I looked it up and realize that I used the wrong term, thereby miscommunicating. I didn’t mean “chillul Hashem” but “maris ayin” because the media and general public consider Chassidic Jews to be (and I loathe this term) “ultra-Orthodox” so that when there are legitimate charges of illegal activity such as this, the general public can point and logically say, “Look! How holy can Jews be when their most religious group breaks the law like this?”

Of course it is a completely unfair double standard, but as you have said, Hashem told us we would have the spotlight on us always.

While I do agree that as Jews we must always keeps the laws of the land, in the case of undocumented, illegal workers, the government until very recently has been the biggest enabler. Their stated polices in no way reflected their actions. They don’t walk the talk, so to speak.

Undocumented, illegal workers is an industry wide issue that is driven by the demand of the consumer for inexpensive meat. How can the kosher meat producer be expected to use documented workers, at a much higher price, when everyone else is using undocumented workers, with the “permission of the federal government.” We already scream that the price of kosher meat is not competitive with non kosher meat. What will happen when the price of labor to produce kosher meat goes way up. Are we willing and able to absorb the cost increase. Industry wide the practices of the meat producers are being driven by the consumer. Perhaps we should absorb some of our own criticism.

Is it not a huge chillul Hashem to break the laws of the land so blatantly by hiring hundreds of illegal aliens? Just because it is a widespread issue in the industry does not make it alright for a kosher food plant to do so. You have discussed many times during your classes that observant Jews have historically done what is right rather than what is considered “normal” when the two contradict. When we didn’t, we lost the Temple and had other terrible things happen to us.

What a shame that our own people wages civil war against itself! When will the Jewish People learn to like each other? How can Hashem have sympathy for his children when they constantly seek to hurt each other? This almost reminds me of Cain and Abel. Nothing has changed in thousands of years. So what else is new?

Why Kashruth should be such a source of contention between Jews is another barb! We need to live and let live. We should love our neighbors and at all times respect the rights of others. OH Well! Wishful Thinking.

I for one have been buying deli and kosher meat wherever possible. We are eating more eggs, fish and chicken. Sometimes when demand goes down, supply rises. Have patience and this too shall pass!

Marilyn