Postville

"In 1987, a group of Lubavitchers, one of the most orthodox and zealous of Jewish sects, opened a kosher slaughterhouse just outside tiny Postville, Iowa (pop. 1,465). When the business became a worldwide success, Postville found itself both revived and divided. The town's initial welcome of the Jews turned into confusion, dismay, and even disgust. By 1997, the town had engineered a vote on what everyone agreed was actually a referendum: whether or not these Jews should stay.". "Stephen G. Bloom found himself with a bird's-eye view of this battle and gained a new perspective on questions that…