What the ECJ decides for Europe carries weight everywhere. It’s easy to see America’s crusading liberals calling for the same thing
In the battle to protect Jewish life in Europe, a different playbook is needed.
Last week’s ruling by the European Court of Justice upholding Belgium’s 2019 ban on shechitah made headlines across Europe and beyond. In the decision, the court ignored the recommendation of its own advocate general and affirmed the right of two Belgian regions, Flanders (which covers the large community of Antwerp) and Wallonia, to require pre-slaughter stunning of animals.
Reflecting the international ramifications of this decision by Europe’s highest court, sources as disparate as European rabbinic and lay groups, America’s OU, and Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry warned that the ruling endangers Jewish life in Europe.
Beyond Belgium’s continued need to import kosher meat from elsewhere, the failure of this legal challenge is a wake-up call in two ways.
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