JDL founder Reuven Manning tortured in CA jail! Help!!!

[Rabbi Shapiro]

Reuven (Bob) Manning is a Vietnam veteran, Jewish Israeli Patriot, one of the founders of the Jewish Defense League, fighter for Soviet Jews in 1970s. Reuven helped establish outposts in Judea, former resident of Kiryat Arba, fighter for Jewish rights and against arab terrorism. Reuven was extradited to US from Israel in 1980s & is in federal jail in California. It is doubtful whether he is guilty of crimes he is accused of, but being a Jewish Patriot added to his sentence & hardships Reuven is facing. His wife, Rachel, was brutally tortured and died in Israeli jail. One can imagine what Reuven had to go through.
Now in his 60s, Reuven denied kosher food and matzah for Passover.
Oppressive regime that rules this country, tortures Reuven. Tomorrow, it can be any one of us.
Help Reuven & help yourself!
Dear friends,
I am sending this to people who i think know of the great travesty of justice concerning Bob Manning and concerning his wife Rachel of blessed memory who died in an Israeli prison.
Bob is currently sitting out his term in California and is currently fighting to make kosher arrangements for Passover, something that was promised him and Israeli officials on his behalf before and after he was extradited by Israel to the U.S. prison authorities.
Please take a few minutes to write a letter to the Prison authorities there and send a copy of that letter to Robert Manning at the address below. Please ask for religious rights for Robert Manning to be be honored, especially concerning special Kosher proivisions and the ability to have seperate utencils for Passover and a special area and cooking facility as well as a special and seperate area to eat it. See his correspondence below and put together a letter to them as well as one to Bob including the letter you have sent to the authorities.
In the merit of this small gesture for a Jewish prisoner, may we be zoche to see all of the Jewish political prisoners sent back alive and well to Israel with Ruvein Manning and Jonathan Pollard NOW! Email me a copy of the letter as well if you can, but please move on this to send now a letter to the authorities in U.S. and to Bob...Thanks and Tizku LMitzvot...
The following from Robert Manning:
I am requesting help on this in the form of letters to Warden Ives, 3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc CA. 93436 The most important issue is Passover. We need a kosher for Passover room free of Levin with a kosher Microwave during chol ha moid, and a warmer for use the first and last two days.
Please send me a copy at same address.
Robert Manning
Robert Manning #98500-012
3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc CA. 93436
Here is some of the correspondence i had with Bob:
HE CAN WRITE THE LETTER TO WHOM IT CONCERNS AND SEND IT TO ME. I will make sure it gets to the right people.
-----GUZOUSKY, MIKE on 2/5/2013 7:06 AM wrote:
>
i will tryand arrange a number of letters to this outrage
ROBERT MANNING on 1/14/2013 10:03:35 PM wrote
Dear Rabbi,
I want to inform you of a meeting we had with the contract Rabbi, and Chaplain Williams. She stated that she will not let us purchase by SPO Mishloach Minot nor will she take advantage of Alephs offer to send it at any price. She also said that she will keep a "kosher for Passover in the "common fair room" where they have bread, during Passover and we can pick up our food in the non kosher dining room. The Rabbi stated that that is not satisfactory and she ignored him and said she dose not have a room available in this institution as they had when I was here in from 1995 - 2001. Also at every institution I have ever been in. I am requesting help on this in the form of letters to Warden Ives, 3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc CA. 93436 The most important issue is Passover. We need a kosher for Passover room free of Levin with a kosher Microwave during chol ha moid, and a warmer for use the first and last two days.
Please send me a copy at same address.
Rabbi Spritzer, can you please call Farther Grabein, at the Region?
Thank you all
Reuven
To whom it may concern,
Something happened here yesterday 2/7/13 at about 11:30AM. I was helping inmate Jackson pack up his property. (He was being shipped out abruptly, without any warning. Which is not normal. Not to mention that his case manager had just told him last week that she had not done anything and would keep him here, and at best it takes a month to have an inmate designated and shipped. It's my guess that he has not been designated at all.) When out of nowhere a female AW came running in yelling "Jackson get your property and get to R&D and to pack out now!" she repeated this a few times in different orders. Jackson had been trying to make sure that the Jewish inmates would get what they need for Passover. Chaplain Williams was fighting him. He only spoke to her once in front of officer Garret about this and he was very polite, but she was adamant about not giving us a room and microwave where we could eat and heat our food. So he went to AW Lothrop who was trying to help him. What was more unreal is that behind the AW was the other two AW's and the Warden, all looking a bit surprised.
