BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Remember that flight that brought nearly 100 rabbis to Argentina to certify kosher meat that was held up because of the coronavirus pandemic? It wasn’t only a boon to the Israeli market: The visiting rabbis also certified over 420,000 pounds of kosher beef that will be shipped to the United States.
Despite Argentina’s ban on incoming travelers, the country arranged for a special flight for the rabbis last week. The country is one of the world’s top meat producers, and thousands of tons of meat had been held up without kosher certification because of travel restrictions. Normally, rabbis visit the country throughout the year and stay for a few months to certify meat.
On Friday, President Alberto Fernández visited a kosher meat facility in Santa Rosa, the capital city of the La Pampa province, 370 miles west of Buenos Aires.
“The plant located in Santa Rosa is already working to sell to the United States, increasingly interested in buying these meat cuts with added value,” a government statement read.