Brian Huntley wrote:
> (Cross-postings removed)

Cross-postings restored - there may be parties who are interested in
seeing this Snopes article answered.

> Waldo wrote:
> > Kosher Certification means ONE thing: That the product conforms to
> > Jewish Religious Superstition - or as in the case of bleach above, that
> > the Jewish Kash-R-Us agencies are unscrupulous con artists that are
> > busily doing what Jews have always done best - separating gullible
> > Gentiles from their money.
>
> I doubt I can change your mind, but for the edification of others,
> here's the Snopes page about this:
> http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/kosher.htm


Thanks for not attacking me with insults and epithets, Brian. As you
were kind enough to post the Snopes article, would you indulge my
commentary on the article and Barbara Mikkelson's analysis?

My comments will appear in [brackets].

Begin Snopes article:

<quote>

_______________________________________

Claim: Certain symbols displayed on the packaging of a variety of
grocery items signify that their manufacturers have paid a secret tax
to the Jews.

[First, Mikkelson is starting with a false premise: That the fees paid
to the Kashrus (Kosher Certification) agencies, and the costs incurred
by the companies in fulfilling the demands placed on them by the
Kashrus agencies is a "tax". It is true that many ignorant and/or
overzealous persons have incorrectly used the word "tax" to
describe this financial burden, which is ultimately born by *all*
consumers of the affected products, but the term is inaccurate, and
defenders of the Kosher Kabal try valiantly to use this error to
pooh-pooh the entire scheme]

Status: False.

[Remove the word "tax" form the false premise, and you can replace
Mikkelson's "false" with "true".]

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2002]

[It should be noted that Mikkelson was obviously careful to select an
article that was written by persons who are ignorant on the subject,
and have no credibility. Aztlan? Oh please!]

[<begin article that Mikkelson intends to "debunk">]


The "Kosher Nostra Scam" on the American Consumer

By Ernesto Cienfuegos
La Voz de Aztlan

Los Angeles, Alta California - (ACN) La Voz de Aztlan receives
quite a few "news tips" per week from our many subscribers and readers.
Some we dismiss immediately but a very few catch our attention. Last
week we receive an e-mail asking us if we knew the significance of the
small encircled letter "U" or letter "K" that can be found printed on
many food cans, food packages and on other kitchen products. The
message gave us some clues and suggested that we do some research into
the subject. What we found certainly was "news" to us and it both
shocked and angered us.

On arriving at my residence, I immediately went to the pantry to
verify that what I had just learned was actually true. Sure enough,
most of the packaged and canned foods from major companies, like
Proctor & Gamble and others, did have the (U), the (K) or other similar
markings. The Arrowhead water bottle, the instant Folgers Coffee, the
Kelloggs box, the Jiff Peanut Butter, the Pepper container, the Trader
Joe's tea box and even the Glads plastic sandwich bags carton had the
(U) or (K) mark on them.

[All true]

We needed a little more verification so we called two major
companies to asked some questions. We chose Proctor & Gamble that
markets the Folgers Coffee and the Clorox Company that manufactures the
Glads plastic zip lock sandwich bags. Each of the two companies, as
well as most others, have 1-800 telephone numbers printed on their
packages for consumers to call in case they have any questions about
their products. When we asked the Proctor & Gamble representative what
the (U) meant on their Folgers Coffee container, she asked us to wait
until she consulted with her supervisor. She came back and informed us
that the mark meant that the coffee was " certified kosher". We than
asked her how and who certified the coffee to be "kosher" and whether
it cost any money to do so. She refused to answer these and other
questions. She suggested that we write to their Corporate Public
Affairs Department. We than called the Clorox Corporation to ask what
the (U) meant on the package of their Glads plastic sandwich bags and
she also said that the (U) meant that the plastic bags were "kosher"
but refused to answer questions concerning payments the Clorox
Corporation has to make in order to be able to print the (U) on their
products.

[Of course I can't verify the phone conversations, but all of the
above appears to be factual. Indeed, companies are *very* tight lipped
when it comes to their Kosher certification processes. I suspect that
this is because of non-disclosure agreements they were required to sign
when they entered contractual agreements with the Kashrus agencies.]

