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

By JTA May 9, 2017

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.”

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO