Jewish Scene
French PM knocks halal, kosher laws as campaign heats up
Reuters
Published: 06.03.12, 13:50
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1. French Aliya
simon ,   uk   (03.06.12)
This will persuade a few more French Jews to leave and make aliya.
2. the solution is easy! Just go vegetarian!
David ,   Sanda City, Japan   (03.06.12)
No need to worry about being kosher! Just go vegetarian!
3. Fois Gras
Albert ,   La Courneuve, FR   (03.06.12)
Let us remind the dear PM that fois gras will soon be outlawed in NY , CA and other places in the US.
4. Sciatic nerve
Jonathan David Weinb ,   Brooklyn   (03.06.12)
Why couldn't the kosher slaughterers sell the hind quarters to halal butchers?
5. #2 David: Wrong
Adam ,   Ashdod, Israel   (03.06.12)
There is still plenty to pay attention to if you are vegetarian and kosher. Take it from me, I am a vegetarian who keeps kosher.
6. All kashrut opposition without hunting ban is racist bigotry
Dr. L. Brnd ,   San Diego, USA   (03.06.12)
Demands for ending kosher [and halal] slaughter methods without also banning all forms of hunting and fishing are thinly disguised forms of anti-semitism and ethnic racism, since hunted animals obviously endure far more painful slaughter methods. The involvement of Sarkozy's party in this should signal that he is no longer fit to be involved in any "peace process" with Israel.
7. 5 Adam,now that they sell...
ORA ,   JERUSALEM   (03.06.12)
insect free vegetables,cooking Kosher vegetarian,is much easier.
8. Monsieur Fillon
Jerome ,   NZ   (03.06.12)
"Modern Society" feeding dead chicken to chicken and rotten carcasses to catle is your interpretation of modern food processes and hygienic good manufacturing practices. Producers need a supervisor above their head to keep them honest from cutting costs. This is called Kosher supervision. We invented modernism 3000 years ago.
9. Disgusting French Coward. Jews LEAVE FRANCE!!!
EZRA THE PROUD JEW ,   USA-ISRAEL   (03.06.12)
Why the hell does any Jew want to live in such a disgraceful country like France? I will NEVER understand the foolishness of rational the Jews use to paint silly pictures of why they should be 'allowed' to live in France. France cooperated with the Nazis; they're arrogant, condescending fools who sit on street corners flinging racist and prejudice remarks around like feathers while lamenting how stupid all other countries are. They philosophize themselves into every corner of their pathetic little mental mazes and offer NOTHING to the world but an example of what NOT to be. France should burn in hell; Jews of France: GROW SOME BRAINS AND GET OUT.
10. All Jews should be vegetarians
Sidney ,   USA   (03.06.12)
11. sarkozy is scraping the bottom of the barrel
bari ,   nyc   (03.06.12)
with everything going on in the world and in france, they are focused on religious slaughter of animals? france was and is a country of fascists.
12. Good news
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (03.06.12)
It's very positive to see the french trying to outlaw this barbaric and vicious kind of animal torture. It's already illegal in my country, but unfortunately it's still legal to sell imported halal/kosher meat. An EU-wide ban on torturing animals to death is probably still some years away but we're getting there.
13. I'll bet if the butcher asked the
(03.07.12)
cow which way they prefer to be slaughtered if they could answer they say no matter? Dead Is dead, besides Kosher Meat tastes Better. halal is Kosher and the First halal just another arab way of of perverting Judism and claiming it as their own!
14. Oh no!
Avi ,   NYC, USA   (03.07.12)
If the pressure against Kosher food continues Israel should embrace itself to meet a wave of immigration of about one million Moroccan Jews. That is the last thing Israel needs.
15. Halal & Kosher Food
Mike ,   London, England   (03.07.12)
Living in London, i have several Jewish friends, and i can honestly tell you that NONE of them eat Kosher food. Sure some of them used to frequent Bloom's (its now closed sadly, i used to like it too). But they do not observe Kosher Law, because they recognise that Kosher Laws were laid down centuries ago when refrigeration was not around. Now that it is, one can see that Kosher and Halal food is a nonsense. One can still eat Jewish food, (i love it personally), without it being Kosher. My Jewish friends are intelligent enough to see that, i just wish everyone else was too. Kosher and Halal food preparation is ancient, barbaric, and absurd. Sorry. I don't wish to offend anyone, but its true.
16. If a person wants kosher or halal meat...
Susan ,   Kfar Saba   (03.07.12)
it is a personal decision and the French and all governments should stay out of it. In the US there have been many instances of people getting sick and even dying of e-coli from eating hamburgers and in the UK they had mad cow disease. I havent heard of anyone getting sick from eating kosher meat. So much for gvpt standards for meat. If a French non-Muslim, non-Jew found themselves eating halal or kosher meat, why would they care? I have served my Christian friends my kosher food. It makes no difference to them.
17. A very stupid comment ...
(03.07.12)
Why not say, "Hey Muslims and Jews why don't you just scrap the Torah and Koran and modernize yourselves". Francois Fillon's God is obviously technology and he'd be far better off if he made sure his brain was in gear before operating his mouth.
18. #14 - why is that the last thing Israel needs?
