Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Some of the loudest critics of Agriprocessors, the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant, are members of the Jewish community who see a need for a separate seal on kosher foods. The new seal would not replace existing kosher certification, but would be a supplemental indication of the company’s commitment to Jewish ethical standards, including those that relate to the treatment of workers.
The U.S. movement — known as Hekhsher Tzedek — is a shared effort between the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and hasn’t completely caught on in the U.S. although there are definite pockets of interest. Across the big pond, however, restaurants in Jerusalem and beyond are becoming increasingly interested in a similar seal for restaurants, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor.
The kosher social seal is awarded to eateries that pledge to treat those preparing and serving the food in an ethical way. This means paying overtime, providing health insurance, and ensuring the equal treatment of minorities – the list goes on.
What does this have to do with Judaism?
“Everything,” says Asaf Banner, the young religious Jerusalemite who directs Bemaaglei Tzedek, a nonprofit organization that started the social seal project three years ago. “The Torah is a system of life.
“It has something to say not only about mixing milk and meat – but on every subject,” he says. “Religion is more than a list of laws someone wrote down thousands of years ago. It is a guide to bettering our community.”
Bemaaglei Tzedek, founded in 2004, introduced the social seal or Tav Chevrati about three years ago and now roughly a third of all restaurants in Jerusalem display it. The organization has moved to formal offices and increased staff. They’ve also launched a marketing campaign that features diners literally eating on the backs of others.
“I don’t know if it’s huge, but I do believe there has been a shift in the last few years,” says Micha Odenheimer, a social activist who runs Tevel Btzedek, a program that gets hundreds of Israeli travelers in Nepal and Kathmandu to do volunteer work while backpacking and studying Jewish texts. “There is a shift toward looking for new horizons for young Israeli idealism.”
The similar American counterpart has been in development for two years and is expected to roll out formally in 2009. Project Director Rabbi Morris Allen of Minnesota is hopeful that meatpacking companies and the Jewish population here will also find value in the words from Deuteronomy: “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger.”
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