I am now afraid to ever speak to Chaplain Williams. I am close to my family here and do not want to jeopardize that. I am not sure what to do. I will speak to AW Lothrop who seems to want to do the right thing, about being able to purchase all the religious items I need. So I do not have to deal with Chaplain Williams. I am asking everyone to contact the National and Regional office of the Bureau of Prisons. Ask them to investigate this matter. They should see if inmate Jackson is designated or not. If not then why is he being shipped? Is this what they call diesel therapy? Someone should interview the Chapel Specialist Mr. Garret, and the Contract Rabbi who were there the only two times he spoke with her. I was there when the Rabbi was there. Someone needs speak with AW Lothrop and Jackson's case Manager, Mrs. Carlon. Also call the Warden. Something must be done, and we in here are powerless. Even more so when our right to take our concerns to the AW's are met with what is happening to inmate Jackson, I am unsure of what would happen to me in the event I bring an issue up that is inconsistent what Chaplain Williams prefers. Which by the way is not consistent with what the Israeli government was promised and as was agreed to by Mr. George Proctor and K. Harris of the State Department. The BOP, through Assistant Director, programs, Peter Carlson, equally gave a declaration to comply with this agreement.
In the past, Chaplain Williams had said she did not have to go along with anything other chaplains from this or other institutions did, nor does she have to comply with any agreements as declared.
Please help me.
Robert Manning #98500-012
ROBERT MANNING on 1/14/2013 10:03:35 PM wrote
Dear Rabbi,
I want to inform you of a meeting we had with the contract Rabbi, and Chaplain Williams. She stated that she will not let us purchase by SPO Mishloach Minot nor will she take advantage of Alephs offer to send it at any price. She also said that she will keep a "kosher for Passover in the "common fair room" where they have bread, during Passover and we can pick up our food in the non kosher dining room. The Rabbi stated that that is not satisfactory and she ignored him and said she dose not have a room available in this institution as they had when I was here in from 1995 - 2001. Also at every institution I have ever been in. I am requesting help on this in the form of letters to Warden Ives, 3901 Klein Blvd. Lompoc CA. 93436 The most important issue is Passover. We need a kosher for Passover room free of Levin with a kosher Microwave during chol ha moid, and a warmer for use the first and last two days.
Please send me a copy at same address.
Rabbi Spritzer, can you please call Farther Grabein, at the Region?
Thank you all
Reuven
To whom it may concern,
Something happened here yesterday 2/7/13 at about 11:30AM. I was helping inmate Jackson pack up his property. (He was being shipped out abruptly, without any warning. Which is not normal. Not to mention that his case manager had just told him last week that she had not done anything and would keep him here, and at best it takes a month to have an inmate designated and shipped. It's my guess that he has not been designated at all.) When out of nowhere a female AW came running in yelling "Jackson get your property and get to R&D and to pack out now!" she repeated this a few times in different orders. Jackson had been trying to make sure that the Jewish inmates would get what they need for Passover. Chaplain Williams was fighting him. He only spoke to her once in front of officer Garret about this and he was very polite, but she was adamant about not giving us a room and microwave where we could eat and heat our food. So he went to AW Lothrop who was trying to help him. What was more unreal is that behind the AW was the other two AW's and the Warden, all looking a bit surprised.
I am now afraid to ever speak to Chaplain Williams. I am close to my family here and do not want to jeopardize that. I am not sure what to do. I will speak to AW Lothrop who seems to want to do the right thing, about being able to purchase all the religious items I need. So I do not have to deal with Chaplain Williams. I am asking everyone to contact the National and Regional office of the Bureau of Prisons. Ask them to investigate this matter. They should see if inmate Jackson is designated or not. If not then why is he being shipped? Is this what they call diesel therapy? Someone should interview the Chapel Specialist Mr. Garret, and the Contract Rabbi who were there the only two times he spoke with her. I was there when the Rabbi was there. Someone needs speak with AW Lothrop and Jackson's case Manager, Mrs. Carlon. Also call the Warden. Something must be done, and we in here are powerless. Even more so when our right to take our concerns to the AW's are met with what is happening to inmate Jackson, I am unsure of what would happen to me in the event I bring an issue up that is inconsistent what Chaplain Williams prefers. Which by the way is not consistent with what the Israeli government was promised and as was agreed to by Mr. George Proctor and K. Harris of the State Department. The BOP, through Assistant Director, programs, Peter Carlson, equally gave a declaration to comply with this agreement.
In the past, Chaplain Williams had said she did not have to go along with anything other chaplains from this or other institutions did, nor does she have to comply with any agreements as declared.
Please help me.
Robert Manning #98500-012

