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Oct 31, 2013

expose on Zoglovek might cause them to lose hechsher

Kolbotek is an Israeli television show that does consumer affairs and investigative reporting and produces dramatic exposes. They just did a show on the meats producer, Zoglovek. Last year they were behind the expose on the cruelty to animals being perpetrated in the Adom Adom slaughterhouse.

Zoglovek, one of Israel's largest processed meats producers, is now the subject of another Kolbotek expose. Kolbotek shows some horrible violations of cruelty to animals when transporting chickens and turkeys to the slaughterhouse..

Here is the show. I cringed plenty when seeing their process and what it does to the chickens.




As a result of this expose, Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau that besides for the troubling behavior and sights, the expose raises some serious halachic issues as to the kashrut of the meats produced by Zoglovek. Many of these chickens can have internal bruises and injuries, or even be nearly dead when taken to slaughter... in addition to the Rabbanut needing to protest and act against this behavior, we also must act to create a sense of deterrence, so that other companies will understand that this is not just a humanitarian issue of the first degree, but also an issue of kashrut and halacha. Therefore, Rabbi Lau said, the Rabbanut will debate the possibility of canceling the kashrut of Zoglovek, or taking action in any other way against Zoglovek and any other factory operating improperly..

Zoglovek responded to Rabbi Lau's statement saying that it is surprised to hear such a thing considering the slaughterhouse is under the complete supervision of the Rabbanut, 24 hours a day, and the quote from rabbi Lau must be mistaken.
(source: NRG)

If the place is under the constant supervision of the Rabbanut, how do they allow such things to happen? Is Rabbi Lau's surprise and harsh reaction just a cover-up? How could the Rabbanut not know (even if Rabbi Lau did not personally know)? Heads (and not just chicken heads) should roll at Zoglovek, but they should also roll at the Rabbanut.

Rabbi Lau should conduct an investigation to see which mashgichim and supervisors were responsible for the relevant slaughterhouses, trucks and coops, and they should all be investigated to see how they could let this go on. Either the Rabbanut was not watching, or they were part of it. Either way, they are just as much at fault as Zoglovek.



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5 comments:

  1. Zoglovek also uses Rav Rubin's hasgacha, at least for some products. I haven't seen any information as to whether this scandal affects those products as well. Perhaps Rav Rubin's items are manufactured in different facilities??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What do you mean you "haven't seen"? I assume the problem affects anything coming out of the slaughterhouse, no matter who's giving the hechsher. (There are four hechsherim.)

      Delete
    2. I dont know if they use different facilities, or use the same ones but under different supervision. It does seem from the various articles I have read, one of which will be reviewed on LII early this afternoon, that the problem is only with the Rabbanut line of meats and not the other badatz hechshers, though I am not 100% sure.
      Nachum - The problem is really with what is going into the slaughterhouse, not whats coming out of it.

      Delete
  2. What if I added that the chickens and turkeys are not fed several hours prior to getting shipped from the coops, so in effect, they are fasting about 24 hours. I think the reason is so that they will be a bit tired when the workers come to load them into the cages. Loading into the cages is a lot of work, especially for the Turkeys that weigh from 12-20 kg each. We used to do it, and other kibbutz members had to be called for toranut, but probably by now it is all Arab contractors.

    W/R to the mashgichim, they should all the 3rd degree of questioning.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "this is not just a humanitarian issue of the first degree, but also an issue of kashrut and halacha"

    Considering that most "frum" people seem to value the latter over the former, you should reverse that sentence.

    ReplyDelete

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