Israel Matzav

Israeli court refuses to ban Kosher slaughter

One of the first anti-Semitic laws passed by the Nazi German regime in 1933 was the ban on Kosher slaughter. Unfortunately, those who claim to be most concerned about the welfare of animals are often less concerned with the welfare of people. So we can only breath a sigh of relief this Sunday morning, as the Jerusalem District Court has thrown out a petition to prevent the slaughter of a sheep later today at Yeshivat HaKotel in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The slaughter is planned as part of a conference dedicated to studying and restoring the Jewish observance of the Korban Pesach, as it was called since it was first observed in Egypt. At the time of the Exodus, Jews slaughtered a sheep per family group, despite its status as a deity to the Egyptian oppressors. The blood was then applied to the doorposts of the Jewish homes.

Animal rights group "Tnoo Lachayot Lichyot" ("Let the Animals Live") had argued that the planned slaughter constituted illegal cruelty to an animal.

Although the slaughter will be identical to any correctly-performed kosher slaughter, and the animal consumed in a manner resembling the popular Israeli pastime - the mangal (barbecue) - the animal rights group compared it to dog-fighting and other spectator events performed at the expense of animals' pain.

In her ruling, Judge Hagit Mac-Kalmanovich said, “I was not convinced by the argument that the given event would cause the animal more pain and suffering than the accepted methods of slaughter in slaughterhouses.”

She rejected the group’s comparison of the planned slaughter to illegal fights between animals, pointing out that only one animal was involved, and that it would not be harmed in any way prior to the actual slaughter. The event must be allowed under laws protecting freedom of religion, she concluded.

Demonstrations of ritual slaughter are actually a common past time during the Intermediate Days (Chol HaMoed) of the Passover and Succot holidays in many religious neighborhoods in Jerusalem. So it's fortunate that the Israeli court did not forbid it.

Unfortunately, in much of Europe and Scandinavia, Kosher slaughter is forbidden. But in this area the presence of a large Muslim community in those countries may be a silver lining in the clouds over religious Jews: The bans on Kosher slaughter apply to Muslim's Halal meat too. With the increasing influence of Muslims in European society, there is a chance that the bans could be reversed in the long run.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:32 AM