NEWS “Ritual Slaughter, a Right that Must Be Protected”

By Pagine Ebraiche staff
On August 23, 2018, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that a bill banning ritual slaughter without stunning the animal has received support by members of Parliament from all parties. The bill was introduced by right wind MP Michela Brambilla. After introducing the bill weeks went by and then it came to the spotlight in the aftermath of the Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Feast of Sacrifice, when the tradition calls for a sacrifice of a halal animal.

Expressing deep concern for the consequences of the bill if approved was the chief rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni.

“I am worried, also because the topic has been introduced in a very confused and distorted way,” he told Pagine Ebraiche. “There is a risk, even higher than in the past, that the rights protected by the Law that governs the relationship between the State and the Jewish communities will be arogated. We cannot permit it”.

The rabbi also called for a meeting with the authorities on the topic.

“Superficial comparisons have been made and incorrect information has been spread in a disturbing way. For this reason it is very urgent to open a channel to explain our position, how Jewish ritual slaughter works, why certain rights cannot be touched. It is necessary to employ all the tools we have to protect these inviolable rights,” he highlighted.