In just about every issue, Portfolio magazine has a large feature with a heavy religious angle. A few issues ago, Karl Taro Greenfeld wrote a revealing profile of Joel Osteen and the Gospel of Wealth he preaches. Before that, the inestimable Claire Hoffman (for evidence of that adjective, read her profile of “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis) wrote about the lawyer for the polygamist Mormons busted in that Texas raid.
Despite having a subscription and generally enjoying the magazine, I for some reason never get around to blogging about these stories. The same seemed bound to happen for cover story for the November issue: a profile, by Hoffman, of Jewish bad boy Dov Charney. I’ve written about the American Apparel founder and perennial sexual harassment defendant before, and considering the financial crisis, Charney is really an odd choice for cover boy. So I’ll pass on that. But this issue also includes an article on the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse scandal. And that’s worth discussing.
To recap: Federal authorities raided Agriprocessors’ slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, in May. It was the largest immigration bust in U.S. history, and on its heels came accusations of child-labor exploitation. The kosher mega-butcher was slapped with $10 million in fines, and last week news leaked of a possible default on a $35 million loan. The cancer, it appears, had metastasized to the point JTA reported yesterday that Agriprocessors probably wouldn’t survive.
Kosher King Aaron Rubashkin
“With the kosher meat producer Agriprocessors facing mounting financial problems, including the possibility of foreclosure, industry insiders say the company is finished and that kosher consumers should brace themselves for some rough times,” JTA’s Ben Harris wrote.
Agriprocessors filed for bankruptcy Tuesday. To make matters worse for Jews who keep kashrut, a third major kosher slaughterhouse closed this week following a fire.
Which brings us to the article in Portfolio, a lengthy feature that opens in the small Brooklyn butcher shop of “Kosher King” Aaron Rubashkin. Much of the story is after the jump:
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