What we learned next, pretty much floored me personally. I learned
that major food companies throughout America actually pay a Jewish Tax
amounting to hundreds of million of dollars per year in order to
receive protection.

[While I take exception to the words "tax" and "protection",
the above statement is fairly accurate, though I have never found a
reliable source citing the dollar amounts involved.]

This hidden tax gets passed, of course, to all non-Jewish consumers of
the products.

[Actually, the "tax" gets passed on to *all* consumers of the
products, but as non-Jews outnumber Jews at a ratio of 49 to 1, you can
guess who bears the bulk of the cost.]

The scam is to coerce the companies to pay up or suffer the
consequences of a Jewish boycott.

[I have seen no evidence to support the above statement, and believe
that it is false. However, Jews are by far the most powerful wealthy
and minority in the US, and there is no doubt that the captains of the
foods industries are well aware of the power and influence Jews have in
the areas of finance, advertising, media, etc. In other words, they
would not need a "boycott' to make big trouble for any one of these
companies if they so desired.]

Jewish consumers have learned not to buy any kitchen product that does
not have the (U) the (K) and other similar markings.

[This is true, although only a tiny fraction of the Jewish population
(less than one million in the US) actually "Keeps Kosher",
eschewing all non-Kosher products.]

Another shocker was learning who is actually behind these
sophisticated "Kosher Nostra Scams." It turns out that the perpetrators
of these elaborate extortion schemes are actually Rabbinical Councils
that are set up, not just in the U.S. but in other western countries as
well. For example, the largest payola operation in the U.S. is run by
those who license the (U) symbol. The (U) symbol provides protection
for many products sold here in Aztlan and in the United States. This
symbol is managed by the The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
with headquarters at 333 Seventh Avenue in New York City.


[Quibbling over their choice of words aside, all of the above is true]

The scam works like a well oiled machine and is now generating vast
amounts of funds, some of which are being utilized by the Union of
Orthodox Rabbis to support the Ariel Sharon Zionist government in
Israel. The website of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations is
full of pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian propaganda.

[Again, all true.]

The "Kosher Nostra" protection racket starts when an Orthodox Rabbi
approaches a company to warn the owners that unless their product is
certified as kosher, or "fit for a Jew to eat", they will face a
boycott by every Jew in America.

[I doubt the above. Rather, I believe that the Kashrus agencies rely on
their ability to misrepresent the potential increase in market share
that "going Kosher" will afford the prospective "client". There
is ample evidence to support this. Also, as Jews are the worlds most
famous (and potentially dangerous) "Victim Class", they have a
great advantage in the form of "guilt leverage". On can imagine
that any manufacturer who resists the advances of the Kashrus agencies
is met with "What's the matter? Do you have something against
Jews?" The fear of being accused of "anti-Semitism" is not
unfounded, is it?]

Most, if not all of the food companies, succumb to the blackmail
because of fear of the Jewish dominated media and a boycott that may
eventually culminate in bankruptcy.

[This may be exaggerated, but is it that far-fetched? Worldwide Jewry
led an international boycott against the nation of Germany that began
in 1933. The boycott hurt German industry and its people greatly, and
was largely responsible for the tensions that set the stage for WWII.]

Also, the food companies know that the cost can be passed on to the
consumer anyway.

[They certainly can - and they are. And +- 98% of all of these costs
are born by non-Jewish consumers - the vast majority of which have *no*
interest in Kosher, or are even aware that the scheme exists.]

The food companies have kept secret from the general consumer the
meaning of the (U) and the amount of money they have to pay the Jewish
Rabbis.

[As I mentioned earlier, the companies are so tight-lipped WRT Kosher,
that one must assume that the secrecy is enforceable via contractual
agreement between the companies and the Kashrus agencies. Also, the
fees paid directly to the Kashrus agencies are likely relatively minor
when compared to the peripheral expenses that companies must endure in
order to comply with the demands placed on them by the Kashrus
agencies, which may include changing suppliers of raw materials, hiring
additional staff/ overtime, acquiring additional equipment or building
new facilities, implementing Kosher mandated downtime, redundant
procedures based solely on Jewish superstitions, or paying for the
full-time presence of one or more employees of the Kashrus agencies to
oversee the operations. A few million here, a few million there, and
pretty soon, you're talking about a serious amount of cash.]

