Magen Tzedek, original known as Hekhsher Tzedek, (Hebrew: הכשר צדק English translation Shield of Justice or Justice Certification, with variant English spellings) is a proposed complementary certification for food produced in a way that meets Jewish Halakhic (legal) standards for workers, consumers, animals, and the environment, as understood by Conservative Judaism and its Rabbinical Assembly.[1] Specific legal and procedural requirements for implementation of the certification remain under development.[2]
Magen Tzedek certification is not a conventional form of kashrut certification. Conventional hechsherim certify that food is kosher in that it meets certain requirements regarding ingredients of food and technical methods of animal slaughter. The Magen Tzedek certification has been described by supporters as complementary to conventional kosher certification.
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The Magen Tzedek certification was created by rabbis within Conservative Judaism and is sponsored by the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of conservative rabbis.
Rabbi Morris Allen of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights, Minnesota began the certification following investigative reporting by Nathaniel Popper in The Forward regarding working conditions at the Rubashkin Agriprocessors kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa.[3] Allen stated that, "While it [the team led by Rabbi Allen] was not able to verify all of the Forward's claims, 'we witnessed some things that went against the dignity of workers'".[4] Allen argues that people should not eat food that has been produced in a way that has denied the dignity of the workers.
Hekhsher Tzedek proponents claim that food production must comply with various Biblical and rabbinic commandments which, they say, are ignored by conventional certifying agencies. These laws are outlined in a paper by Rabbi Avraham Reisner titled "Hekhsher Tzedek Al Pi Din."[5] These laws include:
Allen said that "All the areas addressed [in Reisner’s paper] have already been addressed halakhically. We’re not asking the movement or the Jewish people to do something beyond what is required [by Jewish law]. It’s not question of whether there are ethical underpinnings on labor relations or for keeping kosher, for example. These already exist. The [Conservative] movement is already clearly on record against hoisting and shackling in upholding Tza'ar Ba'alei Hayim, the ethical treatment of animals."
The certification has been criticized by those affiliated within Orthodox Judaism for allegedly downplaying the Kashrut of the animal by confusing it with social justice issues. They claim that it makes use of Kashrut to follow secular political agendas. Rabbi Menachem Genack, the chief kosher executive of the Orthodox Union, the largest kosher certifier in the United States, called Allen's idea "unreasonable and unenforceable".[7] Proponents of Hekhsher Tzedek counter that this view downplays the many clear Halakhik injunctions against exploitation and suffering to humans and animals as well as a perceived lack of transparency in the kashrut industry.
Other criticisms include the view that this is a stealthy way for the Conservative movement to return into the arena of kosher supervision. Some have questioned the need for a religious certification on social justice, because government agencies such as OSHA and the Department of Labor are charged with supervising and enforcing appropriate working conditions: "these Governmental Agencies have been empowered by the Government of the United States of America to enforce all matters of law."[8][9] The manner in which Heksher Tzedek focussed on Agriprocessors was criticised by Rabbi A. Zeilingold.[10]