Kosher food based on biblical origins grew into a $200 billion food industry in 2009 (Regenstein & Regenstein, 2012). The kosher slaughter process is performed by a trained religious slaughter man with no stunning of the animal prior to exsanguination. However, this proce- dure alone does not make an animal acceptable for kosher consumption. Internal organs, specifically the lungs, must be inspected for any defects. Lungs have been inspected since biblical times as a guard against disease. Pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses are among the most common causes of lung leisons today (Schneider, Tait, Busby, & Reecy, 2009). Lung adhesions are of primary concern and may result in an animal failing to qualify as kosher. We hypothesize that there are differences between cattle that qualify as kosher and those that do not, that pre-slaughter stress may affect carcass and meat quality of steers and heifers kosher slaughtered, and there may be differences in carcass and meat quality between kosher-qualified cattle and non- kosher-qualified cattle. The objective of this study was to determine if there are differences in pre-slaughter stress measurements and carcass characteristics between carcasses that qualified for kosher versus those that did not qualify as kosher.