[muman613]

This guy is in prison for murder....  Does anyone know what the facts of the case are? It looks like they killed a secretary by accident by a bomb intended for her boss... I don't know if this was the correct thing to do.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19910326&id=SpwzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0TIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5193,3905440

One thing is that we surely support the idea that all Jewish prisoners deserve Kosher food and atmosphere. This was, as I mentioned last month, a thing which Rabbi Kahane worked to ensure. All prisoners in Americas prisons have the right to access Kosher food and religious items (such as Tefillin, Siddurim, Etc.).

[muman613]

The story seems to have been in the news in 1991 (over 20 years ago)..


http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1991/Court-Orders-Extradition-of-American-Couple-Suspected-of-Murder/id-bdf006046b3dda0be42bfecb18cfa990

JERUSALEM (AP) _ A Jerusalem court on Friday ordered the extradition of an American couple to the United States in connection with the murder of a California woman.

Rachel and Reuven Manning have 30 days to appeal the District Court decision to the Supreme Court.

The United States requested the extradition of the couple in December on suspicion they were involved in sending a booby-trapped electrical appliance in 1980 to a computer firm in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

A secretary of the company, Patricia Wilkerson, was killed when the device exploded as she plugged it in. Police have said the bomb apparently was intended for Ms. Wilkerson's boss, Brenda Crouthamel.

Reuven Manning said the court decision amounted to a ''death sentence,'' Israel Radio said.

Right-wing activists in Israel have opposed extradition of Israeli citizens to countries that allow the death penalty and have supported the Mannings' fight against extradition.

Israel and the United States have had an extradition treaty since 1962, and both countries have honored each other's extradition requests in recent years.

The Mannings moved to Israel about a decade ago and currently live in the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank.

They Hebraized their names from Rochelle and Robert.

The Mannings also are being sought for questioning in the 1985 slaying of an Arab-American activist, Alex M. Odeh, according to defense lawyer Yaakov Aryeh.

Odeh died after he opened the door to his Santa Ana, Calif., office, apparently triggering explosives.

[Chaim Ben Pesach]

בס''ד

Reuven Manning is a Jewish hero. He should be freed immediately. Or he should be transferred to Israel to serve out his sentence since he is an Israeli citizen. He has been in prison for over 20 years already.

But why would "Rabbi" Shapiro sign on to the forum and then open threads under false pretenses? He opened a thread with the headline claiming that there is a new JTF chapter in Florida, and then in the thread he tries to sell jewelry and other items. That's why I banned "Rabbi" Shapiro and removed the bogus thread.

If Mike Guzofsky wants us to help Reuven Manning, we are more than willing. If Mike wants to speak to me or wants us to cooperate, we are also willing. But don't come on the forum under false pretenses. Sign on to the forum honestly, and we may be able to work together to help Reuven and to help the Jewish people.

[muman613]

בס''ד

Reuven Manning is a Jewish hero. He should be freed immediately. Or he should be transferred to Israel to serve out his sentence since he is an Israeli citizen. He has been in prison for over 20 years already.

But why would "Rabbi" Shapiro sign on to the forum and then open threads under false pretenses? He opened a thread with the headline claiming that there is a new JTF chapter in Florida, and then in the thread he tries to sell jewelry and other items. That's why I banned "Rabbi" Shapiro and removed the bogus thread.

If Mike Guzofsky wants us to help Reuven Manning, we are more than willing. If Mike wants to speak to me or wants us to cooperate, we are also willing. But don't come on the forum under false pretenses. Sign on to the forum honestly, and we may be able to work together to help Reuven and to help the Jewish people.

What was the motive of the first murder? How was this supposed to be related to the cause?

[angryChineseKahanist]

Rabbi, I would like to buy one of your vacuum cleaners.
 

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

Rabbi, I would like to buy one of your vacuum cleaners.

[cjd]

I saw the thread earlier but it seemed to be a put on deal... The guy made the same post twice in a short amount of time and before we know it was also in the jewelery business... I think Chaim hit the nail on the head with it being  Guzofsky.