Michael Redbourn ,   Arad Israel   (03.07.12)
And Moroccan food is one of the best ;-)
19. to #6
Bluegrass Picker ,   Afula   (03.07.12)
very, very true and its an excellent point. But let us also note the body of scientific evidence (also produced by the gentiles, see www.grandin.com) which shows that a PROPERLY done schechita is virtually painless. However, we also know that the plurality of Torah-Judaism rabbis are corrupt and sell their hecksher despite mishandling of the animals. We also know that the Torah Judaism rabbis have been so busy making money from their rackets that they didn't take the opportunity to take a vanguard role in presenting the evidence to the French public - or to anyone, really. Now, the silver lining of the cloud may be that this COULD become the beginning of the end of the Torah Judaism racketeers. The Sanhedrin disappeared.... so will you all!
20. May Hashem bless Sarkoozy...
(03.07.12)
21. #15 Mike
ezra   (03.07.12)
Your jewish friends are note intelligent but just cute from judaism and assimilated to british society. Unfortunately for the jewish people, their grandchildren will be goyim.
22. To #12 Your neighbors in Norway
Susan ,   Kfar Saba   (03.07.12)
are still hunting and eating whales. Talk about animal cruelty. Maybe you should bug them to stop it and leave us alone with your bigoted opinions. As for #15, did you read my previous comment? It has nothing to do with refrigeration. Its a matter of faith. If your Jewish friends dont have any thats up to them. Leave the rest of us alone. I think your holiday of X-mas is pagan and a lot of conspicuous consumption, but I dont try to interfer with people who want to celebrate it.
23. #9 fling better now?
robert   (03.07.12)
wow, what verbal vomit- are you feeling better now?
24. #22
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (03.07.12)
Sure they hunt whales for food in Norway. Nobody in Norway eats whale meat anymore though it's exported. The way the hunt is performed is very problematic that is true, we should work to stop it aswell, but at least they're not going out of their way to make it as painful and sadistic as humanly possible like kosher/halal butchers do. It's also on a completely different scale where whales are killed in their hundreds and kosher/halal animals in their hundreds of millions every year. I don't really care if a religious zealot thinks it's their religious right and that it's racist to dislike it, it's just a fact that it's animal torture and we don't like that in the civilized part of the world.
25. #15 Mike,
SAhalom ,   U.S.A.   (03.08.12)
The jewish dietary laws have nothing to do with refigeration. It is about bacteria and virus contamination and its elimination. You should expand your knowledge about this particular subject before getting involved in a discussion.
26. Jewish ritual slaughtering prevents mad cow disease.
J.K. ,   Broklyn USA   (03.08.12)
27. #12 Your country did not make this law out of compassion.
Roman ,   Lod, Israel   (03.08.12)
It did so because your animal rights groups seem to believe that bolts to the head, tazing, and various other means of "sedation", are more moral than freedom of religion for what was, at the time, a small disliked minority. And quite often, I find that these notions of "compassion" to animals are brought forth by people who disregard any idea that has a whiff of religion behind it, lest it contaminate the public sphere. To the point where Sweden does not bother with actually examining the means and process of Kosher slaughter, and its effect on the animal. Instead, the arguments are based utterly on perception. Fear and blood at the time of death. Utterly ignoring both the fear and mistreatment of the animal in the time leading up to its slaughter, or the differences between animals and the way they feel pain or when they remain conscious. Because it's far better to give unskilled labor a bolt to shoot into animal heads followed by factory slaughter, than a single, swift stroke of a very sharp and carefully prepared knife by a trained individual, who knows precisely what to cut to induce the loss and consciousness and swift death. I'm sorry to say you know little of such matters. Instead you rely on imagery picked-and-chosen from the dregs of the factories, presenting them as the whole picture - and focusing on the blood. The blood scares people, quite often. Yes, bolts to the head by fools are so much better. Because if there's no blood, there's no pain, right?
28. #27
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (03.09.12)
Of course the right of animals not to be brutally tortured outweighs freedom of religion. If someone refuses to eat meat unless the animal it came from has been hanging upside down bleeding to death fully conscious for a good while until passing out and then dying, then they can become vegetarians instead. There is no excuse for that kind of vicious treatment of the animal. Yes a quick and instant death is always better than a swift stroke of a very sharp knife. It may have been a relatively good way to do it thousands of years ago when they didn't really have many alternatives, but in the year 2012 it's just redicilous and way too cruel. Anything less than an instant death is unnecessary cruel and should be outlawed in every part of the world. One wonders why if jews and muslims truly believe kosher/halal is so nice to the animals then why protest so much about having to label it for what it is? They should be proud of it instead of going out of their way to hide it. Obviously these butchers know full well how cruel it is.
29. Who says that Kosher slaughter is more paifull ?
Charles ,   Petach Tikva   (03.09.12)
Is it because you can see blood ? They die also almost instantly . All those animals , before arriving at the slaughter house have the same feelings : something wrong will happen there . The wholesalers always had some animals slaughtered in a Kosher way , what was left over was sold to non kosher butchers . Those animal rights people should better look at other facts that happen worldwide . How are animals transported ? How are they treated ? And so on . Looking only at the "slaughter" itselve is very easy for them .
30. #29
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (03.09.12)
Common sense. If you were on death row would you prefer to be executed instantly with a bullet to the head or would you rather like to have your throat cut and bleed to death? The time it takes for unconsciousness and death varies, but it's never instant, if they're lucky it's only a few seconds but they're very agonizing obviously. The animals may feel that there's something wrong that will happen but they could probably never imagine the horror that goes on in a kosher slaughter house. I'm aware that we often get kosher/halal meat without knowing it, it's the only way they can sell it to a person with a conscience. There are many things we need to improve regarding animal welfare, but the slaughter itself is not exactly a minor issue. If it's so important to drain all the blood, why not do it after death when the animal feels no pain?
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