Postville Discussion

Bagel Brunch: Postville and Immigration and Labor Rights Discussion
11-2-08
Sponsored by MJO (Macalester Jewish Organization)
Location: Old Main (Macalester Campus)

This event was a panel discussion about the raid in Postville, Iowa on May 12 of a Kosher meat packing plant. The raid was the largest of its kind, with over 390 immigrant workers arrested and detained. The panel consisted of four people: Professor Peter Rachleff, Rabbi Morris Allen of Beth Jacob Congregation, Melissa Rudnick of Jewish Community Action (JCA), and Abby Seeskin, a student at Macalester who did an internship with JCA last semester.

The raid in Postville shed light on the way immigrant workers are treated in the United States. The workers were being paid under minimum wage under unsafe conditions. There were also a number of other aspects of this particular plant that were particularly unsavory. A family of Hasidic Jews owns the plant, however the managers of the plant were two Palestinian brothers who also sold used cars. The workers in the factory were forced to purchase cars from them in order to keep their jobs. Women were also forced to have sex with these men to get/keep their jobs. All of the training materials were in English, even though many of the workers only spoke an indigenous language of Guatemala.

The speakers on the panel filled in much of the background information about the plant in Postville, and then they discussed the ways in which the community has responded. Before the raid itself, members of the Jewish community visited Postville and made recommendations to the owners about ways to make the plant safer, as well as recommending an increase in wages for the workers. The raid has sparked many discussions regarding the Jewish community’s view of immigration, as well as a discussion regarding the kosher food industry itself. There was a huge march in support of the detained workers and their families earlier this year, which involved education about the history of the issues involved in this case. The groups working in Postville have collaborated with a local church in Postville, and they have really focused on local community action.

This raid brings up many problems regarding the food industry as well as issues involving immigration and immigrants’ rights. Because the raid occurred at a kosher meat packing plant, much of the response has been within the Jewish community, although the problems of the case are not exclusive to this one plant. Many of the issues surrounding this plant (such as pollution and treatment of workers) can be seen in many other similar plants throughout the country, and the response of the Jewish community should be a response of the American people.