“Beyond the fact that this decision harms the freedom of worship and religion in Europe, a core value of the EU, it also signals to Jewish communities that they are unwanted in Europe,’’ Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement reacting to the ruling of the European Court of Justice which upheld the ban on kosher slaughter in Belgium.
The Court, the ministry stated, is ‘’sending a harsh message to all European Jewry.’’
‘’It is important to find a way to change this ruling, and to allow Jewish citizens of the EU to continue to observe the practices of the Jewish faith. Any decision otherwise stands in contradiction to the values of religious freedom that EU citizens rightfully support,’’ reads the statement.