Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-12-02
HEBREW BUTCHERS.
Killing Animals In Accordance
With the Mosaic Law.
Sealing Of the Meat by the "shoshet"-
Wherein the Jewish Method of slaught-
ering Differs from that Adopted
BY the Gentiies.
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin,

"a "ictoL1aL
The custom of the Hebrews of killing
cattle after the manner prescribed by the
Mosaic law, which has recently been pro-
hibited in some parts of Germany on the
ground of cruelty to animals" was in
vogue in Milwaukee up to about ten years
ago. Previous to that time there were
about half a dozen Hebrew butchers doing
business in the city. and according to jew
ish law, which was laid down by Moses,
none of them was allowed to kill his own
cattle. This was done by q functionary
known by the title Of shoshet, who re-
ceived bis appointment directly from the
congregation of Bne Jeshurun. A years
study was required by a person to At him.
self for the position Of q shoshet TIL
porter by one Of the butchers who prac-
ticed the custom for many years In Mil
waukee, Ia quite in interesting.
The doomed animals head was drawn to
a ring in the floor, whereupon a rope wal
fastened to the critters left hind leg,
which was hoisted up until the body fell
over upon its side, thus compelling the
animal to stand upon its fore feet with
its head resting upon the horns. At this
j%uncture the shoshet, armed with a long
IA tuo bkhuc VI WulCu WIS bOIlc Two
feet in length n as sharp as a razor, ad-
varced to the animals head and rubbed
his hand over the neck in order to find a
soft place. This done, he deftly and quick
ly drew the deadly weapon across the
animals throat He was only allowed to
make one cut and two slashes. No one
was allowed to touch he 'crittcr" until it
had bled to death. When life was extinct
tho 1o~.- v-az 1-sI -1- "a l--kA-A L.
dressed. The first thing done by the sho-
shet was to insert his arm inside Of the
carcass and ascertain whether the lungs
were perfectly free from the ribs. If such
was found to be the case, the lungs were
drawno out, placed upon a table, and thor
oughly tested in order to ascertain their
condition, for upon this depended the
healthfulness of the meat. The test was
accomplished by blowing up the lungs. II
they were found to be air tight, the sho-
shet attached his official seal ia the meat,
and no meat could be sold to Hebrew Gus
toners unless SO branded. The seal con-
tanned the word kosher" printed in He
brew characters. The entire process was
in accordance with the rules laid down in
the Mosaic law.
"Do you consider this manner of killing
cattle cruel, as has been charged by the
press Of Germanyf' asked the reporter.
"Cruell No, sir; just the contrary. 1t
is in my opinion the only perfectly hui
name way to kill. Animals slaughtered
in this manner die a perfectly painless
death, which is far from being the case
with the modern style of knocking ami
mails upon the ~head-three or four blows
being often necessary before the 9 ~critter
is completely stunned. The Jewish mode
of killing has been proven by some of the
learned men of the world to be the best
mode of killing cattle. One good effect
resulting from this mode of slaughtering
was that every drop of blood was run GU
Of a carcass before it was dressed, the
Mosaic law forbidding Jews to eat the
blood Of animals. Neither we're the peo
pie Of this faith permitted to eat from the
headquarters of animals, as they were no
considered clearly. The same law regulates
the eating of pork, which is also deemed
uncleanly meat. According to the strict
Orthodox law, a shoshet was required t.
repeat a prayer before doing the killing
He received fifty cents a head, which mad,
the position quite lucrative. Calves ano
sheep, as well as beeves, were re
quired to be killed in the manner pre-
scribed In the Mosaic law. Even poultry
was included in the list, and all chickens
turkeys and other fowls eaten by the He
brews of Milwaukee had to be killed by
the shoshet. Two nights before the jew
ish New Year up to ten years ago a regu
lar procession of Jewish people, mostl,
ervants and children, could be seen filina
into the Jewish butcher shops laden will
baskets containing live poultry. The poul
try was all killed by the shoshet. The Jew
were obliged to pick the poultry dry in
stead Of loosening the feathers with no
water, as Gent;les do, and the former Gus
tom still universally prevails among them
Why was this style of KILN abandone-
Well, l suppose it was because the He
brews, like every body else. became i'm
bued with the new ideas, and made u
their minds that meat prepared in tn
modern way for the Christian was goo,
enough for them. Still, l believe the oil
Jew 81 custom of killing to be preferable
from both a humane and a clearly stand
point. Now that pleuro-pneumonia is rag
ing among cattle around the country, thi
mode of killing would be a good thing TO
the public at large, for diseased meat woul
he detected instantly