Israel slams kosher ban

Protesters outside parliament during vote against kosher/halal slaughtering methods: PAP/Tomasz Gzell.

"Poland's history is intertwined with the history of the Jewish people. This decision seriously harms the process of restoring Jewish life in Poland," the ministry said on Monday.

Poland’s MPs voted against reintroducing kosher and halal slaughtering after the Constitutional Court banned the practice last December, finding that it was incompatible with Poland’s animal rights legislation.

The Israeli foreign ministry believes, however, that banning the religious practice prevents Jewish culture re-emerging in a country that used to have millions of Jewish inhabitants before the Nazi German Holocaust.

"We call on the parliament to reassess its decision and expect the relevant authorities to find the way to prevent a crude blow to the religious tradition of the Jewish people," the Israeli foreign ministry statement says.

On Sunday, Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich said he would consider resigning his post if the ban remained in place.

In an opinion poll taken in March of this year, 61 percent told GFK Polonia that they support the ban on kosher and halal slaughtering. (pg)

Source: Reuters