Based on the case of an Orthodox Jewish man, a judge ruled that a state prison must allow religious inmates to keep special diets. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that U.S. Magistrate Judge James Muirhead ruled in favor of inmate Albert Kuperman, who was receiving pre-packaged kosher meals daily in prison and had kosher items available to him at the canteen. Prison officials in Concord, N.H., had taken away his privileges after he was caught with non-kosher meat from the canteen.
Lawyers for Kuperman had agreed that the punishment for eating non-kosher food would be a six-month suspension of his kosher diet , but later said the punishment violated Kuperman’s First Amendment right to practice religion. The judge agreed.
“Removing an Orthodox Jew from a kosher diet serves, religiously speaking, to distance an inmate from his own spirituality and religious practice,” Muirhead wrote, according to the AP.
(JTA)
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19 Responses
DON’T DO THE CRIME,
IF YOU CAN’T DO THE TIME…
WHEN THEY LOCK ‘EM UP THEY START WITH THE FRUME SHTIK, OH, I NEED KOSHER, OH, INEED A MINYEN ….WHERE WQAS YIDISHKIET WHEN THEY WERE COMMITING THERE CRIMES
“Removing an Orthodox Jew from a kosher diet serves, religiously speaking, to distance an inmate from his own spirituality and religious practice,” Muirhead wrote, according to the AP.
“vey izz tzoo unz” that we have to learn this from a u.s. magistrate. he should run for president. he has my vote.
Hang in there albert. “He’s” on his way.
Maybe he was falsely convicted.
That is hardly uncommon in the secular courts. (It is also hardly uncommon for the guilty to be acquitted.)
Mo;
You have apoint! However, there is something called ‘Teshuvah’. Never too late to do it and its only when you are in trouble that you realize its high time!
Mo,
You couldn’t be mo’ wrong.
Okay, you could be mo’ wrong, but . . . you are a bit wrong. It takes funny things to wake up Jews. I’ve been a chaplain “inside.” Some do the shtick that you mention. Others wake up and stay awake when they get out.
Whether or not this Jew did or didn’t do the crime, how can you favor depriving a Jew of kosher food?
The prison world is horrendous. Have rachmonis.
mo-valid point. but you must judge favorably that he did tshuva
What makes him “frum”? Doing crimes? Taking non-kosher meat from the canteen? We’re not allowed to use Torah as a shield to hide behind. We’re supposed to use it as our guide for life,for EVERYTHING we do!
Maybe he should fast and do teshuvah while in jail.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev spotted a man greasing the wheels of his wagon while he was wearing his tallis and tefillin. Instead of being furious at this sacrilege, the Rabbi turned his eyes towards heaven and proclaimed, “See, Master of the World, how holy Your children are! Even when he is engaged in greasing his wheels, he nevertheless remembers to pray to You.” The person who judges his neighbor in the scale of merit is himself judged favorably [by Hashem].”[35] Reb Levi Yitzchok trained himself to be dan l’kaf z’chus – to judge everyone positively. However, favorable judgment by an onlooker does not diminish the error made by a person who misuses objects of kedushah, (holiness), such as a man who wears tallis and tfillin when he attends to everyday, common activities.
Mo, it’s not a Jewish phenomenon. The “Born Again”s also have a lot of inmates on their roster. In fact, the “birth” rate is pretty high in prisons! Some are genuine and some are pragmatic. So what? Getting back to the issue at hand, if a Yid wants to do one mitzvah in his life (e.g. the frie who stop at the Lubavitch mitzvah stands) isn’t that a good thing? So what if it’s specious? Isn’t it a useful way to devote one’s energies?
YW Editor- I don’t understand how you can let “Mo”‘s comment stay on here. such blatant hate for another jew? People like him love to talk and talk and talk- and if one day he falls into a bad situation, we’ll see if he’s still talking…
mo, you are right
to those who write that he did teshuvah, di he do it before he was caught eating non koher or after
MO,
Chas veshalom. Don’t talk like that about another yid. It actually hurt me to read your comment.
Rachamin B’nei Rachamin
Every person has the right and privilege to have Kosher Food, no matter what the circumstances are.
mo
“al tadun es chavercha…”
“kol hapoisel…ay ya ya… b’mumoo poisel!
mo
have pity! how can u talk like that?
world jew
chas veshalom i hope mo never falls into a bad situation
elever oon,
what difference does it make when he did teshuva??
dont we say “ad yoim moisoi techake loi” ??
either way hes ok in G-ds book.
chazak albert
YW Edito – I love your website. I read it very day, but I think if a yid is in jail perhaps its better not to mention his name.
malkyt, why is it YWs problem if he mentions a Yid by name and said he commited a crime
qodush up jews have a concept called lashon hara.