It is estimated that the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations,
which manages the (U) symbol protection racket, controls about 85% of
the "Kosher Nostra "certification business. They now employ about 1200
Rabbi agents that are spread through out the U.S. Food companies must
first pay an exorbitant application fee and than a large annual fee for
the use of the (U) copyright symbol.

[A separate fee for each item, or barcode. $$$$]

Secondly, the companies must pay separate fees each time a team of
Rabbis shows up to "inspect" the company's operations. Certain food
companies are required to hire Rabbis full time at very lucrative
salaries.

[All true]

The amount of money that the non-Jewish consumer has paid the food
companies to make up for the hidden Jewish Tax is unknown, but it is
estimated to be in the billions since the scam first started.

[I have researched this topic in-depth, and considering that some 85%
of ALL packaged consumer products now bear a Kosher Seal, I estimate
the costs (fees plus expenses) to be billions of dollars *annually*,
especially when mark-ups are figured to the retail level]

The Orthodox Jewish Councils as well as the food companies keep the
amount of the fees very secret. The Jewish owned Wall Street Journal
wrote about the problem many years ago, but they have stopped writing
about it now.

Only public awareness concerning the "Kosher Nostra Scam" will
eventually help stop this swindle of the American consumer.

[I agree whoeheartedly]

Public education of the scam may lead to an eventual non-Jewish
boycott of all products with the (U), (K) or other Jewish protection
symbols. I certainly do not need to pay extra for "kosher water",
"kosher coffee" or "kosher plastic sandwich bags".

[Indeed, the products mentioned above are by their very nature EXEMPT
from Kosher. They have a neutral status, and the fact that these types
of products ARE routinely found to be certified is a testament to the
greed, graft and corruption of the Kashrus (Kash-R-Us) industry.]

In fact, I demand my money back for all the money I had to pay over
the years for the hidden and illegal Jewish Tax. Are there any bright
attorneys out there that could bring a class action suit against the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations on behalf of the citizens of
Aztlan and other non-Jewish people?

[I have as much use for Aztlan as I do for the Kash-R-Us industry. Both
are fakes and frauds, and contrary to the best interests of the
citizens of the United States of America.]

__________________________________

[<end article that Mikkelson intends to "debunk">]

[<Begin Mikkelson's pathetic attempt at "debunking" the previous
article>]

Origins: Folks search for proofs of their darkest imaginings
everywhere, including on the shelves of grocery stores. Packages
bearing marks whose meanings aren't readily apparent to the average
shopper have been interpreted by those always on the sniff for a Jewish
conspiracy as signs that Big Business is in league with the Jews.

[As the Kosher system is administered solely by Jews, and as it works
solely for the *interests* of Jews (including the Kashrus agencies) it
is true that "Big Business is in league with the Jews", isn't it?
As to sniffing for a "Jewish conspiracy", it appears that this
qualifies, doesn't it?]

The rumor that the presence of those mysterious markings signifies that
the manufacturers of those products have paid a secret tax to the Jews
of America has been afoot for decades;

[Again, discounting the word "tax", this rumor is absolutely true,
isn't it?]

the e-mail quoted above is merely a recent manifestation of this
age-old canard.

["Age-old"? CANARD???]

The claim is wholly false, and we wonder at the twisted minds that
would advance such a slander. There is no "Jewish Secret Tax" and never
has been.

[The claim is NOT "wholly false", as she herself will acknowledge
below. Here Mikkelson uses the word "tax" in a pathetic semantic
attempt to pooh-pooh the entire Kashrus scheme, which has pervaded the
entire US foods industry like a fungus. Mikkelson is being dishonest,
and she KNOWS it.]

