"[3] At the turn of the 20th century, the meat industry was still under the control of robber barons who in 1902 decided to hike prices.

Thus the women of the Lower East Side Jewish community were forced to take matters into their own hands, staging a large boycott and convincing many people not to buy meat.

[4] Adhering to the strict dietary laws of kashrut is a significant part of Orthodox Jewish life.

[5] Additionally, a certified butcher known as a shochet must slaughter the animal in accordance with Jewish law in a process known as shechita.

In response to those unsuccessful attempts, the women of the Lower East Side Jewish community, led by Fanny Levy and Sarah Edelson, held a massive protest.

During Sabbath services on May 17, two days after the street riots, a group of women stormed the podium of their synagogue to direct attention towards their cause.

[11] One woman got up on the synagogue podium, disrupted the Torah reading and lectured the community about the importance of joining the boycott.

In the weeks following the riots, Jewish women of the Lower East Side continued to come up with creative ways to protest.

While the patrols went on, other boycott members worked around the clock to disseminate flyers and circulars in order to bolster support.

By May 27, major Orthodox religious leaders had publicly affirmed support for the boycott, and by June 9 the prices dropped to 14 cents a pound.

Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens, two muckraker journalists, were pleased with the boycott's exposure of the robber barons and their corrupt policies.

[1] The New York Herald came out with an article portraying the event as testimony to the impressive organizational skills of the women who put together the boycott.

"[10][11] The boycott became so popular that its influence eventually spread to other Jewish communities in Harlem, Brooklyn, Newark, Boston, and Philadelphia, where similar protests took place.