Full story: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080512/NEWS/80512012/1001
USA Today condensed version: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-05-12-meatpacker-raids_N.htm
By Nigel Duara, William Petroski and David Elbert, The Des Moines Register
POSTVILLE, Iowa — At least 300 people were arrested Monday on immigration and identity theft charges at Agriprocessors, one of the USA's largest packing plants for kosher meats.
Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entered the Agriprocessors complex in this northeast Iowa community of 2,500 during morning work hours, executing warrants for fraudulent use of others' Social Security numbers in connection with their employment at the plant. The packing plant has attracted workers from Mexico, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.
Nathaniel Popper, a journalist who has written about Agriprocessors for The Jewish Daily Forward, based in New York, said the raid could disrupt the supply of kosher meat.
"This could have a big impact on the supply of kosher meat in America," Popper said in an interview. "Over the next several days, that's going to be the big question for people in the Jewish community who keep kosher."
QUESTION FOR THE HAKHAMIM (RABBIS): Do practices which violate Jewish law - even though U.S. laws were violated, Jewish law tells us to obey government laws except in three instances - render the products from this facility "not kosher" - particularly if the organization is owned in whole or in part by Jews?
Something to consider as we review Avot each Shabat (or more frequently).
Meanwhile
JTA reports (http://jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/108541.html under the headline "Feds: Drugs made at kosher meat plant," that "Federal authorities charged that a methamphetamine laboratory was operating at the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse and that employees carried weapons to work.
"The charges were among the most explosive details to emerge following the massive raid Monday at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa."
Rabbis: Your comments, please.
Yohanon
Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail.com
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