The Polish Senate today adopted the bill restricting kosher slaughtering after rejecting amendments offered by Jewish senators. The proposal was passed by the Sejm (lower house) last week.
The measure was sent to President Ignacy Moscicki for his signature, and will then be published in the official gazette. The law will go into effect Jan. 1, 1937.
The bill, which was introduced into the Sejm by Deputy Janina Prystor, wife of the Senate’s president, originally provided for a complete ban on kosher slaughtering. After Government spokesmen had warned the Sejm a complete ban would violate constitutional rights of religious practice, an amendment was added permitting sufficient kosher slaughtering to meet religious requirements under a system of Government concessions.
Despite the amendment, Jewish organizations have continued opposing the measure on the grounds that it would deprive Jewish communities of the revenue they previously obtained by taxing kosher slaughtering and that it would throw thousands of persons engaged in slaughtering and retailing the kosher meat out of work.
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