The World Jewish Congress (WJC) hailed Wednesday’s ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which found that the ban on religious slaughter is unconstitutional, as a “landmark decision". The court vindicated the stance by the Union of Polish Jewish Communities, which had lodged a petition with the high court last year to overturn the ban on shechita (kosher slaughter). Last year, the Sejm, Poland’s legislature, rejected a government bill that would have kept shechita legal.
“The constitution guarantees the freedom of religion which includes the carrying out of all activities, practices, rites and rituals which have a religious character,” said Judge Maria Gintowt-Jankowicz in the verdict. "The same constitutional protection also extends to religious activities which differ from conventional behavior which prevails in the country - including activities that are perhaps unpopular among the majority of society.” Five of the 14 judges issued dissenting opinions.
Slaughter of animals without prior stunning was made illegal from 1 January 2013. Before the ban, Poland had been a major exporter of kosher and halal meat and poultry to the Middle East. The reversal of the ban does not allow for exportation to begin again and only applies to Jewish communities.
Lauder thanks Poland's Jewish leaders
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder welcomed the ruling: “Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal has come down unequivocally in favor of religious freedom. It has spoken loud and clear: Banning religious slaughter is unconstitutional; it infringes the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which has been signed by 47 European countries.
"This marks a major victory for the Polish Jewish community which had been adversely affected by the ban and the failure of the Sejm to adopt a law in 2013 which would have kept kosher and halal slaughter legal in the country. I thank the leaders of the Union of Polish Jewish Communities, in particular immediate past President Piotr Kadlcik and Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, for all their hard work in securing the lifting of the ban. Clearly, their efforts paid off.
“The decision also sends a clear signal: Jews, Jewish life and Jewish traditions are welcome in Poland.”
The president of the Union of Polish Jewish Communities, Lesław Piszewski welcomed the court decision. "We are grateful to the judges of the Constitutional Tribunal for their decision, which is fundamental for us. The ruling of the court will allow us to fully implement the obligations of the various Jewish communities in Poland. The rights of the Jewish community in our country are not any more in the realm of risk," he declared, adding that the community was planning an educational campaign concerning kashrut and religious slaughter.
Ronald Lauder expressed hope that the ruling will prevent other European countries from pressing ahead with plans to ban religious slaughter. “The World Jewish Congress will continue to oppose attempts, in whatever guise, to restrict religious freedom in Europe. Jewish rites such as shechita have been performed in Europe for many centuries. It is a lie that kosher slaughter, if performed by a trained person, is more cruel to an animal than methods involving pre-stunning.
"The on-going campaign in many European countries which pretends that Jews are deliberately inflicting harm on animals is slanderous, and it must be stopped,” Lauder said.
