Articles Regarding Court Fight in Boston Massachusetts in 1941 over Kosher Supervision

1941

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Article from the 8.8.41 edition of the Jewish Floridian
 
PACKING PLANT SEEKS TO ENJOIN NOTED RABBIS
Boston (WNS) —The problems of "kashruth" will be aired in the civil courts for the first time in the history of the Boston Jewish community as a result of an injunction obtained by Irving Keller, owner of the Stadium Packing Company, against six prominent Orthodox rabbis. The injunction forbids the Rabbis to place a religious ban on the products of the company or to interfere with the sale of the company's products pending a decision from the local courts. The rabbis involved are Rabbis Eliezer Silver, Iseiah Karlinsky, Israel Rosenberg, Abraham I. Kalmonovitz. Judah Leib Seltzer, and Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The controversy opened when the recently established local Orthodox Rabbinical committee placed the Stadium Packing Company under its supervision.  Mr. Keller agreed to permit all rabbis to study conditions at the slaughter house and to supervise the company's adherence to the kashruth laws. He objected to supervision of his establishment by one rabbi and insisted that the right to hire whatever shochtim he wanted to was his prerogative. Rabbi Soloveitchik, who had been the supervisor of the Stadium Packing Company, demanded that no other rabbis be permitted to come into the slaughter house, and enlisted the aid of five nationally-known rabbis. Mr. Keller said that he had applied for an injunction because he feared that the rabbis would place an "issur” (religious ban) on his products which would have the effect of forcing him to close his business.