blog post #1
October 27, 2009 by jfarhadian
Kosher meat, whether it be chicken, veal, beef, etc, has always been a regular part of my diet. Being as I am an observant Jew, I have always only eaten meat that is kosher. I am often tempted to try non-kosher meat these days, as many of my non-Jewish friends go out to eat regularly and a must sit and watch them devour these meals that look most appetizing. However, I have always held strong in only eating certified kosher meat.
After reading “Kosher Wars,” my position on eating only kosher meat has only become stronger. “Kosher Wars” describes how Judaism requires that animals must be slaughtered, prepared, and cooked in a certain way in order to be permitted to be eaten. It also depicts how meat that is not kosher can come from an animal that is simply shot down ruthlessly without even being taken to a slaughterhouse. As a result of the fact that kosher meat is so pure, even many who are not Jewish prefer eating kosher meat over non-kosher meat. Although it may be priced higher, kosher meat undergoes an entire process to ensure that it is only of the purest and finest quality. Before being distributed and cooked, it is first soaked, salted, and ridded of all blood. Knowing that the meat I eat is certified kosher guarantees that I am getting the highest quality meat.
Purity and cleanness are only half of the reason “Kosher Wars” has strengthened my stance on only eating kosher meat. Not only is it of the highest quality, the ritual that is used to obtain it is both moral and ethical. When the animal is killed, it is slaughtered by a licensed Jewish authority with a perfectly smooth knife. The Rabbi quickly and precisely makes the incision into the trachea of the animal, bringing it to an instant and painless death. Both the quality of kosher meat and the process in which the animal is slaughtered to obtain it are reasons that “Kosher Wars” has made me aware of, and thereby strengthening my beliefs in keeping kosher.
Being a religious jew myself, i also only consume kosher certified meat and understand the temptation of longing to try unkosher meat. however God has a reason behind eating kosher and if we delve deeper into the topic like this article has, we realize that we are trying to eat from an animal in the purest way possible. no pain, and treated with respect which is how it should be.
After reading “Kosher Wars” I think it is great that you keep kosher. Being Jewish I always knew what the difference between kosher foods and non-kosher foods but I always looked at it through more of a religious point of view. Now however I see it more as a health issue and an animal rights issue. Although eating kosher is important to keep religious ideals, it was ultimately created for people to be able to eat animals without being torturous.