I'm not clear as to the motives behind the Hechsher Zedek movement. Is it a "Trojan horse" to simply undermine current Kashrus agencies, or is it a sincere effort to promote greater ethics and honesty?
I want to sidestep that issue and to address 2 side points.
• 1) It should not be limited to purveyors of Kosher Food alone. "Zedek" should apply to any and all businesses run by Jews. IMHO The Kosher Industry shouldn't be singled out
• 2) IMHO It shouldn't be limited to monetary ethics. Abuse of employees, customers, or shareholders is also intolerable. Are We OK with simple complicity to the letter of the law while overlooking abusive practices!? I think not! Rather we should consider a more holistic point of view - and not gloss over the Proverbial "Naval Birshus HaTorah".
G'mar Tov
RRW
2 comments:
I'm not an expert or insider, but I've been following the Hechsher Zedek movement from afar. I do believe that it is sincere, and I don't think that it's ever been intended to focus solely on financial issues.
At least at first (I don't know if they've changed focus), financial issues were being considered along with tzar baalei chayim, workers rights, environmental practices and much more. So, if my understanding is right, then the people behind Hecher Zedek completely agree with #2. I haven't heard anything about #1, but that certainly is an interesting point!
I spoke to Allen a few times, back when I was doing research into Agri's OSHA and Iowa-OSHA records. I agree with RJRosenberg. The fellow is honest; he sees social justice as a central value of Judaism, and therefore believes it's the job of rabbis to enforce it.
Hekhser Tzedek started with irriation over the Agri issue, and so it specifically did NOT begin with monetary issues. Abuse of employees was at the center of things, as well as tzaar baalei chaim.
As for giving the hechsher in general... You could extend the idea to business owners, that they should seek certification. And you can extend it to other businesses that are kept open through Jewish patronage -- the sefarim store and Judaica shop and the like. But beyond that, it's unwieldly.
The whole system won't work for another reason. Checking kashrus doesn't involve two parties. Checking interpersonal activities inherently requires more of a legal arm -- someone empowered to question both sides, if the conflict, obtain evidence, etc...
-micha
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