Story That Made My Stomach Turn

Question

Last night as I attended Mincha and Arvit at my local synagogue, I witnessed what turned out to be a shining example of the OU’s concerted effort to mislead and misinform kosher consumers. The rabbi of the synagogue (Who we will call Rabbi C.) is well respected throughout the New York area as a leading Halakhic authority. I relate the details of this account as I heard them last night from the aforementioned rabbi. As Rabbi C. began to deliver his usual devar Torah between services, he prefaced his remarks with a revision to a ruling he had made over the last couple weeks. Originally, he was approached by members of his shul inquiring about the kashrut status of Listerine mint strips. He replied that he would check into it and get back to them. Thereupon he called the company and obtained a list of ingredients. He found no ingredients in that list to be not kosher and obtained assurances from the company only vegetable derivatives and no animal derivatives were used. Rabbi C. then responded to his congregants that, based on the famous teshuva of Rav Moshe Feinstein who permits relying on the word of an American company to validate the Kashrut of it’s products, the mint strips are kosher. Slowly but surely, word got around the ‘velt’ that Rabbi C. permitted the consumption of the mint strips, despite not bearing a label from any kashrut organization. Rumblings of bewilderment started surfacing in the halls of area shuls and yeshivot. Rabbinic leaders throughout the region called our rabbi to express their shock, wondering how he could say such a thing. Our rabbi at last was compelled to call the OU directly, to clarify his position, and to solicit an explanation for why they believe the mint strips were unreliable. What the OU said astounds me. They told Rabbi C. that the company was not trustworthy and added that since animal byproducts are cheaper to obtain than equivalent vegetable byproducts, we cannot rely solely on the word of the company to assure that the product is kosher. As a result, Rabbi C. reluctantly revised his previous ruling to the congregation in deference to the Orthodox Union, and now recommended not buying Listerine mint strips. In the outrageousness of it all (I could hardly concentrate during the Amida), I waited until Arvit was over and approached Rabbi C. I had remarked that I didn’t recall reading in Rav Moshe’s teshuva any consideration to the question of whether another non-kosher substitute product was cheaper to obtain, and that the OU’s contention was baseless. Rabbi C. agreed with me wholeheartedly and noted that he did not understand where the OU was coming from. Furthermore he remarked that, by today’s standards, the company would have even more incentive not to use animal byproducts due to the sensitivities of the huge vegetarian consumer market. As I returned from shul that evening, two observations became clear to me. First, I am amazed at the extent to which the OU will attempt to misinform consumers. The very same principles and rulings in Halakha which they use to put their own labels on products of companies who pay them, are now discredited by them when these rulings work against their financial interests. (Are we to believe that there exist no conditions for companies under the OU label to substitute cheaper, non-kosher products, in between the monthly visits of their mashgihim?) Second, it always bothered me that the overwhelming majority of Orthodox leadership does not seem to be tuned in to the deceit of the OU. Could it be possible that so many seemingly honest rabbis who affirm their allegiance to the OU are in on some kind of conspiracy? Last night the answer became clear. Many of our rabbis are truly honest in their legal rulings but lack the will and/or wherewithal to confront the OU out of fear of risking isolation. The house of cards built by the kashrut industry has become so monstrous that its demise would have too great of a negative effect on the Orthodox world, financially and politically. Until then, the OU and its proponents will be content to continue to keep the public ignorant in Halakha, and the other ‘straight-shooting’ rabbis will keep silent for fear of being ostracized.