The markings pointed to in the rumor are real; however, their purpose
is entirely different from the one asserted by the rumormongers.

[Is it?]

They do not signal that a secret tax has been paid or that corporations
have succumbed to blackmail;

[No, they signal that secretive *fees* have been paid, and that the
corporation have either been duped or pressured into playing along with
the Kash-R-Us scam, 98% of the costs of which will be born by unwitting
non-Jewish consumers.]

they are there to indicate to members of a particular faith that such
items have been vetted as having met the strictures their religion
imposes. (If the notion of a religion imposing dietary requirements
upon its followers sounds like an outlandish proposition, keep in mind
that only in recent times have Catholics taken to eating meat on
Fridays, and that Muslims still eschew pork.)

[This would all be good and well if the members of that "particular
faith" (Jews) were footing the bill for their OWN queer eating
habits, but they're not, non-Jews are, and the Kash-R-Us agencies are
reaping fortunes in the process. No one subsidized the Catholic's
abstention from meat on Fridays, and no one subsidizes the Muslims
abstention from pork, do they?]

As to what those markings mean:

* The letter "K" simply means "Kosher." Kosher, in Hebrew, means
fit or proper, and is generally used to describe foods that are
prepared in accordance with special Jewish dietary laws. These laws are
stringent and almost incomprehensible to those not versed in them.

[I am well versed in these "laws", and they are nothing more than
primitive religious superstitions. They are based on a handful of
relatively simple commandments given in the Old Testament/ Torah which
have been extrapolated to ludicrous extremes by subsequent Jewish
"sages". Don't let Mikkelson fool you, you are PAYING so that
Kosher Keeping Jews can have the privilege of eating Kosher from a Can
- and *cheaply*.]

* The small "u" in a circle or ("OU") stands for the Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations and shows that the food underwent
rabbinical supervision in its preparation. (An "OUD" marking shows that
the package contains dairy products, while an "OUM" indicates the
presence of meat.)

[All true]

* "Parve" (also "pareve") is Yiddish for "neutral." The presence of
this word on packaging signifies that the contents of the package
contain neither milk nor meat and thus can be combined with other
ingredients in recipes. (Jewish dietary law forbids the mixing of meat
and dairy, thus a packaged food that contained cheese could not be
combined with, say, hamburger.)

[This is misleading, in that Kashrus (Kosher "laws') doesn't
count eggs or fish as "meat", so pareve products might contain
either, and may mislead vegetarians, who the Kash-R-Us agencies proudly
tout as "Kosher Consumers". Also, even the slightest trace of any
meat or dairy product or any derivative thereof will be enough to
render a product "non-Kosher". The Kashrus superstitions even
believe that the "flavor" of a product can pass through solid
stainless steel, and be passed on to the steam from a boiler system
that heats commercial cooking kettles, "contaminating" other
products on the same system, and rendering them non-Kosher. Such are
the wacky superstitions of Kosher.]

This variety of markings used on packaged foods alert consumers that
items contained therein either meet the strict dietary constraints
imposed by Judaism on its followers or that the contents of the package
can be mixed with other foods or can touch them.

["Touch them" is a key phrase here.]

Not all Jews keep kosher, nor even among those who do are the
strictures always adhered to rigorously, but those determined upon
being truly pious are aided in this endeavor by the presence of those
markings.

[Yes, and guess who foots the bill to make it easy and cheap for these
Jews to remain "pious"? The non-Jewish consumer. It's a welfare
system for the world's most powerful and WEALTHY minority.]

[Pay close attention to the following paragraph.]

The devout go so far as to maintain two separate sets of utensils,
cookware, and cutting surfaces so that meat and dairy never encounter
one another in their kitchens. It is for their benefit that otherwise
puzzling kosher certifications on non-foodstuff items are there

["Two separate sets of utensils, cookware, and cutting surfaces".
Please understand that these same restrictions are placed on INDUSTRIAL
COMPANIES manufacturing food products that are to be Kosher Certified.
Now you may begin to understand the extraneous expenses that companies
must endure in order to adhere to the restrictions placed on them by
the Kosher Kabal. Equipment that processes a product containing 1/10 of
1% of some obscure milk derivative may NOT be used to process any
product that would be certified as "dairy-free", or that might
contain 1/10 of 1% of some meat derivative. Thus, the equipment must be
doubled, or undergo a ritualistic and impractical "Kosher Cleaning"
between batches - and Kashrus rules often necessitate a "downtime"
of at least 24 hours to effectuate said rituals. This can all become
VERY expensive VERY quickly, and guess who foots the bill?]

(e.g., certifications are placed upon dishwashing liquid because dishes
used for dairy cannot be washed using a soap made from animal fats).

[As an inedible product, dishwashing liquid has NO BUSINESS being
Kosher Certified. More greed, graft and corruption.]

Less observant Jews do not bother themselves overly much about the
kosherness of everyday items; they avoid the out-and-out no-nos such as
pork and shellfish but don't lose much sleep over the animal fat
content of their washing-up liquid, nor do they fret that cold cuts
might now be resting upon a plate that had months earlier been used to
serve cheese.

[You can rest assured that the companies overseen by the Kash-R-Us
agencies enjoy NO such leniencies. Kashrus law is enforced *to the
letter, jot and tittle*, and should it be discovered that a batch of
goodies somehow violated some obscure superstitious technicality and
escaped the plant unnoticed, what do you suppose happens? KOSHER RECALL
from the store shelves. Very expensive indeed. And once again, who
foots the bill?]

The proponents of the "Jewish Secret Tax" slander often assert that a
sub rosa Jewish cabal forces large companies to comply via the threat
of a nationwide boycott, backed by the underlying presumption that all
Jews can be marshalled into turning their backs on products that fail
to display kosher certification marks.

[Note the use (again) of the "tax" verbiage. The above is a red
herring argument. This notwithstanding, Jews are arguably the most
ethnocentric and cohesive group in the world, and are infamous for
working together to achieve any goal that is perceived as being "good
for the Jews", regardless of its ramifications on their neighbors, or
on society as a whole. Jews are known to act as a unit to promote their
goals, and when these goals are contrary to the common good of larger
society, their actions *must* be countered in a similar fashion.]

That is not the case - Jews buy and use non-kosher items too, so
although lack of kosher certification keeps the ultra-conservative
crowd from buying certain products, it doesn't prevent the less
stringent from making such purchases, nor would a "don't buy that
because it's not kosher" directive have much effect even if there were
a secret Jewish cabal to issue it.

[The above is largely irrelevant, as some 85% of all packaged consumer
goods now bear the Kosher Seal. Going Kosher may have been profitable
for some mainstream companies at one time, but due to market saturation
(too many fishermen and too few fish), few companies marketing
mainstream products likely actually break even on their substantial
investments . Kosher, on the whole is a LOSS to American business and
the Gentile consumer. It is a Jewish welfare system that must be
exposed and dismantled. Making products "fit for Jewish
consumption" is an arduous and VERY expensive proposition. Let the
Jews pay for their own quirky eating habits - or let them eat cake.]

Those seeking kosher certification for their products have to adhere to
kosher practices through the manufacturing process,

[See my comments on the use of separate equipment, surfaces, etc.
above. It should be noted that these "practices" (which can be very
expensive and time-consuming) have little or nothing to do with
cleanliness or hygiene per se, rather, they are concerned with
fulfilling the obligations placed on them by the ancient, arcane (and
often downright goofy) Jewish religious superstitious.]

use only kosher ingredients,

[Indeed, each and every ingredients supplier must be Kosher Certified
as well, so when a major company "Goes Kosher" ALL of their
supplier must follow suit, otherwise they will lose the account. Kosher
coercion?]

and have their facilities regularly vetted by qualified inspectors.
Kosher certification companies do charge for this service, which is the
backbone of the "secret tax" claim - it costs money to obtain and
maintain kosher certification, thus this is an extra expense a
manufacturer must bear if he's determined upon having that
certification.

[So far, Ms. Mikkelson/ Snopes hasn't really "debunked"
anything, has she?]

