His father also was a shochet, someone trained to slaughter animals according to kosher regulations. Aloof's family told him that if he wanted to work with animals, he could be a shochet, too. Aloof was ordained as a rabbi and as a shochet when he was in his late 20s. The kosher method focuses on compassion, he said. Aloof uses a special knife and cuts through the esophagus and trachea to the carotid artery.
Blood pours out of the animal immediately, and the animal dies instantaneously.
Compassion for the animal is a hallmark of kosher killing, Aloof said. For example, if he kills a pregnant cow, he works to save the calf. First, he cleans the mucus off the calf and then literally breathes air into the animal's lungs. Next, he quickly dries the animal and puts it in a pen by itself. They'll use it for meat.