Jewish inmates who follow strict religious diets at Florida state prisons are no longer provided meals in line with their beliefs. Muslims must now eat vegan food to satisfy their religious requirements. The Corrections Department has ended the Jewish Dietary Accommodation Program, which provided kosher meals to not only Jews, but Muslims as well, because the state prison system does not offer halal food. Cost and fairness were cited as factors.
“We have 100 faiths represented by DOC inmates, so it would be impossible to satisfy everyone’s preferences and unfair to do it for one group and not another,” agency spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said. “We just have to look at what our mission is and what’s best for our overall department and the overall population of inmates in our system instead of a smaller group.”
(Source: Florida Sun-Sentinal)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
21 Responses
Before anyone comments, please keep in mind the laws of loshon hora, rechilus, motzei shem ra, and dan lkav zechus!
There are innocent Yidden in prison for refusing to be a moiser and other reasons including pure anti-semitism. (This is a plight Jews have suffered throughout our long and painful golus — including Rishonim, Rebbes, Rabbonim inculuding Rabbeinu Gershon, and many ”common” Jews — if it is even possible for any Yid to be ”common.”)
They have a right to kosher food.
Period.
As sad as it is to deny them their kosher foods, Yidel you’re being too naive if you believe that Yidden are in prison for refusing to be moiser and anti-semitism. They’re in jail because they broke the law.
However, I’m sure this will be challenged in court; in US v Kahane 396 F.Supp 687 (E.D.N.Y. 1975) the court decided that to deprive prisoners of Kosher food would violate religious freedom and would be cruel and unusual punishment.
I know there is a whole body of law that emanates from that case, some decisions for and some decisions againt, so the bottom line is the law isn’t cut and dry.
Even a completely sinful Yid has a right to kosher food. If he (or she) observes even one mitzvah, how can any of us speak against this?
Would you really prefer to see him eat chazerai? This is a good punishment? Perhaps we should force him to be mechalel Shabbos too? That would really show him.
It is true that some of these yidn have done things that violate derech eretz or even the Torah, C”V. Many, though, as Yidel points out, are innocent victims of antisemitism. Either way, to deny any Jew the ability to observe the Torah is cruel and unusual punishment. Don’t we teach the value of teshuva? Especially now! Let them eat kosher!
Yidel, di bist a Tzadik, no questions asked. However I have my doubts about most of the people sitting in jails today.
Excellent point, #1 – I hadn’t thought of it, though, again, excellent point.
Rabosi please? What these yidden did or did not do is not relevant here. (Personally – I would assume that in their PRESENT MATZAV – they have had waaaay more than hirhurei teshuvah!) Even if they are over on Lo Sigzol or worse, does bais din deny a choteh of ANY CHET – Kashrus and Shabbos etc? Do they not qualify for “Yisroel af al pi shechata Yisroel Hu”?!
How about, let’s show our REAL inner penimius, Rachmanim bnei Rachmanim and be ready to write to whomever in defense of the right of these Jews to kosher food.
Gut SHabbos!
We should all learn from Yidel how to be dan lkav zechus. How right he is.
Lately a few of my comments have been blocked.
The following being one of them. Any reason?
====================================================
Malcolm X ( A well known international activist) was given an ample supply of books and writing materials. And he is championed for raising himself up in prison!!
Not giving requested reading materials (assuming it is non-subversive,) is cruel and unusual punishment.
These people granted are potentially guilty of chilul Hashem, and also hurting their own families. Why are we blocking their efforts of self-improvement, or at best reading material they have shown interest.
There is plenty of food available that needs no kashrus issues.n OK so he won.t have a good hot meal.I don’t think prison meals are so good,anyway. If the wrongdoer is now so concerned about getting Kosher food,why was he not so concerned with doing illegal acts,which were also aveiros when he hurt others? (not referring to wrongfully behind bars) Many frum people are very naive about their ‘frum’ prison people. Some make a deal at work that if someone in their group gets caught and goes to jail,they will pay someone to take thev blame to cover for the real culprit. I’ve seen it myself at work,long time ago. There are plenty of foods not requiring kosher supervision. There’s fruit,canned foods and arrangements can be made for food to be brought in by outsiders. Ritually needed,like matzo on Pessach is also allowed. It just isn’t provided by the state. Hallel food,BTW. Mr. Editor, is what your wife,cooks for you at home,when you praise her. Halal is Moslem food. And, al tikra ‘Forida’ ello ‘FLorida’. If you keep the Torah in America,chances are slim that you’d ever end up in jail as a criminal. Dishonest business dealings are not mitzvohs,even if the proceeds go to Yeshivos. Rather use kosher money,before worrying about kosher food.
Does this mean that the “common fare” menu is reinstituted?
This will cause a serious problem for Jewish prisoners. Rabbi Kahane zatzal fought for the right to have kosher food.
How is this justified under RLUPIA?
flatbusher: Yidel never said they are all innocent. He said there are innocent yidden …vechu’
Please,
Whether guilty or innocent makes no difference reg. kosher food.
But unlike the GR”A, Mahra”m etc. these guys were getting special kosher food. now they will be getting vegitarian food not tarfus….
why are so many of us quicker to attack #1 rather than this awful development. Whether they are innocent or guilty they are still our brothers and need our help.
It’s not Hallel meat it’s Hallal meat. (It probably should be called mechulal)
I think KAJ is stating an important point that all the previous posts have ignored. The issue is not whether a person is entitled to eat kosher, the issue is whether or not the State of Florida is required to meet the arcane religious needs of all the different prisoners, or are they simply supposed to keep them alive and in jail?
One of the strange developments in society over the last few decades has been the attitude that we are all entitled to all sorts of new “rights”. There are serious challenges made in the conservative intellectual circles as to whether all these so-called “rights” and “entitlements” are real.
(Torah Hashkofah, BTW, does not recognize too many rights, rather it instructs us of many “responsibilities”, which many of these Jewish prisoners are likely to have ignored.)
It is also a legal fact in the US, that prisoners have lost many of the rights of free citizens because they have broken the law. The most obvious is the freedom of movement.
So my inclination is let them get kosher food privately, but leave the State out of it.
There was an organization, whose name I can’t recall, that provided Chassidishe shechital & hisachdus hasgacha for inmates. Do you think that that is maybe going too far?
LABC – What does Mr. Kahane have to do with this?
everyone is missing the true significance of this story. It is just as I feared: The Muslims are becoming more vocal and demanding,in their obnoxious way, and I’ve been afraid that this would backlash on us, The US has always been so good and accomodating to our needs, but these muslims are going to cause the Americans to get fed up with all of us.
its possible that jews are in jail and their innocent. but come on! most ppl are in jail for a good reason! bec they did something wrong. you cant say that 99% are innocent. they did something wrong. just look at the recent stories on yw-bunglow colony etc. they should get their kosher food but stop with the dan likaf zechus on all jews in jail! most are guilty, hate to break it to you!
The great mitzvah of Pidyun Shvuyim applies to rescuing Yidden from non-Jewish prisons regardless of their guilt.
See the halachos of Pidyun Shvuyim.
destro613, The mitzvah of Pidyun Shvuyim applies today as much as it did when the Torah was given at Har Sinai. It was never repealed.
Oh, and btw jail is still a living h- even here in America.