Magen Tzedek, originally known as Hekhsher Tzedek, ( English translation Shield of Justice or Justice Certification, with variant English spellings) is a complementary certification for kosher food produced in the United States in a way that meets Jewish Halakhic (legal) standards for workers, consumers, animals, and the environment, as understood by Conservative Judaism. Magen Tzedek certification is not a kashrut certification which certifies that food is kosher in that it meets certain requirements regarding ingredients of food and technical methods of animal slaughter, but an ethical certification complementary to conventional kosher certification.
Magen Tzedek was initiated by Conservative Rabbi Morris Allen and was launched in 2011. It is sponsored by the Rabbinical Assembly, the American association of Conservative rabbis, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Central Conference of Reform Rabbis, and the Union for Reform Judaism. Magen Tzedek has met with harsh criticism from Orthodox Jewish rabbis and organizations. As of May 2013, no product bore the Magen Tzedek seal.
Creation
Magen Tzedek certification was initiated by Conservative Rabbi Morris Allen of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights, Minnesota in 2007 following investigative reporting by Nathaniel Popper in The Forward regarding working conditions at the Agriprocessors kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa. After a five-member rabbinic and lay commission visited the plant over two days and spoke with owners, senior managers and about 60 current or former workers and had reviewed reports from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Allen stated, “We weren’t able to verify everything Popper wrote, but what we did find was equally painful and filled with indignities”.
In 2008, a commission was formed to develop and apply “a set of standards that would certify that kosher food manufacturers in the US operate according to Jewish ethics and social values”. On January 31, 2011, the Magen Tzedek Commission was founded as an Illinois not-for-profit corporation with seed funding from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, which reportedly has given grants totaling at least $245,000 to Magen Tzedek since 2008.
Principles and standards
Magen Tzedek says it combines the rabbinic tradition of Torah with Jewish values of social justice, certifying that the kosher food product has been produced in keeping with Jewish ethics in the area of labor concerns, animal welfare, environmental impact, consumer issues and corporate integrity. According to Magen Tzedek, food production should comply with various Biblical and rabbinic commandments which are ignored by conventional certifying agencies. As outlined in a paper titled "Hekhsher Tzedek Al Pi Din", authored by Rabbi Avraham Reisner of the Rabbinical Assembly, these laws include:
The Book of Deuteronomy has a prohibition known as Ona'ah: "You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger" (Deut. 24:14–15) The Shulchan Arukh, in Choshen Mishpat 331:1, states that "one who hires employees should treat them in accordance with local custom" and that "when the custom was to provide their meals, he should provide their meals, to provide figs or dates or something similar, he should provide it — all in accordance with local custom." Reisner argues that this gives employers an obligation to fairly compensate workers including sick and vacation pay. Biblical law requires employers to provide for the health and safety of their workers, as seen from laws regarding one who leaves a pit uncovered (Exodus 21:33) or does not build a parapet on a roof that is in use (Deuteronomy 22:8). Tza'ar ba'alei chayim is a Biblical principle which prohibits causing unnecessary pain to animals.
According to Allen, it makes sense that the Conservative movement has taken the lead on the issue, as "Conservative Judaism is uniquely positioned. We are committed to kashrut, which some other movements might not be, and also committed to social justice. The hekhsher tzedek is that point where halachic intensity meets ethical imperative."