American Jews celebrating a kosher Thanksgiving can talk turkey but may have to eat chicken. The Agriprocessors, Inc. crisis has clipped the wings of kosher supplies and sent prices soaring for the birds that are available for sale.
The plant, the largest kosher meatpacking operation in the United States, filed for bankruptcy after investigators discovered the company hired hundreds of illegal immigrants. The plant was forced to shut down, a move that created a huge kosher meat shortage.
Empire Poultry has partially filled the demand, which is far greater than it can produce. The result has been a doubling of prices, from less than $2 a pound last year to nearly $4 this week in some cities.
Thanksgiving is the most widely celebrated non-Jewish holiday by American Jews because of its ecumenical nature. The most widely-observed custom is to eat turkey on the holiday.
The scandal surrounding the Agriprocessors plant has aroused a movement for "ethical kosher" standards, including a move to raise kosher turkeys. However, their price is nearly $7 a pound at one free-range poultry farm in Maryland.