Court Turns Down Prisoner Request For Strict Kosher Diet

Yesterday's Washington Jewish Week discusses a Nov. 10 in Wilkerson v. Beitzel in which the federal district court in Maryland turned down a prisoner's request for kosher food. The court held that the lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet available at Maryland's Western Correctional Institution was religiously "neutral," even though kashrut-observant Jews would object to the lack of kosher dishes and kosher cheese. Judge J. Frederick Motz concluded that "additional costs and creation of perceived favoritism between religious groups, are legitimate compelling interests that override the burden placed on plaintiff's ability to follow a kosher diet."