Anyone who raised an eyebrow at charges that the “Hekhsher Tzedek� kosher-certification initiative recasts the very concept of kashrut might want to aim an eye at the February 6 Wall Street Journal. At a column, that is, entitled “A Quarrel Over What Is Kosher,’ by the Forward’s Nathaniel ...

I hope my wife and kids don’t find out that I consider it kosher to force 16-year-old girls to work 20 hours a day. In fact, I was shocked at myself for having said such a thing – or, at least, I would have been had I actually said it. The source of the disturbing disclosure is a rabbi of a Cons...

As my time at Adamah (the Jewish farming fellowship) fellow came to a close, I felt like our season as farmers also came full circle.  For me personally, the experience on the farm also marked my transformation from an Artistic Administrator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (a fancy-clothes weari...

A few months back on The Jew & The Carrot, we posted about an amazing Israeli social justice organization called Bema’aglei Tzedek, which created an ethical seal for restaurants called Tav Chevrati (social seal).  The seal ensures that the restaurant provides basic rights to workers and also ...

For some time now, I have been advocating a "lower tier" kashrut level for people who either can not afford (or no longer want to bother with) mehadrin prices/standards. This is already being done in homes and "modern" schools who use chalav stam dairy products. Now, more than ever, there needs to b...

Joe emails: As promised, a Pat’s review. Pat’s gets a five star rating, but it should not take itself too seriously, for its competitors among kosher restaurants reminds me of the good old fashioned christians and lions battles in the coliseum, or more recently, Obama v. McCain. Against ...

I had an argument with my wife this morning where I felt that she wasn't playing fair. The conversation started out about the discussions about the Rubashkin hechure where her butcher (a.k.a. pundit) told her that some of the people at Rubashkin were going to jail. I explained to her that there was ...

Hazon and The Jew & The Carrot may be the homes of the new Jewish food movement, but in a way the general food movement, even without the ‘Jewish’ modifier, is still very Jewish. I am not referring to the fact that, much like many progressive movements, a disproportionate number of t...

Failed Messiah and Gawker report on the latest (what? Not over yet?) scandal in the kashrut world. After the last round of scandals, Agriprocessors hired a PR firm - because as we all know, Public Relations is far preferable to tshuvah when a corporation sins- to restore its image. The firm, 5WPR, w...

A quick food round up from the Jewy blogosphere: Quick! Someone revoke Adam Sandler’s Jew-creds — the man doesn’t even like hummus! Check out his interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show web site. (Hat tip to Dan Treiman at Forward.com) A new kosher cooking school is open in Fl...