European Jews fear future after shechita ban
Strasbourg court says Belgian regions can insist on pre-stunning before slaughter
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has expressed deep concern for the future of viable Jewish community life in Europe after a top European court upheld a ban on shechita, religious Jewish slaughter, imposed by two regions in Belgium.
The ruling was made on Tuesday by the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) in Strasbourg. EJC President Dr Ariel Muzicant said: “Restrictions on fundamental aspects of Jewish religious freedom of expression, coupled with a background of massive increases in antisemitic attacks on Jewish communities, lead us to seriously consider whether Jews have a future in Europe.”
He added: “This decision proves that basic European Union legislation allowing member states to derogate from the protection of shechita and impose selective bans does not protect minority communities in Europe and their religious practices. We call on the European Commission and European Parliament to enact legislation which truly protects these fundamental rights — and to give real meaning to their long-stated claims that they foster Jewish life in Europe”.
The court ruling upheld the legality of Belgium’s Flemish and Walloon regions’ requirement that all animals slaughtered for human consumption must be killed only after pre-stunning. This effectively contravenes shechita, but the Jewish communities argue that the ban goes against Articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
“We are already seeing attempts across Europe to follow this Belgian ban, now sadly legitimised by the ECHR,” Muzicant said. “Jewish communities in Europe, now more than ever, need the protection of national governments and pan-European organisations to ensure that thousands of years of Jewish life on this continent do not come to an abrupt end.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
