will be taken against any rabbi or newspaper that brands the poultry of any market un-kosher as a result of the ban was issued by J. Sidney Bernstein, counsel to the wholesalers, who announced at the conference that most of the wholesalers oppose the decision and “intend to fight it in every possible way.”
Charges that shipments of poultry to three Brooklyn markets which accepted the decision have been stopped were aired by rabbis and shochtim. “There are laws on the books to take care of that,” Judge Rosalsky warned.
Leroy Peterson, poultry code supervisor, pointed out that the NRA Poultry Code prohibits boycotts.
Aldermanic President Deutsch, who presided jointly with Judge Rosalsky, declared, “You can’t compromise with Jewish law. Either it is a law or it isn’t. Either there is kashruth enforcement or there isn’t.” He urged acceptance of the decision for a three months trial.
“The rabbinate of New York has no alternative but to come out with the issue,” asserted Rabbi Ebin. “We are responsible to the public. They look to the rabbinate for guidance as to whether poultry is kosher or non-kosher.
“The rabbis cannot conscientiously say to the public that the poultry as slaughtered today is kosher. Every rabbi must warn his congregation to abstain from eating poultry.
“We have agreed as to the wording of the issur. We want you to understand that we are willing to go to court if necessary and no judge in the United States will overrule the rabbinate of New York on such an issue.
“We will prove that poultry as slaughtered today is not kosher.
“No shochet will dare to violate the issur, for that will mean revocation of his right to slaughter poultry.”
He said that the wording of the ban has been prepared by twenty-two rabbis under the leadership of Rabbi M. S. Margolies.
“The issur is complete,” he said, “we are only waiting for the final word. Then a rabbinical assembly will be called which each rabbi must attend, and the issur will be proclaimed.”
Following this ultimatum, Judge Rosalsky issued a final appeal for cooperation.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
