I cannot address all the Jewish customs, nor am I familiar with the rail end
of things as related to what is Kosher. But I do remember hearing in the
70's or early 80's that the IBP plant in Oakland, Iowa had a Rabbi who
worked the kill line. His job was "production" of Kosher beef. My
understanding is Jews will not eat any meat contaminated with blood. Thus
for beef to be Kosher the animal must be bled to death. The Rabbi would slit
the throat of the animal, allowing it to bleed to death, instead of the more
efficient stun and kill with a 22 method which was preferred by the packing
plant. The Meat would then be declared Kosher by the Rabbi and was
acceptable for sale to Jews. Of course this meant it had to be shipped in
appropriately "clean" trucks or rail cars and handled properly so as to not
be contaimined or made "unclean". I would assume the hose used on the reefer
car by the Rabbi was related to a "cleaning ritual", which would allow the
car to haul Kosher meat.
Check with a Jewish friend or neighbor for more details
Rev. Douglas Harding
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