Treatment of Jewish inmate improving at Westmoreland jail, attorney claims

A Mt. Pleasant man awaiting trial for allegedly trying to kill his mother has recently been granted access to some kosher foods necessary for his religious beliefs while jailed in Westmoreland County, his lawyer said Thursday.

Attorney Amy Levenson Jones said Westmoreland County prison officials have improved conditions for her client, a man who said he was in the process of converting to Judaism prior to his arrest following an incident in which police said he stabbed his mother up to 20 times as she lay in bed.

Kort Noel Eckman, 47, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment and has been at the Westmoreland County Prison since the October 3, 2023, incident in the Mt. Pleasant home he shared with his mother. Investigators said Rose Eckman told police her son suffered from delusions and believed she was a Nazi war criminal.

“He’s still having a hard time getting kosher meals,” said Jones, Eckman’s lawyer. “He’s receiving some kosher meals, but he’s also trying to supplement them with commissary food. Recently, he was hospitalized due to malnutrition.”

Jones said jail officials allowed a rabbi from Squirrel Hill to enter the facility and teach kitchen staff how to ensure Eckman receives kosher food.

Eckman’s treatment at the jail was questioned this summer when concerns were raised that his religious beliefs were not being respected. Eckman claimed he was denied transportation to the courthouse for a hearing over his refusal to remove a yarmulke, a skullcap worn by Jewish men. Jail officials claimed that decision was based on concerns about the potential for smuggling contraband into the facility.

He appeared in court Thursday wearing a white yarmulke.

Eckman, his mother, and his now-former lawyer had previously contended the jail also denied him access to kosher meals because he had not completed his conversion to Judaism.

Jones said kosher meals are now being provided, at least on a limited basis.

“There’s been no legal issue (of rights violations) since we’ve been on the case,” Jones said.

Rose Eckman said her son appears healthier.

“I am pleased,” she said.

Westmoreland County Prison Warden Steve Pelesky did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Meanwhile, Eckman’s legal case remains pending.

During a brief court appearance, Jones said the defense is awaiting a second, privately-paid mental health evaluation for Eckman, the results of which could be a factor at trial.

Prosecutors are seeking to introduce evidence that Eckman had previously stabbed his mother during a 2021 incident for which he was not prosecuted. The defense has suggested that Eckman’s actions in both stabbings were caused by a reaction to over-the-counter supplements.

Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said he would not rule on the issue until after Eckman’s mental health evaluation is completed. His trial has been delayed until at least March.