Ritual slaughter ban in Poland to be raised during Polish president Komorowski’s visit to Israel
Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski, who was on a two-day visit to Israel as of November 4, was to meet Israeli president Shimon Peres and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One of the topics to be raised during the visit is Poland’s ban on kosher ritual slaughter, which has caused serious concern in Israel and among Jewish communities, the European Jewish Press reports.
Komorowski has said he will take “significant steps to advance the issue of approval of kosher slaughter,” which has been outlawed in Poland since January.
Kosher and halal slaughtering were both banned in Poland after the Constitutional Court, ruling in November 2012 on a motion from animal rights groups, deemed it incompatible with animal rights legislation. Slaughter without prior stunning is required in the Jewish religion.
In order to enshrine ritual slaughter in Polish legislation designed to streamline the way that Polish procedures correspond with EU rules, the Polish government drafted regulations to again allow ritual slaughter. But in July, the Sjem, the Polish parliament, rejected the government bill that would have reinstated the practice.
Poland’s Constitutional Court is expected to issue a ruling as to whether such a ban is constitutional or not.
During his visit in Jerusalem, the Polish president is also due to visit the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and meet its Speaker, Yuli Edelstein.
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(Photo: Marecheth Ho’eElohuth)