[edu]

To Chaim Ben Pesach or anyone else that wants to answer.
I am left confused. Does the fact that you doubt the credentials of the person that posted this topic means that you don't think that Reuven Manning is being denied his rights in a CA jail?
Or he does need our help? And if he does, what help does he need?

[kahaneloyalist]

Robert Manning does need help, he is being denied his rights to practice Judaism.

If it is Mike Guzofsky posting he is a piece of garbage.

But it doesn't change the fact that Rabert Manning needs help

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Israel extradited someone for bogus charges but they refused to extradite some Jewish teenager in The 1990's who fled to Israel after murdering someone on the grounds that he was an Israeli citizen because his father was a citizen. I guess they have double standards for Right Wing Israeli citizens facing extradition. Or maybe they only are against it if someone was born an Israeli citizen. In the case of Manning, the court are literally mosrim. Then the American government was upset that the Israeli court handed the Jewish teenager a sentence that would allow him freedom to walk the streets of Israel when he reached a certain age while in the US he would be facing at least life in prison. I guess the Israeli courts system only likes people who committed murder and not Right Wing Jews accused of murder.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Here is the case I was referring to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Sheinbein

I guess the Israeli courts are selective in who they extradite. According to the law the cited refusing to extradite him, they ignored the law for Manning.

[Sveta]

Is "Rabbi Shapiro's" IP from Kfar Tapuach? If not, why would we think it's Yekutiel? Maybe Robert Manning has many supporters. Not to mention, why would Yekutiel make a thread about a JTF Florida chapter. It sounds like someone who is trying to be a troll.

Anyways, I do not agree with sending bombs like the one that killed the secretary. My problem with it is that I see fakestinians sending bombs into Israel, and it lowers them in my eyes.
But, I agree that he needs to get kosher meals. It is not even a question, he needs to get kosher meals now. It's a serious violation of any prison in the US to withhold this.

Judging by the fact that "rabbi shapiro" is questionable, do we really know if Robert Manning really is not getting kosher meals? Or does this person just want to troll people into writing a prison? I would rather find out if the story is legitimate.

[muman613]

Someone should look into this case. My google search did not find much except for the information which I posted from 1991. Since we don't know who this 'rabbi shapiro' is we cannot accept his word and his other posts seemed odd.

Does anyone know anything about why he sent the bomb to the electronics company? That is my big question in this whole story. I will accept any answer even if I don't get the whole story, as long as the source is reliable (such as Chaim or Shlomo).

[Sveta]

Not only that...
As Muman said there is really no information online about Robert Manning being denied kosher meals yet if you look at the post "rabbi shapiro" wrote, you see that they contain supposed personal messages between various people. Like personal emails about what is going inside the prison.

Example of what "Rabbi Shapiro" wrote:

Something happened here yesterday 2/7/13 at about 11:30AM. I was helping inmate Jackson pack up his property. (He was being shipped out abruptly, without any warning. Which is not normal. Not to mention that his case manager had just told him last week that she had not done anything and would keep him here, and at best it takes a month to have an inmate designated and shipped.

Oh really, we are getting personal confidential messages about what is going on in a Federal Prison?
Some of the other messages are from Robert Manning himself. So he is deprived of Kosher meals but the federal prison allows him free access to email anyone then?

This entire story is strange. I will also wait until we hear more about it before I decide if any of it is real.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

From what I heard, he was wanted for killing some Arab Nazi but when they couldn't find evidence, they brought trumped up charges and accused him of murdering someone for personal reasons. I saw it first on ADL's page about "Jewish terrorism" and thought the crime was not a Right Wing act but then I heard they just accused him of it because they couldn't find evidence of him being responsible for the death of the Arab Nazi. From ADL's website, you would think he's a common murderer even though they list him together with nationalist bombings such as Chaim's bombing of Soviet targets.

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Here is the evil ADL page I was refering to.

http://archive.adl.org/extremism/jdl_chron.asp

February 10, 1994:
JDL member Robert Manning was convicted of complicity in the 1980 letter-bombing death of a secretary in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole for 30 years. The letter-bomb incident had no connection to JDL activities but was instead an attack contracted by William Howard Ross, a fellow JDL member who had a long drawn out business dispute with the owner of the firm where the secretary worked.

