"The provisions in this bill relating to kosher exports have had a very rough ride. It is clear that they enjoy little support from farmers and command little enthusiasm from the Senate itself."
By AARON REICHFlag of Poland, variant polish coat of arms.(photo credit: OLEK REMESZ/ WIKEPEDIA COMMONS)
The Polish Senate voted Wednesday to postpone provisions in a controversial animal rights bill that would ban exporting kosher meat until 2025, though the head of one of Europe's largest Jewish groups says the fight isn't over yet. “The provisions in this bill relating to kosher exports have had a very rough ride. It is clear that they enjoy little support from farmers and command little enthusiasm from the Senate itself," European Jewish Association (EJA) chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said in a statement.“This is encouraging, and we thank all of those senators who have responded in such a strong way and who have taken what is a principled stand, as well as all the parliamentarians and Jewish leaders from across Europe who made their voices heard."However, Margolin, who instigated an open letter signed by dozens of notable Jewish leaders and lawmakers from across Europe, made it clear that the battle was far from over. “But the battle isn’t over. It has merely been postponed. If you kick a can down a road, you will eventually run out of road," he added.“We will continue to oppose this bill, today, tomorrow, next week, next month and for the next years. Just as we have from generation after generation whenever our way of life, our very faith is called into question. In the weeks and months ahead we will redouble our efforts to ensure that 2025 becomes permanent instead, starting with the Polish Sejm where this Bill next appears for a vote.” “The European Jewish Association will never falter in its determination to stand up for Jewish life, tradition, values and practice wherever and whenever they are under threat in Europe.”The legal status of kosher food in Europe has faced challenges in recent years, with the most notable one being from 2017 when the region of Flanders in Belgium passed a ruling that said animals must be stunned before slaughter, in effect banning kosher and halal slaughter of meat.The decision was challenged by Jewish and Muslim leaders, and even saw an advocate-general of the Court of Justice of the European Union recommend the Belgian law be struck down.The law itself harks back to a 2009 EU law ruling that animals be stunned before slaughter, which made clear exceptions for religious ritual slaughter like for kosher or halal food.Reuters contributed to this report.
