Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., June 30, 2008 Sivan 27, 5768 | | Israel Time: 19:13 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Kosher meat giant hopes P.R. campaign will counter boycott By Anthony Weiss, The Forward Tags: Agroprocessors, kosher  Agriprocessors hires Snoop Dogg's P.R. firm to limit damage to its businesss Battered by widespread criticism over its labor practices and facing calls for a boycott of its products, the operator of the country's largest kosher slaughterhouse appears to be gearing up for a major public-relations blitz. Agriprocessors has hired 5W Public Relations, a New York-based P.R. powerhouse that represents clients ranging from hip-hop stars to Fortune 500 companies, as well as a number of major Jewish organizations and Israeli political figures. The beleaguered kosher-meat company's representatives have also organized a community meeting in New York City to counter concerns about the firm that have circulated throughout the Jewish community, blogs and the press. Agriprocessors has faced criticism for the past two years over the labor conditions at its massive Postville, Iowa, plant. Those criticisms have sharpened in the wake of a massive federal raid on the slaughterhouse that last month, in the course of which nearly 400 illegal immigrant employees were arrested. Advertisement In the wake of the raid, there has been a growing backlash against Agriprocessors in the Jewish community. This past week, representatives from Agriprocessors met with organizers from Uri L'Tzedek, a liberal Orthodox organization that has called for a boycott of Agriprocessors until the company introduces labor reforms. Juda Engelmayer, who is handling the Agriprocessors account for 5W, said that Agriprocessors had hired his firm within the past two weeks to deal with marketing, but he declined to go into greater detail about strategy or the types of issues his firm would handle. Menachem Lubinksy, CEO of the kosher industry consulting firm Lubicom and a spokesman for Agriprocessors, told the Forward that he expected 5W to deal with negative publicity and blogs. Asked to confirm this, Engelmayer said 5W's role is still undefined. Meanwhile, Lubinsky's firm has organized a meeting for June 24 in midtown Manhattan to present Agriprocessors's case. According to an e-mail publicizing the event, the topics discussed will include the potential for a kosher meat shortage and "What can be done to stop the slander and vilifications against Agriprocessors?" Among those slated to appear, according to the e-mail, are "local community activists from Postville" and "kosher food industry leaders." Lubinsky declined to reveal the identities of the activists and industry leaders. Rabbi Morris Allen, leader of the Conservative movement's effort to reform labor practices in the kosher food industry and one of the most prominent critics of Agriprocessors, said he worried that the public-relations push was a sign that Agriprocessors was more focused on going after its critics than about changing its practices. "It appears that sometimes people's best defense is not to look at themselves to make change but rather to attack people who are simply calling for a higher standard to be used in the production of kosher food," Allen said. More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Wimbledon shocker Shahar Peer knocks out 9th-seed Safina to slide into the fourth round. Time to hit Iran Israel must destroy Iran's nuclear program within one year or risk being attacked.   1.   Boycotters don`t eat Kosher anyway! 14:04  |  Binyamin Dissen 24/06/08   2.   boycotters do eat kosher meat 16:09  |  david 24/06/08   3.   Anti Semitism and Anti Orthodox Judaism 16:15  |  JMK 24/06/08   4.   how do you know? 17:06  |  bryan 24/06/08   5.   Postville 18:58  |  NoName 24/06/08   6.   Close them down 20:24  |  David 24/06/08   7.   400 illegals? An "oversight?" 20:31  |  David 24/06/08   8.   How gullible are we? 00:35  |  Ben Azai 25/06/08   9.   Lower the prices 00:52  |  Salty 25/06/08   10.   To Binyamin and JMK 14:54  |  Joe 25/06/08   11.   temple grandin 15:43  |  aryeh shore 25/06/08   12.   WHITEWASH WILL NOT SAVE CROOKS! 23:16  |  Rabbi Meir Simcha 25/06/08   13.   boycotters & anti-orthodox 01:05  |  L Winer 26/06/08   14.   Supreme Kosher!! Bring it Back!! 19:42  |  John S. 26/06/08   15.   Necessary Expediency 06:10  |  Laura A. Peterson 27/06/08   16.   # 15 Laura 22:04  |  David 27/06/08   17.   Agriprocessors 14:29  |  Labron Shuman 28/06/08   18.   Laura Peterson` s "expediency" 20:30  |  David 29/06/08   19.   It`s rotten, but it`s kosher... 11:26  |  Ulf 30/06/08   20.   #3 Anti-German or anti-Nazi 11:33  |  Ulf 30/06/08   21.   It`s rotten but kosher... 15:04  |  Ulf 30/06/08   22.   Is Everything Anti-Semetism? 15:04  |  Fred 30/06/08   23.   outsider 17:08  |  Di, the doubter 30/06/08   24.   Ulf 19:10  |  JMK 30/06/08

Read & React Iran hands down death sentence to 'spy for Israel' Responses: 112 ANALYSIS / Prisoner swap is capitulation to blackmail by terrorists Responses: 57 Olmert: I voted for swap to prevent another Ron Arad Responses: 61 Editorial: Darfur is Israel's problem, too Responses: 38 Hamas worried about rise in support for religious sects Responses: 49 Rosner's Domain Israel's image still under renovation How "respectful" will the 2008 election be? (WTR) Poll: Hezbollah swap - good or bad? Can Israel legally strike Iran with nukes? Is Time's Joe Klein being honest when he criticizes Joe Lieberman? More Headlines 17:20 Olmert: I voted for swap to prevent another Ron Arad 15:31 Iran hands down death sentence to 'Israeli spy' 13:01 'Hezbollah to strike Israel if it doesn't get minefield maps' 16:08 Syrian FM: I wish Syria had Israel's nuclear arsenal 18:03 Gaza reporter: Israeli security officials broke my ribs 14:31 Government to hospitals: Get ready for major earthquake in north 14:48 U.S. Jewish groups face cut-backs over plunging dollar 18:45 Forgotten boy becomes B-G security breach 13:10 ANALYSIS / Prisoner swap is capitulation to blackmail by terrorists 17:38 Hamas: Kuntar deal sets precedent for release of Palestinian terrorists 15:00 Father headbutts Netanya headmistress at end-of-year event 17:01 Labor MK Danny Yatom slams government, resigns from politics 11:26 Robot hospital: Where IDF treats droids wounded in the line of fire 17:49 Burglars break into Cabinet Secretary's home, steal laptop 14:13 Egypt to reopen Rafah border crossing for two days Previous Editions Select Day 29 jun 27 jun 26 jun 25 jun 24 jun 23 jun 22 jun 20 jun 19 jun 18 jun 17 jun 16 jun

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