Shechitah outlawed by NZ Government

THE New Zealand Jewish community could resort to legal action in a bid to get a ban on Jewish ritual slaughter overturned.

Last Thursday, the country’s Minister for Agriculture, David Carter, issued a new animal welfare code “to ensure animals are humanely killed”.

Among the new regulations is a requirement that animals be electrically stunned before slaughter. The change means that it is no longer possible to provide halachically acceptable meat in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Geoff Levy, chairman of the New Zealand Jewish Council, said a meeting, scheduled for Wednesday after The AJN went to press, would develop a course of action for the community.

“It would be a disaster in a pile of ways [if the decision to ban shechitah were not overturned],” Levy said.

One of the community’s options is legal action, where it would seek a declaratory judgement.

“The minister has predetermined the issue and not consulted widely enough with the Jewish community, and has made a decision affecting our rights without telling us,” Levy said. “That is what I understand at present, but that could change at any time because I simply don’t know what the results are of other people’s investigations.”

Assisting the small Kiwi community on this matter is the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, as well as members of the Australian rabbinate.
In Levy’s words, Australian religious and lay leaders have been providing “advice, concern and help”.

“We greatly appreciate their contributions, thoughts and ideas,” he said. “We have elected at this stage to proceed on our own, but that in no way derogates the offers of help from the Australian community.”

The ban has been a call to action for Jewish New Zealanders, with 23-year-old Wellington resident Daniel Frank setting up a Facebook group to fight it.
The Bnei Akiva madrich (leader) said the community has been provided until now with local kosher lamb, turkey and chicken. He was especially lamenting the loss of the lamb, which he declared “the best in the world”.

However, just like Levy, he was confident the community — through letters and emails to Government, plus collective action — could resolve the matter.
“I am optimistic that the ban will be overturned as I know that even though we are a small community, we have proven that we are capable of big things,” Frank said.

“This ban has sparked a lot of discussion among Jews in New Zealand — religious and secular — and I expect a large amount of pressure will be put on the Government, ultimately causing them to review the decision.”

While kosher meat has been exported to the country from Australia for some time, chickens cannot be imported to New Zealand for bio-security reasons, putting an end to kosher chicken soup and roast chicken.

Even before the ban, kosher meat was not that easy to come by. Levy, whose family eats kosher meat, told of filling a suitcase with 15 kilograms of meat to take home after trips to Australia.

NAOMI LEVIN