Belgian Rabbi Begs EU To Fight Ritual Slaughter Ban
Heritage turkeys are more flavorful and tend to suffer less than industrial hybrid turkeys. Above, a heritage turkey awaits schechita, or ritual slaughter, conducted by the author. Image by Alyssa Kapnik
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The chief rabbi of Brussels urged a senior EU official to intervene to prevent Belgium’s largest region from banning ritual slaughter of animals.
Rabbi Albert Guigui made the plea to Frans Timmermans, the First Vice President of the European Commission, during a rabbinical conference on Tuesday in the Netherlands, where Timmermans spoke as the guest of honor.
Guigui referenced a vote Friday by a parliamentary committee of the Walloon Region, which would make it illegal to kill animals in the meat industry without administering stunning beforehand. A full plenary vote is scheduled for May 17.
“We ask you as our friend and ally to join this fight, which is a fight for religious freedom,” Guigui told Timmermans.
Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter of animals require animals be conscious when their necks are cut. Critics of both customs claim they are more cruel to animals than industrial methods, though some scientists dispute this.
Timmermans, during his speech, reiterated his commitment and that of the European Union to fight anti-Semitism and defend religious freedoms, saying that according to his personal “point of view,” ritual slaughter should be “not be a problem“ if “it is done by people trained to do so.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
