Israeli org accuses European Court of picking fight with Jews after okaying ban on Shechita
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is targeting the Jewish population in Europe and is waging a religious war against them, an Israeli human rights organization charged after the CJEU ruled that banning Kosher slaughtering on the basis of animal rights is legal.
European Union flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels. Credit: Amio Cajander via Wikimedia Commons.
Responding to an appeal by the Belgian Jewish community against the country, the CJEU ruled Thursday that European countries can legally ban ritual slaughtering on the basis of a claim that it is an infringement of the animals’ rights.
Belgium banned Jewish and Muslim slaughter methods in January 2019.
Kosher and Halal slaughtering of animals requires that they be conscious when being slaughtered, a practice that critics allege is cruel, but which advocates insist is more humane than mechanized methods used in non-kosher slaughterhouses.
Kosher meat can be imported into the country, but the supply chain of kosher meat in Europe is not strong enough to rely solely on imports.
Responding to the ruling, Yifa Segal, Chair and CEO of the International Legal Forum, said that the ruling was essentially pushing Jewish life on the Continent towards its end.
“We are witnessing a tragic and difficult moment, a moment that could mark the future emptying of Europe of all the observant Jewish communities within its borders,” Segal told TPS.
“We would like to believe that the European Court did not understand these terrible repercussions, and therefore dismissed, almost with indifference, the implications for the existence of a Jewish way of life,” she said
While the tribunal argued that there is no disproportionate violation of religious freedom over animal rights and that the Belgian ban is based on scientific theories and is therefore justified, “both of these claims are unfounded,” she asserted.
The scientific theories on the animals’ feelings are not unequivocal and no significant difference can be pointed out between the two methods of slaughter, and on the other hand, the harm to Jewish life is enormous, she pointed out.
She further noted that while the meat industry “is full of flaws and horrors, there is no doubt that the choice to fight the margins of the problems, the religious slaughter, points to a broader motive,” accusing the European court of targeting Jewish religious practices.
Finally, the tribunal points to the possibility of importing kosher meat as a means of “justifying this wrongdoing,” however, “it is clear that the hidden intention of the policymakers is not the kosher slaughter they seek to eradicate, but local Jewish life,” charged Segal.
While local battles in courts against specific bans in the respective countries is still an option, the CJEU’s ruling essentially seals hope for such legal developments, and will probably encourage other countries to adopt similar policies against this Jewish religious practice.
The Conference of European Rabbis has previously stated that the Belgian ban is an “anti-religious measure” and “an affront to the European values.”
“Time and again, the Jewish community is told by senior EU officials that there is no Europe without the Jews, these bans undermine those statements and put Jewish life at risk,” CER warned.
So why does Belgium import Halal Killed meat from New Zealand and other countries????