Glatt Kosher Prison Food

Convicted sex offender Nechemya Weberman - a glatt Kosher Jew?

What began more than a decade ago as a facility to provide New York State inmates who desired kosher with inherently kosher fruits and vegetables has evolved into a modern “full service” glatt kosher facility, under the supervision of the Orthodox Union (OU). 

This is the opening paragraph of a recent bulletin from‘Kosher Today’. I didn’t know whether to laugh, applaud, or cry. I kind of feel like doing all of those.

The fact that we need the New York State Department of Correctional Services Food Production Center facility to expand its kosher meal program to include 1100 hot meals including beef and poultry - should not be a source of pride. Even though one might see that as quite the accomplishment - one that required years of work - the fact that there are so many ‘Frum’  Jewish criminals is a sad commentary about ourselves. Especially since we as an Or LaGoyim (light unto the nations) ought to be shining examples of behavior to the world instead of criminals. (Although some of those 1100 are Muslims - they are obviously a small percentage.) 

True the vast majority of Orthodox Jews are not criminals. That there are enough for the state of New York to have a full service glatt kosher facility ought to be a source of shame not pride.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t try to accommodate Orthodox Jewish criminals with Kosher meals (Although that very comment kind of sticks in my throat). If possible we should accommodate them.  But it comes with a price. One that we should consider when going forward with a project like this.

That price is one that is thrown at us all the time by he antisemites of the world. Why are ‘the Jews’ being treated better than everyone else? Why can’t the general prison population get some of the perks that ‘the Jews’ get?

It is true that we need not pay much attention to what an antisemite thinks. Most of whom reside in the fringes of society. But their questions aren't asked in a vacuum. This is not something I would want to defend.

One can argue that the instead of looking at it negatively, one should look at the kind of brotherhood we Jews feel for each other as an example for others. The kind of brotherhood that goes the extra mile even if one of us is in prison. If other communities want to help inmates from their own communities let them use us an an example of how to do that.

While that may be true, the fact that Orthodox Jewish inmates get better treatment is what a lot of people will notice. Not saying we shouldn’t do it. Just saying we ought to be aware of it and try to somehow ameliorate that perception.

One thing we perhaps should NOT be doing is advertise it as some sort of great achievement as though there were no downside. There is. Nor do I think it is in our best interests as religious Jews to highlight the fact that there are that many Orthodox Jewish inmates by talking about how we are taking care of them. This is not the best way to present Orthodoxy to the world.

The plain fact is that when someone is convicted of a crime he has forfeited his freedom.Why should that not apply to religious freedom? While I don’t advocate that any Orthodox Jews be forced to eat non Kosher food, I can hear that argument being made. In a nation of laws – breaking those laws may mean forfeiting that right. Especially it comes at tax payers expense. Why should an individual be given the rights to continue following his own laws when he ignored those of his country? I can easily understand why some might argue that this right be denied.

And what about non Jewish inmates? It is likely that quality of Glatt Kosher meals is far superior to standard prison fare. Why should Jews get a benefit that is denied to non Jewish inmates? If the state of New York were to be fair about it, they should offer these meals to every single inmate in prison. It would cost too much?! Is that a reason to favor one population over another? That it cost too much did not stop the state from doing it for Frum Jews. Does the New York penal system have excess funds in the coffers?

These were a few of my thoughts as I read this bulletin. I’m happy that Frum Jewish inmates are able to eat Kosher food. But I am not that impressed that they are there in the first place – nor the am I all that happy about the publicity or the possible negative fallout of doing that.