Israel – Chief Rabbis Yonah Metzger and Shlomo Amar are in favor of banning fur imports. An official opinion authored by the two on the matter will be presented at a discussion of the Knesset Education Committee Wednesday, which is preparing the bill for a Knesset vote.
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According to the opinion, Rabbi Amar says that certain rabbinical laws surrounding the Sabbath were suspended to prevent the suffering of animals, “which shows us how important it is to prevent such suffering.”
Rabbi Metzger writes that “it is our obligation to prevent cruelty to animals and to be a light to the nations in rejecting the use of products that were made as a result of the suffering of animals.”

“Rabbi Metzger writes that “it is our obligation to prevent cruelty to animals and to be a light to the nations in rejecting the use of products that were made as a result of the suffering of animals.” “
also were not supposed to take non-jewish ideals and morals and take them as our own. The Belzer Rebbe ZYA wore a shtramel, so i think he knew better about shabbos than any of the chief rabbis.
Synthetic Streimels NOW!
Banning imports of fur to Eretz Yisroel will make the mitzvah of shtreimel difficult if not impossible. As far as I know the only animals in Eretz Yisroel suitable for this purpose are in the zoos and the supply is very limited. What’s a Yid to do?
This is what happens when the chief rabbis aren’t chassidish.
who says be cruel- we first kill them and then skin them. Don’t we eat meat?
Flammable shtreimels ,NOW
whats the mitvah of wearing a shtrimel??? its a garment for centuries Jews and Gentiles wear!
to #3: the MITZVAH of Shtreimel? Give me a break. These hats are based on Polish GOYISHE garb of the 18th century. Being kind to animals is not a “goyishe” value; it is a Jewish value.
I was very curious whether a kishkettel would be included in the ban. Does it have a din of fur or is it closer to a velvet and thereby okay. Also, what’s gonna be with kutchmeh’s? That is certainly considered fur – so what are the chasidim going to wear in the winter time? Maybe any VIN have some good suggestions. This is geferlech…
last time i googled rabbi yona metzger i noticed he wears a rabit felt hat. people in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.
Reply to # 6. Thats a moot question . However, i am sure that it’s an aveira for a charlatan to wear one. (shtreimel )
If I recall learning correctly the Bais Hamikdash and the Mikdash were decerated with the use of animal fur and skin, in addition the Yiddin bought Karbanos that were animal. so yes the animals are there for our use and we do have special laws of how we kill them.
i don’t understand why we cant start making good looking fake fur streimals ….
whats the point of spending thousands of dollars?!
maybe metzger and amar should set an example and start wearing arab kaffia’s. The hamburg metzger wears is rabbit fur
Everyone to wear pollyester Hoisen & suits.
Oy de folyester comes from Arab oil.
Re; to # 17 What is a “shopko ‘ ? something like kakaush .
Can you imagine what the world would look like if Chassidus had started in the Renaissance, a few centuries earlier? If that had happened, Chassidish men would wear long wigs and brightly colored clothes with lots of flamboyant flourishes like ruffled collars and huge buttons. Every Chassid would keep a suit of armor in the closet just in case, just as they did in the Heim.
No 21. Are u sure. Were u there ?
You cannot mix halocha & moral. We do things because of halocha & NOT moral. HKBH didn’t tekk us to do things because they were moral.
(this was generated toward some people above with questionable hashkofos to say the least.)
Reply to no 22. Avraham, you are invited to my Purim Seuda. L’Chaim.
NO. 15 Make a ” good looking ” fake shtreimel. I suggest go to Chelm and ask an eitza.
Reply to # 28 In other words The Polish aristocracy emulated the Jewish furhats Give me a break.
Enough , already with these shtissim or shtreimlich.
I didn’t know wearing a streimel a goiyshe invention of 1700s has now become a “mitzva to wear.” I don’t think Moshe Rabeinu would care much for these streimels.
Frankly I couldn’t care less if your boojies were made out of fur! Who cares what you wear on your head!?
Didn’t the last article state clearly that Shtreimels were exempted from the ban?
http://www.vinnews.com/48792/2010/02/07/jerusalem-israel-decides-to-ban-all-fur-imports-–-except-shtreimels/
I think it’s beyond debate that many features of Hasidic dress stem from the “court dress” of prior ages. Interestingly, the knee breeches, silk hose and slippers of court dress were used up until the early years of this century in that one remaining ancien régime monarchy, Great Britain, on certain court occasions. Costumes with remarkably similar anachronistic features are still worn by the Lord Chancellor and others of certain occasions. Moreover, breeches and hose were standard dress, even in America, through the 18th century. To attribute these to a uniquely Jewish “levush” is anti-historical and wrong.
As to their eminences the chief rabbis of Israel mulling a ban on fur, its seems they are making a silly effort to play politics and seem modern. It would be utterly inconsistent to ban the use of fur while permitting the slaughter of animals for their hides and meat. Of course, they would not be the first rabbis or imams to issue a silly fatwa.
If Moishe rabeinu wore a shtreimel than maybe we need to step back and rewrite jewish history. Why would someone wandering the Sinai desert for 40 years in often 100 degree temperatures (the norm for the desert in the summer) wear a heavy fur hat??
Does this mean the Rabbi will not be wearing his rabbit fur hat?
Reply; to # 47. If so, were all my brilliant comments for naught .
To all those suggesting tha t we Chasidim dress normally… Here’s something for thought. The litvak with his Stetson etc. doesn’t fall short from the Chasid with his streimel. Process this! A difference in price? Perhaps… More NORMAL? Lav davka.
Shtrimels were a creation of their time just as black Borselinos are of our time. The rebbes in Europe in the 18th century did not wear these hats How did they become heilig?
forget about the Chassidim. I don’t know when shtreimlich first originated but the Misnagdim as well as the chassidim wore them. The Talmidei HaGra did and their descendants still do. Reb Isser Zalman, R; yehoshua Leib Diskin, R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Yblch”t Rav Elyashiv all wore shtreimlich
Reply to # 61. Your observation ,too , is brilliant .
most of you who comment and say that “all our chassidic rebbeim wore streimlach and there was no problem of tzaar baalei chaim back then” (or something to that effect) are forgetting something very important. i’m no expert, but in general back then we didn’t have gigantic, soul-less corporations willing to torture animals just to make a few extra (million) bucks. it was probably the local furrier, who went to the woods and captured local animals, and killed and skinned them, selling the meat to whoever would buy it. if that’s how we treated our animals today, i’m sure there would be no problem, but unfortunately most people today are too greedy and narcissistic to care about the feelings of the smaller creatures.
Is the picture a Purim spiel? I never saw a kid that age wearing a streimel.