Where the rumor and reality part ways, however, is where the money
goes. Fees paid to kosher certification companies go to keeping those
businesses afloat with the profits siphoned off by those companies'
owners; they do not flow off into some special Jewish fund used to
advance Zionist causes.

<Begin Waldo Comment>

Here it is hard to say whether Mikkelson is ignorant or simply lying.
The Orthodox Union (OU), which is the largest Kash-R-Us agency, owning
85-90% of all US business, is a virtual money machine and OPENLY
supports the "Zionist causes" that Miklkelson denies. I quote from
the OU Website:

"Because of the Orthodox Union, 500 children and adults participate
yearly in the Joseph K. Miller Torah Center, which serves Kharkov and
eighteen other communities in the Ukraine. It provides an environment
that revitalizes Jewish commitment and reinforces Zionist values."

http://www.ou.org/community_services/kharkov

I could cite numerous other examples, but let's just say that Snopes
has just been *debunked*.

<End Waldo Comment - resume Snopes article>

These are businesses, not charities,

[See above.]

and those who run them do so with every expectation of making a living,
in the same manner that someone who owns a hardware store does so with
the notion of making enough from the endeavor to support himself and
his family.

[You can rest assured that these "businesses" (I think a more
accurate term would be "rackets") make their owners a VERY nice
living indeed. Remember, they are Jews working SOLELY for their own
interests and those of their fellow Jews, but nearly all of the monies
that flow into their coffers come not from the pockets of Jews, but
from non-Jews. They have turned the unwitting Gentile public into their
personal Kash Kow. Clever, don't you think?]

Does certification add to the price of a product? Certainly,

[Kudos to Mikkelson for making that admission - which most Jewish
apologists vehemently deny.]

but the amount is miniscule, especially compared to the advertising,
packaging, shipping, research, testing, admin and finance-related
costs, and a myriad of other components that contribute to the process
of bringing a product to market or making it better appeal to
consumers.

[Here Mikkleson has gone off the deep end. "The amount is
minuscule"? The same could be said for the costs of shoplifting,
embezzlement, insurance fraud, etc. Will Mikkelson defend these as she
defends the Kosher Kabal? If these Kosher Bandits can separate every
American from only ONE PENNY per day, they're raking in over a
billion dollars per year - and considering that 85% of the products in
the 500 billion dollar US foods industry is under "Kosher
Supervision", this figure is not far fetched in the least.]

One might as well rail against the costs associated with selecting the
ink colors and style of lettering used on a package - it's all
legitimate business expense, even though no one ever rails against the
"Secret Red Ink Conspiracy" or rants about the "Helvetica Font Tax."

[Sorry Ms. Mikelsson, but there is no tiny ethnic Cabal working to
manipulate "ink colors and style of lettering used on a package" to
the advantage of themselves and the members of their Tribe - and at the
expense of all non-members.]

________________________________

<End of Snopes article>

http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/kosher.htm

So the misleading/misinformed Snopes article has managed to
"debunk" *one* thing, the inappropriate use of the word "tax".
The Kosher Kabal has indeed taken the unwitting Gentile public for a
ride. They have made themselves fabulously wealthy, support Zionist
causes, and made it possible for 1/3 of 1% of the US population to eat
Kosher from a can - 98% of the cost of which is born by Gentile
consumers - most of which have no clue as to what the word "Kosher"
really means.

A common response from apologists is "if you don't like it, don't
buy Kosher Certified products", but this is virtually impossible, as
85% of all packaged foods products are now Kosher Certified, and the
Kabal has so pervaded the industry that even those end products that
are *not* certified will almost certainly contain *ingredients* that
are (salt, sugar, flour, oils, etc), so no matter how carefully you
shop, a portion of your money will STILL go to the Jewish Welfare
System.

Mikkelson and others try to defend the scheme by implying that the
amount everyone pays is so minuscule that complaining about it would be
petty. If that be the case then the Jews should have no problem digging
into their own pockets to fund their quirky eating habits, should they?


Does the non-Jewish public somehow "owe" Jews a "free lunch"?

**

Waldo

Observer at Large