March 8, 1994:
The Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a petition by Rochelle Manning, wife of Robert Manning and both JDL members, to block her extradition to the United States in order to face murder charges. Rochelle Manning is to be re-tried on murder charges relating to the 1980 letter-bomb attack on a California secretary. On March 19 1994, Rochelle Manning died of a heart attack in an Israeli prison while awaiting her extradition to the United States.

June 9, 1995:
Los Angeles, California - William Howard Ross, a member of the Jewish Defense League, was sentenced to life imprisonment for having enlisted Robert and Rochelle Manning to construct and mail a booby trap bomb to a local computer company with whom Ross had had a personal dispute. (See June 1988 and February 10, 1994 regarding the trial and sentencing of Robert Manning.)

They also mention Chaim under 1986 and 1987.

[angryChineseKahanist]

No really. This 'Rabbi' sounds like an herbal-life salesman.

[Chaim Ben Pesach]

בס''ד

I believe that Robert Manning is being denied Pesach kosher meals in violation of federal law. From my experience in the federal prison system, what is written about Manning is genuine.

As far as Manning's conviction on bombing charges, the FBI wanted to get him on the Alex Odeh case. Alex Odeh was a spokesman for the PLO terrorists who went on television to claim that Leon Klinghoffer was not really murdered by the PLO on the Achille Lauro ship. PLO terrorists took over the ship, shot the wheel chair-bound Klinghoffer to death and then threw his body overboard. But Odeh went on U.S. television to give the Arab Hitler Yasser Arafat's version - Odeh claimed that Klinghoffer's elderly Jewish wife shot him to death and threw him overboard to collect life insurance. Shortly after making these obscene statements, Odeh was killed by a booby-trapped bomb at his office in California.

Since the FBI could not get Manning on the Odeh killing, they decided to accuse him of another charge. Manning insists that he is innocent. I do not know the facts of the second case, but I am going to assume that Manning is telling the truth.

In any event, Manning's basic rights are clearly being violated.

The reason I mentioned Guzofsky in regard to this post is because his name appears in the message. I don't know if Guzofsky or one of his supporters posted this message. If they did, this is not the way to communicate with us. The proper way to communicate is to register on the forum honestly. Despite our differences with Guzofsky, we certainly will cooperate with any effort to assist Manning.

[Ephraim Ben Noach]

No really. This 'Rabbi' sounds like an herbal-life salesman.

I would buy his herbs, he has been dead since 1933 and he still can write!

[Nachus]

                                                                                                                                                



 Everything possible must be done to support and free this Jewish hero!

[Sveta]

Sounds like "rabbi shapiro" or whoever sent the messages has just been writting to any known Kahane supporter groups. Most likely he sent out several messages to people and Yekutiel was just one of them. "Rabbi Shapiro" trying to get support from everyone yet spaming at the same time.

[muman613]

I found the following resources by doing a search. I do not know these organizations personally but it seems that there are some who are working to ensure that Jewish prisoners are provided Kosher facilities and are allowed to observe Jewish laws while incarcerated...

http://jewsinprison.org/practicing.htm

Practicing Judaism in Prison

Is it possible to observe Jewish practices in prison? Yes, but it will probably take more effort than one is accustomed to. Just like it is easier to observe Jewish practices in Brooklyn, New York, than S. Barbara, California, it can still be done. In Brooklyn all the necessary needs for a practicing traditional Jew are readily available and come in many varieties. If one wants to buy kosher food, there is a plethora of stores with every imaginable kind of kosher food. If, however, one lives in S. Barbara, there are no kosher stores. In order to buy kosher food, one has to travel one hundred miles to Los Angeles. Even there, the choice is not as great as Brooklyn. The bottom line is that with the proper effort and planning one can, for instance, keep kosher even in S. Barbara. Likewise, in prison some of the things one would take for granted, now need the appropriate effort and planning. True, it will never be Brooklyn, but it can be done.

Kosher

Most facilities will make some kind of arrangements for kosher food. If it is really important to someone to have strictly kosher food, the judge should be told before the sentence. The judge can then instruct the appropriate prison that they will be receiving a Jewish inmate who has special dietary needs. These needs will sometimes be accommodated with pre-cooked kosher meals that are sealed, similar to the kosher food served on airlines.

Sabbath and Holidays

Most prisons know about the Jewish Sabbath and the basic idea that work cannot be done on this day. It may be necessary to explain to the chaplain that the Sabbath starts at sundown on Friday and ends at nightfall on Saturday. Likewise, for all the Jewish Holidays. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has designated all Jewish holidays as work proscription days. So, Jewish inmates are not required to go to work on those days. However, just like with everything else in prison, one has to make the appropriate arrangements in advance. A prison facility is like another bureaucracy and so all the necessary paperwork needs to be filed well in advance. Otherwise the Jewish inmate may be expected to go to work on those days.

