Denmark – Danish Ban On Ritual Slaughter Sparks Confusion Within Jewish Community

Denmark – Leaders of Denmark’s Jewish community expressed confusion over remarks made last week by Denmark’s Agriculture Minister that a “demand” for shechitah still exists when, to the best of their knowledge, the last shechitah took place in the country over a decade ago.

JTA.org (http://bit.ly/1bBpCwj) reports that in anticipation of a new regulation that goes into effect on February 17 that bans slaughter without prior stunning, Agricultural Minister Dan Jorgensen said, “There has sometimes been demand for this type of slaughter, and I want to ensure that it’s not going to happen in Denmark.”

According to Jewish leaders, the confusion stems from the fact that Denmark’s Jewish community agreed in 1998 to an alternative “non-penetrative” captive bolts process that will still be allowed under the new regulations.

“We find this an odd statement,” said Finn Schwarz, president of Jewish community