c. 2008 Religion News Service

Slaughterhouse charges spark debate over kosher labeling

NEW YORK (RNS) Criminal charges filed against the the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant have added fuel to the debate about kosher standards within the Jewish community.

The Iowa attorney general filed more than 9,000 charges Tuesday (Sept. 9) for child labor violations against the Agriprocessors slaughterhouse, owner Aaron Rubashkin, his son Sholom, and three managers.

In response, Rabbi Menachem Genack, head of kosher supervision for the Orthodox Union, the largest organization that certifies products as fit for traditional Jewish consumption, announced the organization will withdraw its seal of approval within two weeks unless the plant _ which produces more than half of America’s kosher meat _ hires new management.

But Rabbi Menachem Weissmandl, who also certifies meat at the plant, told Jewish news agencies he would only remove his seal if the plant were not meeting the religion’s food preparation restrictions, unrelated to legal or ethical work environment standards.

Kosher standards should include the ethical concerns, however, said Rabbi Morris J. Allen, a Conservative rabbi spearheading the Hekhsher Tzedek “ethical kosher” movement. He and other Jewish leaders had raised numerous concerns about worker age and safety after visiting the plant two years ago, he said, but no improvements were made.

“Had the Rubashkin family accepted our recommendations that we made on Sept. 11, 2006, the Jewish community would not be in this situation today,” Allen said.

Neither Aaron nor Sholom Rubashkin could be reached for comment. Plant spokesman Chaim Abrahams has denied the accusations and said the minors found working in the plant had lied about their age to company officials. The defendants are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 17.

In the meantime, Hekhsher Tzedek is testing out standards for its own seal of approval, which will certify that kosher products were also made in an ethical work environment, Allen said.

The movement has urged rabbis to address this issue in sermons during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the upcoming Jewish high holidays.

“As Jews, we have a responsibility to maintain high ethical standards in the production of food, and that transcends all Jewish denominational boundaries,” Allen said. “We have to be sure that the food that we know may be produced in a ritually kosher fashion is also produced in a fashion that speaks to who we are as human beings.”

_ Nicole Neroulias

Bishops slam Biden over abortion comments

WASHINGTON (RNS) Several leading U.S. Catholic bishops are publicly rebuking Sen. Joe Biden, accusing the Democratic vice presidential nominee of voicing “flawed moral reasoning” on abortion.

The criticism comes soon after nearly a dozen U.S. bishops castigated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for saying abortion continues to be an “issue of controversy” in the Catholic Church.

Both Democrats’ comments came on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Biden said on Sunday (Sept. 7) that “I’m prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at conception.” But, he added, “for me to impose that judgment on others is inappropriate in a pluralistic society.”

The Delaware senator also cited St. Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Catholic theologian, on when a developing fetus obtains a soul.

Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said on Tuesday that “when life begins is not a matter of faith, but a matter of science.” He also said Aquinas opposed abortion.

“Defense of innocent human life is not an imposition of personal religious conviction but an act of justice,” Wuerl said.

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., also criticized Biden in a joint statement.

“The senator’s claim that the beginning of human life is a `personal and private’ matter of religious faith, one which cannot be `imposed’ on others, does not reflect Catholic teaching,” they said.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver concurred.

“Real pluralism thrives on healthy, nonviolent disagreement,” Chaput said. “It requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their views.”

Chaput also said “Meet the Press” has become an unlikely “national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants.”

Biden’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

_ Daniel Burke

Scottish couples choosing castles over churches for weddings

LONDON (RNS) Ancient castles, stately homes and even posh boats are getting the nod over churches in the eyes of brides and grooms looking to tie the knot in Scotland, according to new government data.

According to annual figures from the government’s Registrar General, fewer than half of all marriages in Scotland last year were religious rites; 52 percent of wedding couples opting for civil ceremonies.

A decade earlier, 55 percent decided on church weddings. But now increasing numbers of couples are opting for nonreligious rites at a local government registry office.

The tide toward religion-free rituals rose sharply when the marriage laws were changed in 2002 to widen venues for civil ceremonies. Castles, lordly manors, luxury hotels and even pleasure boats have increasingly come into favor.

Still, the Rev. Angus Morrison, convenor of the Church of Scotland’s Mission Council, did put a brave face on it. “Naturally,” he told journalists, “we would prefer it if more people married in the church, but to a certain extent the latest figures reflect the larger number of marriage options that are now available.”

Scotland also remains a favorite spot for so-called “destination weddings,” which accounted for just over a quarter of Scottish marriages in 2007.

_ Al Webb

Muslim cop argues for right to wear head scarf

PHILADELPHIA (RNS) Just weeks after joining the Philadelphia Police Department in 1995, Kimberlie Webb converted to Islam and sought permission to wear a head scarf on the job.

Her supervisors continually rejected her request over the years. Last year, a federal district court backed their decision. Webb appealed, and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday (Sept. 9).

The issue arises frequently in the nation’s courts: To what degree must employers accommodate a worker’s request to wear religious garb? And when is meeting such a request an “undue burden” that an employer can legally deny?

No police departments explicitly allow women to wear religious head scarves on the job, said Bahir Mustafa, director of member relations for the American Muslim Law Enforcement Association, although some corrections departments do.

Webb should be allowed to wear a head scarf, attorney Jeffrey Pollock told the appellate panel, because some Christian officers in the department have been seen wearing crosses, according to Webb.

Crosses are banned by the same department regulation _ known as Directive 78 _ that also bans head scarves and all religious garb.

“The department feels strongly that in order to effectively police, there has to be neutrality among police officer uniforms, and that anything that is differentiating _ expressing some point of view, religious or ethnic _ is detrimental to that mission,” said Eleanor Ewing, an attorney for the city of Philadelphia.

Webb’s attorney said the department overstates the importance of uniformity in officer appearance, but Chief Judge Anthony Scirica noted that previous courts have “given a great deal of deference” to department hierarchies.

Webb first asked for permission to wear the head scarf _ called a khimar _ during her first year on the job. “In the beginning I didn’t push it,” she said.

Webb complied with the rules for eight years, but in 2003, she again asked permission to wear a head scarf and received a mixed response that she says was insufficient.

“I was talking to my sergeant. He wanted to bend it a little bit. He said I could wear it at night, but if any white shirts (police brass) came around, I’d have to remove it. I thanked him but said, `Once it’s on, it has to stay on.’ I told him I couldn’t play that game.”

After being denied permission, she wore her head scarf to work anyway in 2003 and was sent home three days in a row. After a department hearing, the police commissioner, also a Muslim, suspended her without pay for 13 days.

She filed suit in 2005. In 2007, a federal court judge dismissed her complaint. Tuesday’s oral hearing was an appeal of that decision. The judges are expected to rule in two or three months.

_ Jeff Diamant

Quote of the Day: Seventh-day Adventist pastor Walt Groff

(RNS) “At least they’re not sleeping.”

_ Walt Groff, pastor of the Sunset Oaks Adventist Church in Rocklin, Calif., reacting to congregants, including his son, who send text messages during worship services. He was quoted by Adventist News Network.

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