Chief of European Jewish Association says Major EU Conference on Shechitah is “Too Little but not Too Late.”
The European Jewish Association were participants at a major gathering in Brussels of Jewish leaders, civil society leaders, jurists, politicians and special envoys at European Commission Headquarters today. 2022
Chairman of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said in a statement:
“The Conference held today by the European Commission is too little but not too late.
“We are proud to be the Jewish voice of Europe and to fight on issues that some regard as unpopular.
“We thank the Commission for agreeing to our repeated pleas and finally addressing the issue of Freedom of Religion in Europe, in this case on Religious Slaughter. It is a much-needed step in the right direction.
“However, today’s conference must not give anyone the feeling that the issue can be marked with a tick or glossed over with well-meaning words.
“We expect, going forwards, that the European Commission will make every effort to secure the support of all European governments for legislation that would enshrine the issue of religious freedom in law to ensure the continued existence of Jewish life in Europe.
“Make no mistake, the issue of the Freedom of Religion, whilst not grabbing the headlines that antisemitism does, is every bit as important. Because without this freedom to practice, and to live a Jewish life, there can be no Jewish future in Europe.
“We stand today at a crossroads, whilst conferences like this are too little, they are a reminder that it is not too late to go in the right direction.”
