Seal of approval

May 18, 2009 - 9:20 AM by Jessica · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business, Food, General, Israeliness

My nephew gave me a gift the other day; a Tav Chevrati card to plunk down on tables in cafes and restaurants that don’t have the Tav Chevrati ’seal of approval.’

Created in 2004, Tav Chevrati (social seal) is the creation of Bema’aglei Tzedek (in the circles of justice), an organization of young social activists who wanted to do something to help improve socioeconomic conditions in Israel. The certificate is just one of their projects, but one of the best-known. It’s free, and has been awarded to 350 restaurants, cafes and wedding halls throughout Israel that abide by certain guidelines regarding workers’ rights.

Businesses that have the Tav pay at least minimum wage, grant the basic package of social benefits required by Israeli law, pay salaries on time and are accessible to people with disabilities. The Tav Chevrati certificate is blue and usually hangs right next to the kosher certificate in restaurants.

For my limited purposes these days, Aroma franchises generally have the Tav, while Cafe Hillel does not. So it makes that one decision easier, even if the coffee is better at Aroma. More importantly, it means that you’ll see people with special needs working and eating at the Tav locations, and you can be sure that they’re getting paid and treated decently.

It’s not often that Israel is doing something socially conscious before the U.S., but we are in terms of the Tav. Social justice group Uri L’Tzedek recently gave the Tav HaYosher (ethical seal) to seven kosher restaurants in New York City that treat their workers fairly and obey labor laws. The seal followed the efforts of the Heksher Tzedek commission, a group with Conservative roots that aimed to certify kosher food production following the discovery of dubious working conditions at Agriprocessors, a kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa. (For a great read on that subject, check out Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America by Stephen Bloom.)

The two groups are Facebook friends, natch, and it’s good to be seeing do-good organizations begetting other organizations with the same goals. In the meantime, I’ve got the Tav card in my pocket, ready to do some good of my own.

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