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Something's Not Kosher in the State of Denmark
Virtual Jerusalem ^ | 2/21/2014 | Edmon J Rodman

Posted on 02/23/2014 1:30:16 PM PST by Former Fetus

Denmark has a not-so-kosher beef with Jewish tradition.

In February, Denmark's Agriculture and Food Minister Dan Jorgensen approved a new regulation which stipulates that the slaughter of animals cannot be undertaken without first stunning them. Since for meat to be kosher many authorities agree that the animal must be conscious, the move essentially blocks kosher as well as halal slaughter in the Scandinavian country.

"This is a serious blow to the Jewish faith and the Jews in Denmark," said Israel's Chief Rabbi, David Lau.

In other European Union countries, exemptions for religious reasons have been given for kosher slaughter. However, in Denmark "Animal rights come before religion," said Jorgensen on Denmark's TV2 news.

Countering the notion that ritual slaughter is cruel, a group campaigning to have the law revoked, called Danish Halal, said of the new requirement that it is a procedure "done under the guise of animal welfare, despite the fact that many scientific studies show that the animal suffers less when properly performed ritual slaughter than when it gets a blow to the head with a nail gun."

According to the World Jewish Congress, the change will have little actual consequences for the Danish Jewish community of 6,000, since all kosher meat sold in the country has been imported for the past decade.

"European anti-Semitism is showing its true colors across Europe, and is even intensifying in the government institutions," said Israel's Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan in the Forward. "Very insulting," responded Denmark's Ambassador to Israel Jesper Vahr, who reminded that his country's citizens helped Danish Jews escape to Sweden during WWII. Does the new law unfairly single out Jews and Muslims? In view of Denmark's expressed concerns over religious-based slaughter, some of their other public policies towards humane treatment of animals, in comparison, seem at best hypocritical; at worst, numbingly dumb.

Only recently, according to Time magazine, a baby giraffe named Marius, born in the Copenhagen zoo, was shot in the head with a rifle, dissected in public view, and fed to other zoo's lions, tigers and polar bears because the "giraffe's genes are overrepresented in the breeding program," said the zoo's scientific director.

Despite a petition to save Marius with 25,000 signatures, and an offer by a zoo in England to take him in, a zoo worker lured Marius out with a piece of rye bread and put him down.

Looking deeper into Danish attitudes towards humane treatment of animals, according to the Ice News and various other sources, in Denmark, sex with animals is legal--so long as the animal involved does not suffer. How suffering is accessed is not clear. In the land of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales, maybe they ask.

So, to review: In quaint, little, old Denmark, the home, on a rock in Copenhagen's harbor, of the "Little Mermaid," it's OK to kill zoo animals, or pay for sex with animals in brothels, but the age-old Jewish practice of kosher slaughter, which many authorities feel is a humane method, is a no-no.

To restate Shakespeare: Something's not kosher in Denmark, in fact, it's rotten. But at least now I understand why they keep the Little Mermaid isolated.


TOPICS: Current Events; Judaism
KEYWORDS: denmark; europeanunion; halal; kosher; neonazis; shechita
This is Europe, no surprise!
1 posted on 02/23/2014 1:30:16 PM PST by Former Fetus
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To: Former Fetus
or pay for sex with animals in brothels,

Is that true?????? Whoa

2 posted on 02/23/2014 1:31:49 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Was Occam's razor made by Gillette?)
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To: Former Fetus

Muslims too? That’s racist. /s


3 posted on 02/23/2014 1:31:56 PM PST by Politicalkiddo (Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. -M. Twain)
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To: Former Fetus

the kosher slaughtering method is probably about the most humane way to kill an animal there is, but leaving that aside.... its worked for 3000 years without some little European country deciding all of a sudden to interfer with, prohibit it

one can only hope that the nice Danish people will realize just how badly this makes them look... (and repeal this new rule forthwith)


4 posted on 02/23/2014 1:38:02 PM PST by faithhopecharity (" uri)
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To: Former Fetus

“Good day, I’m from the Department of Health. I’m sorry, Madame, but the government requires that your establishment must obtain a triple license: kennel, stable, and brothel.”


5 posted on 02/23/2014 1:39:07 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Former Fetus
This isn't antisemitism. It is agnostosemitism.

It's not about hating Jews. It's about crafting laws without even considering the effect on Jews.

The new religion is a neopagan worship of the environment. Jewishness just doesn't enter into it.

I think the same thing is happening in the US with regard to gay marriage. Most people who think it should be OK for two gays to get "married" didn't think about the impact on Christian businesses. It just never entered their minds.

Now that the effects are becoming more clear, they could decide "Oh maybe we should refine the law to protect religious freedom." Instead they seem to be saying: "We were right all along. Those Christians are a bunch of rightwing nut jobs stuck in the 18th century."

6 posted on 02/23/2014 1:39:23 PM PST by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: Hot Tabasco

or pay for sex with animals in brothels,
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
What is the problem with this?
As long as all parties agree to it...If the horse says ‘Neigh’ and someone like WJC is asking the question, all could agree that the Horse really meant Yea NOT Neigh.

And yes, they should be allowed to wed so one can leave their legacy to the ‘spouse’ not some one just named to take care of it.

I know of someone who willed LOT’S of money to an acquaintance to take care of his cat after he passed.
Well, he passed, the will was contested, enough people said, “Yes, Charlie, really loved his cat and expressed he wanted her well cared for”.

After the money was turned over, the cat lived in the lap of luxury for all of 2 days before he discovered the open front door, when he foolishly went out and got run over by a car.
The ‘Guardian’ paid for a funeral, took the rest of the money and tied it up in a trust fund in Kitty’s honor, which, of course, the Guardian was the ‘keeper of the keys to the money’.

Oh BTW, the police have reopened the investigation in regards to Charlies passing.....


7 posted on 02/23/2014 1:48:03 PM PST by xrmusn (6/98 --When you have them by the short hairs, the minds and hearts soon follow.)
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To: Former Fetus

I think the practice of muslim practice of halal slaughter was probably more uppermost in the minds of those who legislated for this, although I’m surprised that this would have happened in Denmark of all places...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pigs-strung-up-shot-train-3157055


8 posted on 02/23/2014 1:52:41 PM PST by sinsofsolarempirefan
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To: Former Fetus

IIRC, the Little Mermaid has been beheaded twice.


9 posted on 02/23/2014 2:26:17 PM PST by elcid1970 ("In the modern world, Muslims are living fossils.")
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To: Former Fetus

People need to want to know where their food comes from. Most don’t.


10 posted on 02/23/2014 2:32:51 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: All

This seems a bit of a stretch to call it “antisemitism” .


11 posted on 02/23/2014 4:23:54 PM PST by escapefromboston (manny ortez: mvp)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear
This isn't antisemitism. It is agnostosemitism.
It's not about hating Jews. It's about crafting laws without even considering the effect on Jews.
The new religion is a neopagan worship of the environment. Jewishness just doesn't enter into it.
I think the same thing is happening in the US with regard to gay marriage. Most people who think it should be OK for two gays to get "married" didn't think about the impact on Christian businesses. It just never entered their minds.
Now that the effects are becoming more clear, they could decide "Oh maybe we should refine the law to protect religious freedom." Instead they seem to be saying: "We were right all along. Those Christians are a bunch of rightwing nut jobs stuck in the 18th century."

Well put.

12 posted on 02/23/2014 7:19:10 PM PST by cloudmountain
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