Passover

Many Jews who are not yet particular about kosher food during the year make special efforts during Passover. With the appropriate planning and effort, many prisons will provide prepackaged freeze-dried meals for the eight days of Passover. Likewise, matzoh and grape juice will usually be given. Some facilities will make provisions for the ceremonial Seder meal for Passover.

Services

The prison will attempt to provide a room for Jews for religious services for the Sabbath and holidays. Most will also have the appropriate prayer books and other related Jewish books. If not, it is often possible to have them sent in by a bookstore or family members. These services will usually be led by another inmate.

[muman613]

http://crownheights.info/jewish-news/15920/5360-inmates-in-federal-prisons-in-the-u-s-request-kosher-meals/

5,360 Inmates in Federal Prisons in the U.S. Request Kosher Meals
By Raffi Rosenzweig for Kosher Today

According to data provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP), a record 5,360 inmates in federal prisons are receiving kosher meals in all of the FBOP’s 114 facilities across the United States. Of those, 3,268 identify themselves as Jewish. While there have been several challenges to kosher by some state prison officials, the FBOP guides itself by a number of court decisions that mandate the kosher food.

In interviews with FBOP officials, KosherToday has learned that in each facility’s main kitchen, a room is designated for the preparation of all “certified religious diet meals”, the FBOP term for kosher.

All hot meals are commercially pre-packaged and frozen, and certified according to a reliable, nationally recognized Orthodox Jewish standard. Food trays for inmates that are determined by the chaplain to require a specific certification are distributed through the main serving line at the regular meal times to facilitate all inmates eating together. Kosher products are also available in the inmate commissary. To receive kosher meals, inmates submit a request through the local chaplain. It is not necessary, however, to confirm an inmate’s particular religion, which explains why only 3,268 inmates are self identified as Jewish.

Felicia Ponce, a public affairs specialist at the FBOP, estimates that the kosher requests are predominately religious in nature, albeit not all Jewish. Ponce attests that previously many of the kosher requests were motivated by perceived health or diet concerns, but since a recent FBOP shift to serve more balanced meals, this has not been common. All meals are now consistent in portion size and menu throughout the entire agency.

Despite the change, the number of kosher inmates in the Federal prisons has still increased significantly over the last decade, although exact figures were not available. Upon request, the FBOP also provides inmates with grape juice, challah and other essential religious foods for the Shabbos and Jewish holidays. “Religious dietary observance is protected as a constitutional right,” said Ponce. “The Bureau of Prisons takes very seriously its responsibilities to uphold the constitution and the rights it gives all individuals, even those who are incarcerated.” Federal prison officials have in recent years become far more knowledgeable about kosher, even visiting shows like Kosherfest.

[muman613]

This article implies that some states are not complying or are fighting the Federal law which was passed to ensure that a prisoners religious practices are not infringed upon while being incarcerated.


http://www.koshertoday.com/08-06-12---States-Keep-Losing-but-Keep-Fighting-to-Deny-Prisoners-Kosher-Food/

States Keep Losing but Keep Fighting to Deny Prisoners Kosher Food
by Staff Writer


GRAND RAPIDS, MI — It isn’t as if there is a chance they will win. Courts as high as the U.S. Supreme Court have ruled that states and the federal prison system are required to provide kosher food to prisoners who request them for religious reasons. Yet, a Michigan inmate has filed a federal lawsuit over the prison’s lack of kosher meals. He said in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Grand Rapids that he has lost 30 pounds since his imprisonment and is subsisting on a diet of vegetables, bread and cereal.

In Florida, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed an appeal on behalf of Bruce Rich an Orthodox Jewish prison inmate who has been denied a kosher diet by the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC). The DOC claims that it is denying a kosher diet in order to control costs and maintain security. However, at least thirty-five states and the federal government currently provide kosher diets without problems of cost or security. Moreover, from 2004 to 2007, the DOC provided a Jewish dietary program that cost only a fraction of one percent of its annual food budget and did not result in any security problems.

Like Forida, many states have claimed that kosher food “would break the bank,” said one distributor, but our industry has demonstrated that many strictly kosher shelf stable actually are within the state’ budget.