Israel angered by Polish ban on Jewish slaughter

Jerusalem decries decision as ‘totally unacceptable,’ calls it a blow to restoring Jewish life in the country post-Holocaust

15 July 2013, 11:09 pm

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A rabbi sharpens the knife to be used for traditional Jewish slaughter (illustrative photo credit: Kobi Gideon/Flash90)

AP — Israel is condemning a recent decision by the Polish parliament to forbid the traditional Jewish slaughter that makes meat kosher.

The Foreign Ministry says Israel is disappointed with the decision to “forbid an important religious ritual which has been common practice among millions of Jews since ancient times.”

In the statement Monday, Israel said it was “totally unacceptable” and a blow to restoring Jewish life in Poland after World War II, when most Polish Jews were killed.

The Polish parliament’s lower house last week upheld a ban on the religious slaughter of animals. Rights groups say the practices cause unnecessary suffering because the livestock aren’t stunned before being killed.

Israel called on Poland to review the decision, calling it a “brazen blow to the religious tradition of the Jewish people.”