Question:
How far are men justified in violating the dietary laws under different conditions of camp life?
Answer:
They should try to observe as much as possible.
The chaplain should make known to men desiring to observe the dietary laws that kosher canned meats are available at the Post Exchanges and through the Jewish Welfare Board representatives, and that, while in this country, men may receive packages of kosher food from relatives or friends. If in certain circumstances it is impossible to obtain kosher food, then they are not committing a sin because they are under the compulsion of government military law.
However, a soldier who desires to follow the dietary laws should follow the spirit of Ezekiel Landau's advice, to observe Jewish practice as much as possible. Therefore he should try as much as he can to make a distinction between various degrees of prohibition. He ought to be more reluctant about eating inherently forbidden foods. Less weight can be ascribed to partaking of such meat products as are not inherently forbidden but which are not kosher because they have not been prepared by Shechitah or Melichah, and still less significance need be given to violations of Taaruveth and of such rabbinic ordinances as were established Mippnei Marath Ayin, such as those against dairy products together with fowl.