Tale Of Three Cities Mrs. Hugo Apt picks out chuck steak at Superior .. . . . . while Schlomie Luss prepares other cuts. twice as long to slaughter and proc- ess kosher beef. After a prayer by the schochet, each restrained animal is slaughtered with one cut from a razor-sharp knife. The knife must be inspected for flaws before and after each incision and the incision itself must be checked before the animal's head and tongue are removed and marked and the carcass inspected. Abnormalities disqualify the animal for kosher approval, even though they may meet government standards. Approved animals are stamped in places corresponding to their eventual retail cuts, refrigerated and usually shipped the following day, since kashering (soaking and salt- ing) should ideally be completed no more than 72 hours after slaughter. About 25 percent of ritually slaughtered cattle are acceptable as kosher, reports Gottlieb. Imperfec- tions of the lung are the most com- mon cause of rejection. The remain- ing 75 percent must be sold as non- kosher. Additionally, the hindquar- Detroit has a reputation for being among the "best in the country" for shechita (kosher slaughtering), according to a man who should be in a position to know. He is Rabbi Sholem Rubin, director of the Depart- ment of Kosher Law Enforce- ment for the State of New York. Rabbi Rubin's "kosher cops" have the power to take samples and run laboratory analysis on all kosher products. "We can quickly tell if the meat has. not been properly de-veined, or if it has not been soaked or salted," he told The Jewish News. Although Michigan law does not mandate such enforcement here, a law suit supported by the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit contends that the Michigan Department of Ag- riculture has the duty to enforce Michigan's kosher food law. In the meantime, New York's Rabbi Rubin contends that Detroit's Orthodox rabbis have a national reputation for being dedicated and knowledgeable. "Their vol- unteerism," he said, "is com- mendable. Your Torah scholars and talmudic scholars don't just keep their noses in their books. They are involved in kashruth." Detroit, Baltimore and Buf- falo were cited by Rabbi Rubin as having the best reputations nationally for kosher meat. A comparison of the three, how- ever, shows marked differences in the way things are done. In Baltimore, the Vaad HaKashrus provides full-time supervision through its Star K board. Unlike Detroit, all kosher meat outlets are subject to min- imal Maryland and Baltimore inspection to ensure that only kosher sources are used. Star K President Dr. Arom Pollak said Rabbinical supervision Wholesale sources Supervised retailers Unsupervised retailers Mashgichim paid by Time in store the group has 20 employees, in- cluding at locations in Pennsyl- vania, New York and other states. Buffalo, with only a few kosher stores, has a unique sys- tem. Its Vaad HaKashrus super- visors are present when ship- ments of meat come from the out-of-town supplier and handle the kashering process. The mashgichim stamp the meat with a seal that can only be seen under ultra-violet light, and they are • also starting to use a special sticker-and-stamping system to lable kosher meat, said Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein. Any orders shipped to Buffalo's retail stores are sealed by the mashgichim. Detroit's mashgichim are supposed to be present for the kashering process in the retail stores. There are five local mashgichim, and one supervises four of the nine stores. Baltimore claims to actively encourage competition among wholesale slaughterhouses. We don't want to force people to use these sources and influence the price," Dr. Pollack said. Star K will inspect alternative suppliers and add them to their list if they meet Star K's standards of prod- uction and supervision. Detroit and Buffalo are more limited. Buffalo's major supplier for kosher beef is in Canton, Ohio, with several alternative slaughterhouses. Detroit uses Monarch Packing near Eastern Market, with Weiss Packing in Pittsburgh and a New York slaughterhouse as alternatives. Local butchers have complained about the lack of alternatives, but also admit that the quality of. the beef is higher from Monarch. BUFFALO Vaad HaKashrus BALTIMORE Star K (Vaad HaKashrus) 5-6 4 4 1 (plus 2) 2 "several" Star K Vaad full time part time DETROIT Council of Orthodox Rabbis 1 (plus 2) 9 2 butchers and Council part time Continued on next page 15