One month after the decision of the European Court of Justice, which upheld the Belgian ban on kosher slaughter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to the leaders of European countries asking not to outlaw kosher slaughter in their countries.
“The decision threatens the religious freedom of Jews throughout Europe,” Netanyahu wrote. “The leaders and institutions of European Jewry have expressed their shock at this decision and its detrimental effect on the viability of Jewish life in the European Union. As the Israeli government we stand for religious freedom for all. Jews around the world should be able to live a full Jewish life wherever they choose to live.”
Netanyahu sent the letter to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Finland, as well as to the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council. “I would be very grateful if you would announce that the religious freedom of minorities will continue to be secure, and that religious slaughter will continue to be allowed,” Netanyahu wrote. “As a key leader, your voice will send a powerful message across Europe.”
As mentioned, the letter was sent following a decision by the European Court of Justice that upheld the ban on kosher slaughter in Belgium, without the animal being killed earlier, as is the practice in Judaism and Islam, requiring slaughter to be done when the animals are conscious.
- 2021 Elections: All the polls, articles and interpretations of leading reporters on the Maariv website
European regulations already prohibit slaughter without early day care, but leave the possibility of exceptions for religious reasons. However, EU member states can pass their own laws to reduce animal suffering. The ruling set a precedent that could lead to more countries in the union passing laws against kosher slaughter.
Diaspora Minister Omar Yankelevich asked Netanyahu to write the letter and praised him for it. “The fight against the ban on kosher slaughter for Jews in Europe requires a broad government effort,” she said. “I am sure European leaders will take his letter seriously.”
The Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organizations in Belgium, President John Benizri, who is also Vice President of the Jewish Congress in Europe, said last month: “No democracy can exist when its citizens are denied human and civil rights. We plan to continue in every legal way to redress this injustice.”
Belgian Ambassador Emanuel Nachshon said the ruling was a “catastrophic decision, a blow to the lives of Jews in Europe. Apparently, tolerance and diversity are empty words in the eyes of some Europeans.”