CORRUPTION, RACKET & SCANDAL: THE HISTORY OF KOSHER MEAT IN AMERICA

One of the most difficult aspects of Jewish life in the United States for the early immigrants was obtaining reliably kosher meat.

In the 1880s things came to a head with the influx of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe.

Why was the American experience of kosher meat provision so different to the situation in Europe? What measures did the more concerned ‘frum’ immigrants take to rectify the problems? Why did it all fall apart so quickly, and what were the repercussions?

In this fascinating lecture Rabbi Dunner charts a story of success and disappointment, hope and hubris, skullduggery and bitter politics – namely, the story of the birth of wide-scale kosher meat provision for Jews in America.