainly not painless. I'm sure the original meaning of kosher was good but it matters not, the result is the same - pain and agony for the animal. It's irrelevant if religion claims it's a painless method, it is not. Old fairy tales do not overrule facts. Of course it's not healthier, it's a religious myth - not a fact as you say. The nazis banned it for racist reasons - considering how they treated humans i somehow doubt they banned it because they were concerned about animal welfare.

I decided to call it exactly what it is - sadistic torture. What agenda might that be? I think my opinion is pretty clear, there's no hidden agenda behind anything. I think more countries should outlaw the method. I'm very satisfied with the fact it's strictly forbidden in my country. This has nothing to do with jew or gentile, jews here manage just fine without kosher meat. Muslims complain they're not allowed to produce halal meat though. But they're always complaining so who cares.

It's not possible to argue with someone who treat a known fact as false because his religion says it is. To slit the throat of someone and leave him to bleed to death in extreme agony is not humane. It's amazing that someone can claim that it is. If anyone is senseless here it's you.

I have pig farmers in my family and the animals seemed pretty happy to me. It doesn't matter if it says it's not allowed to let the animals suffer. When you simply rule that a painful way of slaughter is humane and painless, that law has lost its meaning.

Quite frankly, I agree with #15: people who call kosher slaughter “exceptionally cruel and painful” have an agenda. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of butchering knows that on the contrary, kosher killing is less painful and less traumatic to the animal than any of the current “modern” methods. This is particularly so with kosher breeds because of the location of nerves in the neck.

I do find eating animals disgusting sometimes. My own personal opinion. Although I do eat chicken sometimes. I used to raise my own, and slaughter (sticking one cut) and package them properly.