Poland: Rav and Mufti unite against slaughter ban

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, CEO of the Association of Jewish organizations in the European Union (EJA), and the Grand Mufti of Poland Thomas Miskibitz, filed a formal complaint last week with EU against the Polish state on the prohibition of slaughter entered into force in the country in recent months. Along with the two, Witold Hawinsky, president of the Manufacturers Association of Polish Meat, also filed a complaint, with the assistance of a member of the European Parliament from Poland Jaroslaw Klinovsky.

The official complaint filed to the European Commission regarding "wrongful conduct of the Polish Republic" argued that the ban on ritual slaughter in Poland, which is an EU member, is contrary to the provisions of the Union regarding slaughter and that, contrary to instructions, Poland did not fulfill its obligation to update the EU regarding the legal process on the ban of ritual slaughter. In the complaint, the applicants demand to research the subject immediately by the European Commission and if necessary also forward the complaint to the High Court of Justice of the European Union.

The complaint was revealed at a press conference held by the three presenters of the complaint in the European Parliament. During the event, Rabbi Margolin said that "the imperative to hold the slaughter has been preserved by Jews over thousands of years. It is disappointing that it is especially in Poland that Jews can not live by their faith in 2013. We will continue to fight to allow Jews and Muslims to live according to their religion in Poland." Rabbi Margolin adds that "cooperation between all parties who are harmed by the slaughter prohibition creates a force multiplier. We have are considering to copy it to other European countries in which initiatives against religion emerge."

At the same time as filing complaints in recent months, the Association of Jewish organizations in the European Union has turned to the Polish government to cancel the ban on the slaughter of the same legal argument. The request, which was filed by the union's lawyer Roman Gurtich, former Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, has been discussed in recent weeks in the corridors of the Polish government. It should be noted that both the Prime Minister of Poland and the President support the cancellation of the ban on slaughter in Poland and examine various alternatives in an attempt to undo the ban which came into effect following a decision of the Constitutional Court of Poland.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!