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A Life of Dairy and Davening

Bill Berman is an anomaly among South Florida’s dairymen, few of whom start their day putting on tefillin

by
Tablet Magazine
May 21, 2012

One way we celebrate Shavuot is by enjoying all things dairy. To learn more about the milk that is at the heart of this holiday, Tablet Magazine visited Bill Berman’s farm in Okeechobee, Fla., which produces about 18,000 gallons of milk daily. Berman is an Orthodox Jew with deep roots in the cow business; his grandfather and great-grandfather were cattle dealers in Germany. In this audio slideshow, Berman takes us through a day on the farm, from morning prayers and a trip to the maternity barn, where about 20 calves are delivered each day, to a livestock auction and a minyan at the Palm Beach synagogue he attends.

Produced by Ari Daniel Shapiro. Photography by Amanda Kowalski.

This piece was originally posted on June 7, 2011.

From the editors at Tablet Magazine