Will the Postville Horrors Shock us into Returning to Jewish Values?

By RICHARD H. SCHWARTZ, Ph.D. 

The horrific scenes of the mistreatment of animals videotaped at the Postville, Iowa glatt kosher slaughterhouse and the efforts of some Jewish groups to defend the facility's procedures raise questions that go to the heart and soul of Judaism: If slaughterhouse procedures are not consistently monitored for strict adherence to the ideals of shechita (Jewish slaughter), are we carrying out our mandate to be rachmanim bnei rachmanim (compassionate children of compassionate ancestors)? Are we failing to properly imitate G-d, Whose "tender mercies are over all  His creatures" (Psalms 145:9)? 

Even if shechita is carried out perfectly and pain and distress during slaughter are minimized, can we ignore the many violations of Jewish teachings on compassion to animals as billions of animals on "factory farms" in the United States and worldwide experience pain, suffering, and agony for their entire lives? 

If, as is recited at synagogue services every Sabbath and Yom tov (holy day) morning, "the soul of every living creature shall bless G-d's Name," can we expect  these cruelly treated animals to join in the praise? 

If "the righteous person considers the life of his or her animal" (Proverbs 12:10), how will we be judged, based on our vicarious treatment of the animals raised, trucked and slaughtered for our tables? 

And can we ignore the many other ways that animal-based diets and modern livestock agriculture severely violate Jewish values: 

• While Judaism mandates that people should be very careful about preserving their health and their lives, numerous scientific studies have implicated the products of modern intensive livestock agriculture as significant risk factors for coronary heart disease, stroke, several forms of cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. 
• While Judaism teaches that "the earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and that  we are to be God's partners and co-workers in preserving the world, modern intensive livestock agriculture is widely recognized by independent scientists,  including the Union of Concerned Scientists, as an environmentally  unsustainable enterprise that grossly accelerates soil erosion and depletion, air and water pollution, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the destruction of tropical rainforests and other habitats, global climate change, and other forms of environmental damage. 
• While Judaism mandates bal tashchit, not to waste or unnecessarily destroy  anything of value or use more than is needed to accomplish a purpose, a diet based upon animal agriculture instead of plant agriculture (which provides  protein from grains, beans, tubers, nuts and seeds) wastes many times more land, fresh water, fossil fuels, grain and other resources. It takes up to sixteen pounds of grain to produce just one pound of feedlot-finished beef. 
• While Judaism stresses that we are to assist the poor and share our bread with hungry people, an estimated twenty million human beings worldwide die each  year because of hunger and its effects, and nearly a billion are chronically  malnourished. While the solution of widespread hunger is complex, it doesn't help that over 70 percent of the grain grown in the U.S. and almost 40 percent worldwide is produced to fatten food animals, not to feed the world's most  impoverished human citizens, many of whom are displaced from their land by animal  feed growers. 
• While Judaism stresses that we must seek and pursue peace and that violence results from unjust conditions, the global expansion of Western-style animal-centered diets is increasing the gap between food security "haves" and "have  nots," a chronic injustice that can lead to political unrest and violent conflict. 

Related reading:

Investigation reveals slaughter horrors at Agriprocessors (PETA)

Cutting Edge Kashrut (editorial -- Jerusalem Post)

Kosher slaughterhouse horrors highlight cruelty of modern meat (opinion - The Aquarian)