by Johanna Ginsberg
NJJN Staff Writer

September 18, 2008

Stuart Skolnick and Larry Schwartz both think the brisket that will grace their Rosh Hashana tables this year will be a topic of conversation — and not just for the flavor. Both men are placing their holiday meat orders with small organic kosher purveyors that specialize in grass-fed local meat.

“We definitely feel it’s a good way to observe kashrut, knowing we’re doing something good for the farmers and the animals,” said Skolnick, executive director of Congregation Beth El, who recently picked up his second order of meat when it arrived at the South Orange synagogue from a small purveyor in Washington, DC. “It’s richer, it’s definitely leaner. My son had some and waxed poetic about it.”

The harsh spotlight on the Agriprocessors kosher meat plant — which faces criminal charges of child labor violations — has pushed some local kosher consumers to look elsewhere for their meat; it has also galvanized a subculture of kosher consumers looking for healthy, ethical alternatives to a food culture based on industrial, factory-farmed meat.

The scandal at the Iowa-based plant coincides with a broader consumer trend for seasonal, locally grown, and organic foods.

Two separate efforts are under way to connect kosher families with meat from alternative sources: one at Beth El and one in the Montclair area, where Congregation Shomrei Emunah will serve as a delivery point.

In early September, six Beth El families received their first 25-pound box of beef or a 10-pound box of lamb from KOL Foods. KOL stands for Kosher Organic Local, a company in the Washington, DC, area founded by Devorah Kimelman-Block a little over a year ago.

In August, Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein prepared for the first slaughter of “Mitzvah Meat,” a playful name for a serious effort. Schwartz, Montclair coordinator for the Hudson Valley co-op, e-mailed 30 or 40 people he knew who might be interested, including Rabbi E. Noach Shapiro. After receiving his first order, Shapiro invited Schwartz, a Shomrei Emunah member, to use the synagogue as a delivery point.

Founders of both KOL and Mitzvah Meat began their efforts before an immigration raid on the Agriprocessors plant in May netted hundreds of illegal workers. Before and after the raid, government investigators, journalists, and outside groups reported issues centering on child labor, worker ethics violations, and animal cruelty. A number of kosher consumers of Agriprocessors products, which include the Aaron’s Best and Rubashkin’s labels, sought alternatives.

(Last week, the Orthodox Union threatened to withdraw kosher certification from Agriprocessors unless it names a new chief executive within several weeks.)

“We got interested in KOL foods because a lot of people were asking and talking about Agriprocessors and saying they did not want to get their food from a business using Agriprocessors,” said Beth El’s Rabbi Francine Roston. “I don’t believe our religious practices should conflict with our ethical values. When a family says to me, ‘I don’t want to keep kosher if it goes against my ethics,’ my answer is, ‘I don’t either.’ We want to be part of the solution.”

The effort at Beth El has been spearheaded by Deborah Goldstein, who started the conversation with Roston that ultimately led to contacting KOL. Roston acknowledged her own interest in the topic increased with her reading of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, a journalist who tackles questions of ethical eating.

Powerful combination

Schwartz had been searching for something he thought might not exist before the Agriprocessors scandal when a conversation with administrators of the Jewish environmental organization Hazon introduced him to Shetreat-Klein. He helped her launch Mitzvah Meat, offering business advice and financial support, but said he has no economic interest in the company.

“It’s amazing to bring something into the world that didn’t exist before,” he said.

He believes Mitzvah Meat has an appeal for local Jews.

“We have a nice-sized Jewish community, but the observance level is not as great as some others. But kosher meat that is humanely raised and slaughtered in an ethical workplace is a powerful combination,” he said.

“If people are deeply committed to keep kosher and deeply committed to workers’ rights and animal rights, they have a huge dilemma. They want to keep kosher, and they want to eat meat. Many have stopped eating meat because they can’t get those two qualities together.”

While the two communities each started with small, quiet trial runs, both are expanding their efforts. Schwartz sent an e-mail to the entire membership of Shomrei Emunah inviting them to place Rosh Hashana orders with Mitzvah Meat. Similarly, Beth El plans to open its orders to anyone who wants to participate.

Of course, part of the point of the movement is to limit the number of animals slaughtered on any given day to avoid the concerns of factory farm conditions. Therefore, supplies will be limited.

While KOL offers glatt kosher meat only (indicating a form of supervision recognized by the most stringent kosher consumers), Mitzvah Meat offers both glatt and non-glatt kosher products.

Skolnick compared ordering from KOL to belonging to agricultural CSA, or community supported agriculture, projects: You place your order and you receive a box full of meat. Participants don’t get to choose their cuts, although everything is clearly labeled.

Both companies offer lamb and beef; both say they will begin offering poultry soon. Mitzvah Meat also offers other local organic products like eggs and honey.

The prices at both KOL and Mitzvah Meat are higher than those at other meat sellers, but participants say they know what they are paying for and willing to make the sacrifice.

“It’s fair. It’s not a bargain, but it’s fair for what they are offering,” said Skolnick.

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What’s it going to cost?

What are the relative costs of buying meat from alternative sources versus more industrialized purveyors?

A 15-lb. package of assorted cuts of glatt kosher beef from Mitzvah Meat will set you back $220 ($14.67 per pound), $205 ($13.67 per pound) for non-glatt. (You can also order halal or non-kosher meat at further discounts under the name “Mindful Meat.”)

Prices for lamb and poultry were not yet available. A dozen eggs runs $4, and pure raw local honey costs $25 for a five-pound jar.

The cows and lambs are raised and slaughtered in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Mitzvah Meat founder Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein is a pediatric neurologist. She speaks regularly on the impact of food on children’s neurological health and sits on the expert advisory board of BetterSchoolFood.org. She practices holistic pediatric neurology in Mount Kisco, NY, and is a fellow in the University of Arizona’s Integrative Medicine program.

At KOL Foods, beef comes in boxes of 23-25 pounds of assorted cuts, glatt kosher only. It costs $13.50 per pound; the lamb, in seven-10-pound packages, has a price tag of $15 per pound. Prices for poultry are not yet available. KOL Foods does not sell eggs or honey; it does sell halal and non-kosher meat under the name “Good Fork Foods.”

KOL cows and lambs are raised on seven family-run farms in Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania. Lambs and Black Angus cattle are grass-fed. No hormones, animal byproducts, or antibiotics are used.

The animals are transported to Baltimore, where they are slaughtered in a kosher manner and USDA inspected at George Ruppersberger and Sons under Star K, which is supervised by Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, rabbinic administrator. The meat is then kashered and butchered at Shaul’s Kosher Place in Silver Spring, Md., under the supervision of the Va’ad Harabanim of Greater Washington/Rabbinical Council.

By comparison, industrial farm-raised kosher beef costs about $8 per pound, while the price of lamb is about $12 per pound.

— JOHANNA GINSBERG

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