Cleveland Kashruth Case May End in Few Days

The Cleveland kashruth case reached its peak yesterday when Benjamin Botwin, a former Hebrew teacher, took the stand in behalf of Benjamin Cohen and Swift & Co. in their fight for a permanent injunction against the kosher board and the rabbis’ union to prevent them from informing the Jews that meat from Swift & Co. is not kosher since the slaughterers there have been banned.

Botwin, banned by all the orthodox rabbis of Cleveland, was once a slaughterer too. When the difficulties arose between the kosher board and Benjamin Cohen he suddenly proclaimed himself an orthodox rabbi and declared null and void all the decisions of the rabbis’ union concerning kashruth. He is now a slaughterhouse rabbi and chief supervisor in the Swift plant.

The former Hebrew teacher declared that whatever decisions the rabbis had reached were contrary to Jewish law and he recommended that they be ignored. On the witness stand, armed with all kinds of Jewish tomes, he attempted to convince the court that what the rabbis who testified before him had said was contrary to law. Reading from his religoius works, he tried to disprove the claim that the rabbis can ban a slaughterer or that supervision over slaughterhouses and meat shops is required. He also endeavored to prove that an issue proclaimed by several rabbis can be dismissed by another rabbi.

As matters stand now, there appears little or no hope of a settlement outside of court. A last attempt was made at yesterday’s trial but it led only to unnecessary prolongation. It is expected that the case will end in a few days.