To sum it up, all of this is a matter of the leadership pertaining to the hashgacha (“supervision”) of the process of slaughtering (shechting) animals and how the rabbis that certify Hebrew National products are not considered to be authoritative. The credibility has been breached and since that has happened it is virtually impossible to restore it.
All Orthodox Jews keep kosher although the standards aren't monolithic. Furthermore, most Conservative Jews keep kosher at least at home even if they don't do so outside the home. It is a matter of how the latter perceive Halacha (“Jewish law”). In Conservative Judaism, people believe they can be flexible with Halacha.
Reform Jews often don't keep kosher and my father could never understand how sometimes they serve shrimp cocktails at brunches in religious affairs. (I don't really know if they do this but this is what I have heard.)
My parents keep kosher and it is generally acknowledged that the average Jewish housewife knows more about kashrut than the average rabbi. By the way, I have a smicha (“ordination”) as an Assistant Rabbi, myself. That is how I know all of this.
One way of getting a smicha is to study a book called Yorah Dea (it's about dietary laws) and some supplementary commentaries. This is a relatively easy way to get a smicha.
The process starts with the nature of the kashrut laboratory and it's being perceived as being reputable. Hebrew National has certification from Triangle K and that certificate or teudat hakasher isn't considered to be authoritative. Such a certificate is also called a hecksher.
A ritual slaughterer is called a mashgiach. He has to be up to snuff in order for him to be taken as proper. A local rabbi lost his paycheck for overseeing a restaurant recently.
The term kosher actually means, “fit for use by a Jew.” It doesn't just refer to food products but also is in reference to garments (clothes have to be tested for shatnez or a mix of wool and linen which is illegal in Judaism as per a law in the Torah - Bible- itself), and sacramental objects like tefillin of “phylacteries.”
By the way, something discussed in the Torah is called Deraytah. It is always authoritative.
And meat isn't the only type of food product that many Jews want rabbinic supervision over. Milk must be overseen according to many Jews. That is called chalov Yisrael. (Meat is called Pas Yisrael). Similarly, bread also needs a certification. All of this gets quite comprehensive.
At one point in time, many Jews would eat Hebrew National products. But a number of years ago, it was bought out by Con Agra and at that point in time, it became suspect. As my parents keep kosher I knew all about it years ago.
In the most insular neighborhoods in Brooklyn (NY) and Highland Park (NJ), as well as Monsey (NY), many Jews would never have eaten Hebrew National anyway. They only trust the hecksher of the rabbis that live in their neighborhoods.
In fact, the world's largest kosher slaughtering houses and certification laboratory are in Israel and it's T'nuvah. Many Orthodox Jews in Israel won't even accept their hecksher either. You can buy their products in Highland Park in Glatt 27, which is a kosher butcher store.
The restaurant, Seven Hills of Istanbul, in Highland Park wanted to kasher (“convert to being kosher”)their operation. The local rabbis wanted 25,000 dollars for the hasgacha.” They could not come up with the money.
By contrast I knew a restaurant owner who had a meat restaurant, in Highland Park, who didn't pay a dime for a mashgiach because he had 5 children in the local yeshivas and the rabbis thought that he was doing enough.
Glatt refers to inspecting a cow for adhesions on the lungs. They call chickens glatt too but it's a misnomer.
Also, when I grew up on LI my next-door neighbor was a Jewish butcher. My family wouldn't by their products because he was not shomer Shabbat or “Sabbath observant.”
Furthermore, in Highland Park, the Stop and Shop there carries meat products like packages of kosher corned beef and pastrami that are considered suitable for the Jews in that area. Next time I am in that area I will do some research as to what brand it is.
I always used to eat in Highland Park and I ate at the meat restaurants there many times. I know the owner of Jerusalem Pizza too.
Years ago, I lived in Jerusalem Israel in Geulah (It means “redemption”). It is one of the most ultra-orthodox or haredi (“Those in awe of G-d”), areas in the world and it is across the street from Mea Shearim).
I was learning in a seminary there called Yeshivat D'var Yerushalayim (http://www.dvar.org), which means “The seminary of the word of Jerusalem” as per the verse in the Torah, which says, “From out of Zion will go for the law and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem.”
While I was there I noticed that this seminary didn't groom the talmidim
{“students”) in any particular path or derech. They taught the students some basic skills and left it up to the talmid as to what the person's level of observance would be.
The yeshiva hired many different rabbis who themselves were educated in many different yeshivot. There was no uniformity and I personally found it very confusing to say the least. I couldn't figure out where I should hold.
All the rabbis had list of food establishments they considered kosher and no two lists were the same. It was too much.
One of my rabbeyim (“rabbis”) told me that if I wanted to buy a fully prepared, roasted chicken, I could buy one at a certain establishment that was OK according to him.
So, I bought a chicken there and brought it back to my dorm. I had a roommate who was very particular and he asked me which rabbi told me the chicken was OK from that restaurant. I had a mental block and he tried to stop me from eating the chicken.
I always weight lifted and could bench press over 300 lbs back then and I ignored him. He was “in” with the rabbis though. It was a long story.
I was only at D'var for 3 months for a summer course. Quite frankly, I left it discouraged and uninspired. Nevertheless, eventually I returned to Israel to complete my university studies and I learned how to speak Hebrew. As a result, my church, Avenel Presbyterian Church has use for my skills and I have written for the church's Streamlines newsletter and have given speeches there too.
By the way, you don't' have to take what I have written as authoritative. I suggest you compare notes with other people Rabbinic opinions should always be subject to a second opinion. That's my type of Judaism and I am not Chasidic. I compare notes.
