The laws of kashrut are derived from certain verses in the Torah, and they have specific meaning. Same with the laws of treating one's animals properly. While it is true that Jewish law evolves, what that means is that it evolves to be understood with each generation's new technological innovations- not that we make it up to suit our own flavor of the week social or political causes. Even if the situation at Tnuva does not fall under either of the above categories- and it does not, we can oppose what happened at Tnuva without fabricating Jewish law. It is evident that Hess has never learned in yeshiva, and that's a shame- especially for someone in his position.

It's time for Jews to adopt a real kosher diet, a vegetarian lifestyle and stop eating the slaughtered traif that is passed off as kosher.

The Masorti leaders in Israel & America would do better by learning the laws of kashrut & start following our holy Torah. which was handed down to B'nei Yisrael at Har Sinai instead of trying to create their own religion. The same goes to the Reformed Movement.

I completely agree. Your neighbor from the zayit

Even Hess acknowledges that the Talmud and the Mikrah obligate us to prevent the suffering of animals. The problem is not to change the laws ( we do NOT change Halacha) The problem is to properly ENFORCE the laws that already exist. I find it very disconcerting that non-Kosher conditions ( which happen to cause animal suffering) were allowed to exist and the plant still had a teudah Kashrut.

,.. and thanks God for that otherwise he would end up like the rest of those freaks harassing little girls and working woman calling them a whores ,...

i didnt even read your article - just the headlines - but right away you can see the skewed direction this article will head. Kashrut laws must be revised to reduce suffering of slaughtered animals im not saying that your idea of decreasing animals suffering is wrong - but changing THE LAWS, because you feel that animal suffering is more important is your mistake. its not even an issue of religious or not. your whole premise is childish and mistaken. grow up

Maybe the leaders of non-orthodox movements have quite a sound knowledge of kashrut. However, in the light of additional knowledge accumulated over the last 2000 years they have questioned the appropriateness of these laws. There have always been divisions within religions: between traditionalists and reformists. The former are rarely persuaded by new ideas or new knowledge and reject open, critical inquiry. Hardly a model for educational and social advance.

How about we make sure that the Mashgichim follow halacha and our Holy Torah before yelling at others....

it does not say anywhere in the Torah how to slaughter. Torah sages think about it and try to understand G-d's will, and we orthodox should be humble enough to agree that other religious Jews who think about it (i.g. Masorti Rabbis) might be more rightious and gotten closer to G-d's will than we did. How about that?

Sadly the reason for the Magen Tzedek was the disgusting yet typical behaviour of Kosher slaughter houses in the US (and apparently Israel). Animals were not treated well nor in any sense in an Halachic manner. Worse still the working conditions were deplorable and illegal under US law not to mention Halacha! What came out of an investigation embarrassed Jews who kept Kosher. It shamed us before the world that any Jew would do such things. Sadly the Rabbinate in both the US and Israel seem more interested in kickbacks and money than Kashrut. The nonsense that is being passed off as Kosher or for that matter no longer Kosher (ask me sometime about berries) is ridiculous! The Masaorti Magen Tzedek is at least a move in the right direction. It is disgusting to me that we even need such a certification.

...as the rebbinate is not even concerned with welfare of Israeli humans! Focus instead, on quality of product & productivity. Slaughterhouse workers don't need to study in yeshiva, they need to study stockmanship. Pls go read www.grandin.com

animals.

An other wise good article with some great points, but there is no need to make such a destructive declaration - you could have written "IF people won't stop eating meat..." Given the havoc that meat-eating is wreaking right and left, making such a defeatist declaration is like saying about the peace process that "Arabs will always be terrorists". It doesn't matter whether or not you personally believe it, or are clinging desperately to your drug of choice, it just should not be said.

The Conservative Movement has agreed to ordain actively gay and lesbian rabbis and to perform same sex marriages in their temples. Israel can do without these 'innovations'. Regarding Israeli kashrus, if animals are being abused the govt must legislate and enforce appropriate laws. I understand the Chief Rabbinate has ordered some meat suppliers outside Israel to improve their holding pens.

thoroughly vegetables to eliminate the insects ? If they don t do that,they are not Kosher.

Just last week I watched a new solution in NZ for carp, which are a pest in NZ. They throw them LIVE into a shredder to make fertiliser. Our hens are mainly caged and little male chicks are shredded too. Animal welfare tried to ban kosher slaughter in NZ but thank G'd, lost. Enforce both the rules and spirit of shechitah, which respects the animal and causes minimal suffereing when implemented properly. Don't reinvent the wheel, we already have the right system.

shut your vile mouth already.

Just because you say it's less painful, doesn't make it so. The silly kosher and halal rules must be banned completely, it's unacceptable to torture animals to death for no reason at all. It's amazing that otherwise sane and intelligent people can claim that hanging an animal upside down and slit its throat and let it bleed to death is supposed to be painless. In reality it's obviously nothing else than a sick and sadistic pleasure of seeing animals in horrific pain struggle for their lives. The right for jews to practice their religion freely does not outweigh the animals right of not being tortured by cruel and twisted people. I doubt the practice will ever be outlawed in theocracies like Israel and Iran, the rest of the world is probably going to ban it eventually. If that makes judaism impossible to practice then so be it, a religion that has animal cruelty as a requirement is not worth protecting.

Was is perhaps a team of human kind? Can another team update them, or eliminate them?

The stupidity, ignorance, and overtyly anti-religious rantings of your commentary are truly worthy of an ignoramus like yourself. The Torah has many laws pretaining to preventing the suffering of animals. These laws protect animal rights more than any civil law ever did. Kosher slaughter, if done correctly, will render the animal unconscious in a matter of seconds. Too bad you don't have the intelligence to bother studying Torah before condemning it and an entire religion.

You go ahead and call me whatever you want, at least i'm not the one of us who believe in fairy tales. Yes it can be just a few seconds it depends what kind of animal it is, but still completely unacceptable to put the animal through, it should be instant.

you are, without respect, not wise. You are an ignorant. you have no clue about Masorti, no idea about judaism and will remein so.