A kosher slaughter practice required by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate is under scrutiny.
American rabbis and animal rights groups oppose the practice known as “shackle and hoist,” in which a cow is strung up by a hind leg and then dropped on the ground before its throat is slit.
An undercover video shot at a kosher slaughterhouse in Uruguay by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was obtained this week by the Forward newspaper, which has been investigating the practice for months. Israel’s Chief Rabbinate requires the method for imported kosher meat, but American rabbinic groups are against it.
The Orthodox Union has been working to have the Israeli mandate rescinded, according to the Forward, while the Conservative movement’s rabbinic association, meeting this week in Washington, reiterated its position that the method violates Jewish law.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.