It’s funny.

In Baltimore, many people who keep kosher scrutinize the hechsher (rabbinic approval) of their products by which rabbi supplied the OK. There are some perfectly “kosher” caterers and products unallowed because some rabbis veto it for political reasons.

Yet, some want to look the other way when the largest supplier of kosher meat, Agriprocessors, provides perfectly acceptable food created in what increasingly appears to be a less then kosher environment.

Sunday’s New York Times again highlighted the many alleged violations allowed under the Jewish family’s ownership of the huge operation. They include: child labor, sexual harassment, unsafe conditions and cruel treatment, among others.

There were many reasons why Jews long ago were first commanded to observe kashrut – cleanliness, proper treatment of animals and health being some. (Eating pork used to make one prone to the disease trichinosis).

Today, just as Judaism has evolved over time, it’s time to evolve our kosher laws.  I’m not saying we should now eat pork. But we should consider our current world situation and make sure our laws are appropriate. People, including non-Jews once thought kosher meant higher quality because we reported to a higher authority. Now, with the media attention, more people are thinking twice.

Kosher approval should consider factors like the work environment and how animals and people are treated. (The Conservative movement is discussing this with their hechsher tzedek movement, in which Baltimore Rabbi Avrum Reisner is playing a major role.) What about including the need for organic meat since the current standard processing creates unhealthy beef products pumped full of steroids and anti-biotics? Modern meat processing also makes the end result devoid of nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids.

What I love about Judaism is that we have always evolved to fit the needs of the day while maintaining our core values. It’s time to apply that to our kosher laws.

It’s official.
Ehud “Udi” Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are dead. Their bodies were handed over by Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas to Israeli officials on Wednesday.
This ends the hope that their families, all Israelis, American Jews and many others had that the Israelis would be reunited, alive, with their loved ones. Worse yet, in exchange for the soldiers’ remains, Israel is turning over Samir Kuntar to Hezbollah. Kuntar is alive and well despite having killed three Israeli civilians in 1979, including smashing the skull of a four-year-old girl with his rifle butt.
Israel captured and tried Kuntar. He was found guilty and has spent the last 29 years alive and healthy in an Israeli prison. Since Israel doesn’t have a death penalty, he’ll return to Lebanon with a hero’s welcome.
Udi and Eldad didn’t have the same fate. The two were captured and killed after Hezbollah guerillas crossed into Israel almost two years ago to the day. Hezbollah said then that the attack was intended to win the release for the “resistance” fighter, Kuntar.
Two years later, the terrorist organization has its way.
I can’t stand that Israel had to make the Solomon-like decision: Do we trade the bodies of two illegally kidnapped soldiers for a baby killer who’s been cared for by Israel?
Why does a democratic society that grants due process to terrorists have to give in to these demands? Won’t this perpetuate the vicious cycle of terror on innocent civilians and allow the killer to go free in exchange for corpses?
Still, the majority of Israelis favored the swap; the Goldwasser family heavily lobbied Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to make the exchange. They needed closure. They had to know their son’s fate.
This is sad ending to the events that lead to the Israel-Hezbollah War, precipitated by the kidnapping of Udi and Eldad on July 12, 2006. After the conflict broke out, I went to Israel with the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. Because I had slept through a breakfast meeting, I stumbled into a small gathering with Karnit Goldwasser, Udi’s wife of 10 months at the time. Her father in-law Sholmo was there, as was my friend Mark Wright.
Listening to her story, you couldn’t help but want to do something – anything—to move the needle slightly in her favor. We found ourselves promising to help build international support to push Hezbollah to release her husband. By the time we returned home, she had become a fixture on U.S. television with her optimism and engaging looks.
We did our best to follow through on our pledge. We crated and gave out blue rubber bracelets with the captured soldiers’ names on them (including that of Gilad Shalit, who is still held by Hamas). We worked the local media; we spoke out for action.
Karnit quickly became an international cause de celebrite. The love she exuded for her newlywed husband made her even more beautiful as her face lit up when speaking about her joy when they would be reunited.
Now I find myself opposed to Karnit’s wishes—to trade Udi’s body for the murderer Kuntar. I’m sure if my spouse were taken from me, I would trade anything I have for her. But I’m concerned that the soldier/Kuntar swap will only encourage heartless, lawless societies to continue their barbaric behavior. More Israelis and young brides like Karnit could lose 31-year-old husbands to terrorists.
I haven’t e-mailed or spoken with Karnit in more than a year, and I can’t imagine her mixed emotions – bringing closure to this horrible ordeal but never realizing the many dreams for her marriage with Udi, some of which she shared with me.
Her last e-mail thanked me for what little work I could do for her and signed it by saying “and I hope the next time I see you it will be with Udi.”
Now I can only see Udi in pictures on the Internet. He was probably killed when he was attacked and I would have never have had the opportunity.
This is a sad day. My heart aches for Karnit, for all the Goldwassers and the Regevs. Worse though, my heart aches for Israeli society, which had to do a deal with the devil to end this chapter.

