Last fall, a jury found Sholom Rubashkin, former Agriprocessors CEO, guilty on 86 federal financial fraud charges. Now, a judge in the case has announced that Rubashkin will be sentenced to 27 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $31 million in restitution!

This is the culmination of a long, sordid history of financial crimes at the plant as well as violations against humans and animals dating back to PETA's original undercover investigation in 2004.

This undercover investigation exposed that Agriprocessors was hacking out the tracheas and esophagi of cattle immediately after the kosher slaughter cut, when the animals were still conscious and able to feel pain. Many animals remained conscious for prolonged periods, some even struggling to their feet in agony three minutes after their throats were cut, their organs dangling from their necks.

Dr. Temple Grandin, the world's leading slaughterhouse expert, called this "the most disgusting thing [she'd] ever seen." The USDA agreed with PETA and cited Agriprocessors for "engaging in acts of inhumane slaughter." Sholom Rubashkin tried to defend these egregious methods, but PETA undercover investigations in both 2007 and 2008 caught his facilities again performing dressing procedures on conscious animals. Dr. Grandin said, "The undercover video clearly showed that when they think nobody is looking, they do bad things in this plant."

At least Sholom Rubashkin will not have the opportunity to harm any more animals for the next 27 years.

Written by Shawna Flavell

PETA's recent undercover investigation of the largest slaughterhouse in Uruguay exposed that the facility was using the primitive and cruel "shackle and hoist" method for kosher slaughter.

This slaughterhouse is the largest foreign supplier of kosher meat to the U.S. and a major kosher meat exporter to Israel. Thanks to the PETA investigation, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has just announced that by 2011 it will no longer certify meat as kosher if it's from a slaughterhouse that use "shackle and hoist"—that's about 80 percent of the meat imported into Israel, so we're not talking small potatoes!

This is a great step. Of course, the only way to know for sure that you are not supporting slaughterhouse cruelty is to go vegan. Plant-based foods are naturally kosher, and a vegan diet is in keeping with Jewish laws mandating that animals be treated with compassion and respect.

Written by Heather Moore

Looking for a way to rebel against a Debbie Friedman–saturated childhood this Passover?

OK, as the daughter of a Hebrew school principal/music director, maybe it's just me, but everyone should check out Jewish-vegan-reggae-rock-hip-hop artist Matisyahu, whose video for "One Day" was rated one of the 10 most inspiring videos on the Web.

In response to a suggestion that he put a shrimp on the barbie while he's in Australia, Matisyahu recently tweeted, "Sorry babe [shrimp are] not kosher plus I went vegan."

The last time Matisyahu played in Norfolk, PETA delivered him a basket of vegan treats along with the video "If This Is Kosher…" narrated by Jonathan Safran Foer. The video shows footage from an investigation at Agriprocessors, the world's largest kosher slaughterhouse.

This is the year I start a new Passover tradition by sending my dad a similar PETA gift basket, only with a Matisyahu CD and a card reading, "Beets Beat Brisket." Leave a comment with your favorite compassionate Passover tradition (or a better slogan for my card)!

Written by Heather Drennan

flickr / CC

As one of PETA's resident experts put it, "I wish every Jew in the world would read this article."

'Nuff said. Read it.

Written by Joel Bartlett

I'm willing to bet my last Goldenberg Peanut Chew that you love comedian/writer Carol Leifer just as much as I do. Even if her name doesn't sound familiar, millions of Seinfeld fans can thank her for penning countless "I-laughed-so-hard-vino-shot-out-of-my-nose!" moments.

Carol recently tossed all animal products from her fridge—no more milk stolen from calves, no more eggs from miserable hens, and no more bacon from pigs gone crazy from confinement—and she sat down with PETA to film the following vegetarian testimonial (Before you watch it, I suggest you put that wine down, lest you spray Chardonnay all over your keyboard):

One of my favorite lines: "I recently became vegan because I felt that as a Jewish lesbian, I wasn't part of a small enough minority. So now I'm a Jewish lesbian vegan."

If that video wasn't enough hilarity for you, you can check out here and here for other versions of the video. Plus, we've got 10 copies of Carol's book—When You Lie About Your Age, The Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror—to give away too. Win yours by letting us know, in the comments section below, the funniest thing you tell people when they ask why you went vegetarian.

The contest ends on July 23, 2009, and we'll choose the 10 most hilarious comments as the winners on July 24, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Karin Bennett

Yesterday, crowds descended on Los Angeles' Staples Center to pay respects to the "King of Pop," but it was "Her Royal Hotness," PETA's Lettuce Lady, who stole the show outside Michael Jackson's memorial. Wearing only her signature lettuce bikini and a single, white sequined glove, Christina Cho held a mirror reading, "Go Vegetarian for the Man in the Mirror."

A line of reporters from local television stations and newswires, including Associated Press and Reuters, waited to talk to PETA's Lettuce Lady.

Her message was inspired by Michael Jackson's hit, "The Man in the Mirror," which pondered the impact of personal change:

What's the easy answer for those who want to make a difference in their health, animal suffering, the environment, and starving children like those featured in the song's video? Go vegetarian!

Our message was simple: Take a moment to reflect, and then "make that change."

Written by Karin Bennett

You remember Agriprocessors, right? You know, the kosher slaughterhouse whose practices turned out to be anything but kosher? The one that lost 76 percent of its employees in an immigration raid and that filed for bankruptcy last week?

Well, since Agriprocessors is (or, dare I say, was) the largest glatt kosher slaughterhouse in the world, the bankruptcy has led to a shortage of kosher meat. An article on www.israelnationalnews.com reports that, as a result, many Jewish Americans are eating more vegetarian meals.

Three of the five largest kosher beef slaughterhouses in the U.S. and the second-largest kosher beef supplier in South America are currently not operating. This is adding to the shortage and causing prices to escalate. In addition to troubles at Agriprocessors, operations at the nation's third-largest kosher slaughterhouse, North Star Beef in Minnesota, stopped several months ago after a fire, and the fifth largest facility in the U.S. (Local Pride, which we investigated in 2007 and is owned by the same people as Agriprocessors) stopped operations in October.

There's a solid case for Jewish vegetarianism in the first place, and the lawbreaking practices of Agriprocessors and its subsequent shutdown are even more reasons to have a vegetarian Shabbat. Many "meaty" recipes—even chopped "liver"!—can be made pareve (that's no meat, no dairy).

VegCooking.com, by the way, has a nice collection of Jewish recipes. I have personally made both the latkes and the stuffed zucchini and can attest to their yumminess. For more veganized traditional favorites, www.jewishveg.com is another great resource.

Mmm, vegan knishes … I might have to buy potatoes on the way home today.

Written by Amanda Schinke

Hey, everyone! I wanted to tell y'all about A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World, a new documentary by the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA). The film has several scenes depicting very powerful footage of animal suffering. According to JVNA's Web site, A Sacred Duty reminds viewers that it is "our responsibility to apply Jewish teachings to how we obtain our food, use natural resources, and live among other creatures whom God created. It offers simple, practical measures for reducing our impact on the planet."

JVNA is offering free DVD copies of A Sacred Duty to religious groups, educational institutions, environmental organizations, cultural clubs, the media, Jewish film festivals, and others who will arrange showings. Click here to contact JVNA and request a copy.

You can view the film in its entirety online. Check it out here.

Thanks, JVNA, for showing everyone that the suffering of animals raised for food should be taken into account by those concerned about the environment and for reminding people about Jewish values of compassion for animals.