A basic shift in strategy of the organized Jewish community of Connecticut in dealing with proposals for new humane slaughter legislation in the current General Assembly was revealed today. Two years ago, Jewish lay and rabbinic organizations presented a united front against such legislation on grounds it was a threat to Jewish ritual slaughter and the proposed legislation was not enacted.
Representatives of lay and rabbinic organizations told an Agriculture Committee hearing this week that while they still opposed any such legislation, they would not fight an acceptable bill. The spokesmen were Jerry Wagner of Bloomfield, president of the Connecticut Jewish Community Relations Council, and Rabbi Nisson E. Shulman of Bridgeport, speaking for the Joint Advisory Council of the Synagogue Council of America and the National Community Relations Advisory Council.
The hearing was on five measures submitted to the General Assembly with the usual backing of the Connecticut branch of the Humane Society. The bills in their present form describe shechita as humane but they would outlaw shackling and hoisting. Jewish lay officials testified they feared interference with present methods of handling would in effect ban shechita. They cited experiments in Canada in which a body harness was used in place of shackling and hoisted and noted that this type of handling has received rabbinical approval.
Mr. Wagner submitted a list of suggested changes which included the Canadian method but which left room for new methods which might be devised which would not be in conflict with Jewish ritual practice.
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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.