I’ve been making my rounds meeting with Jewish elected officials from Attorney General Doug Gansler to Dels. Jon Cardin (D-11) and Dana Stein (D-11).  Each time I do, I pitch my idea of how to make Maryland safer, cleaner, and more prosperous. They all listened and were amenable, but they’re savvy enough to know that my idea would never make it through the Maryland Legislature. Still, now is the time to strike.

See, with sky rocketing gas prices, people are actually changimg their habits; they’re driving significantly less, shunning SUVs, and dare I say it in Maryland, taking mass transportation.

Meanwhile, lower and middle-income earners are pushing their elected officials to give them some relief from gas pains. I can appreciate that. However, now is the time for the state to raise its gas tax by 10 cents. It’s not crazy. I’d be glad to give it right back to the taxpayers with sales tax reductions on all products that help our environment – CLFs (those funny looking light bulbs), hot water tank insulation, attic insulation, or any green home improvements. 

This is not the tree hugger in me talking. It’s the businessperson and the Jew.

The businessperson understands that the Chesapeake Bay is a main engine driving our state’s economy. Not improving it would be the same as if the French Quarter were destroyed in New Orleans. (Not even Hurricane Katrina did that, miraculously sparing the historic tourist magnet.) If the Bay sustains even more damage, it would hurt all of our pocketbooks. As the Bay’s health goes, so does the region’s economic health. Driving less and being greener will help our waterways.

The Jew in me wants to reduce oil consumption to stop pumping money into Iran’s coffers. While Marylanders represent less than 5 percent of the total U.S. population, our state’s leadership in this matter would spur other states to follow. After all, Missouri was the first government to prohibit state pension funds from being invested with companies doing business in Iran. Many other states, including our own, quickly followed. Now we’re slowly starting to hear a different tune from Tehran.

We have the opportunity to further influence Tehran’s rogue government, and thus other terrorist groups that it funds and aids – say Hezbollah and Hamas – if we consume less oil.

Since the price of gasoline has doubled, people are changing their habits. In other words, they’ve learned they can drive less and survive. Now is the time to ensure that gas prices stay high so that this new behavior is not a passing fancy, but a permanent response to terrorist-controlled oil.

I realize this isn’t popular, but it is necessary.

Anyone who gives to charity asks himself or herself, “How much is enough?” 

Unlike taxes there is not set amount. Several religions say 10 percent of one’s net income is the mark. (Following Talmudic guidelines, many traditional Jews do just that.) That’s a very generous number. Still, if you’re Bill Gates you can obviously still dig a little deeper.

My friend Drew Staffenberg, who was the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, used to say, “Don’t give until it hurts; give until it feels good.” Then, of course, he’d ask me for a painful amount of money.

I just returned from a climbing trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Our expedition company, EarthTreks, told us before we left to bring one extra clothing item to give to our porters. They are extremely poor people and are ill-equipped to go high up on a very cold mountain.  I volunteered to ask the group to bring an extra duffle bag so that we could each bring much more than one shirt or jacket.

Our group was a fundraising effort for breast cancer research. Still, I thought we could go perform another mitzvah by gathering a huge duffel bag of warm climbing clothes for the people who would be lugging our heavy loads.

Before I knew it, I had three extra duffle bags stuffed with gear.  I grew worried about how I was going to get that there with airlines getting strict on extra baggage. So, I e-mailed the group that I couldn’t’ carry anymore and to just bring one item themselves.

At the end of the glorious trip, it was time to donate our old, tired clothing to the guys who made the climb possible. They lined up and gobbled up our old fleece as if they were brand new, top-of-the-line clothing. Everyone – donor and recipient—had a huge smile – except for me. I anguished over the thought that I could have fit one more out-dated shirt in my carry-on or in yet another duffle bag. I could have created one more smile for a person who made less in one year then many Americans make in month.

How much tzedaka is enough? As always, I could have given just a bit more.

This is the best Italian food in town. We have tried many others and nothing can top Fazzini’s. Everything is fresh, homemade and delicious.

The pizza here was undercooked and really doughy.
entrees on other tables looked good though.

we like fazzini italian kitchen because of good wait staff and consistently good italian food. everything there is homemade; pasta, sauce,bread,pizza dough,etc.  large portions and reasonable prices and no ambiance!