Birgitte Bardo, Sir Paul McCartney help push forward anti-animal cruelty legislation in the Knesset.
Hundreds of thousands of seals are clubbed to death in Canada each year.
In a strange and surreal world that we live in today, Israel is once again a lightening rod – this time in the battle against cruelty to animals. Animal rights activists around the world are poised to heap praises on a tiny country in the Middle East that is considering a ban on fur, with a small exception for religious gear.
On Sunday, Israel’s Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, met with MK Tirosh who authored the bill and Jane Halevy, who represented the animal rights groups. Bardot’s letter was handed to the minister during the meeting.
“If in the past the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry opposed the bill due to intense pressure from friendly nations in which a huge amount of money is made at the expense of the animals, following our explanation on how millions of animals suffer because of the fur industry and the moral ramifications this entails, (Ben-Eliezer) said he would allow the legislation to go forward,” Tirosh told Ynet.
“Israel, where the fur trade is meager compared to other countries, can send a historic message to the world. Israel can be the locomotive that leads other parliaments in the same direction,” said the MK.
Halevy said Bardot’s letter contributed to Ben-Eliezer’s about-face, adding, “The fact that animals are being abused abroad for fashion and profit does not mean it can get a moral seal of approval in Israel.”
The vast majority of Israelis are against the fur trade. Fur and pelts for religious gear worn by Chassidim and Sephardim would be exempt. While Israel only has a $600k trade in fur, it is poised to upset Canada and Denmark, large fur exporters, and good allies who don’t want to see a ban anywhere.
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Canada’s infamous seal killing can be seen on many YouTube videos.
Rozi, sorry. Up-to-date Russian babushkas can afford themselves quite good coats not to be frozen but not made of animal fur. See the statistic! Its an enormous number of killed animal around the planet.
this is discrimination against russian babushkas!
I may be wrong but I thought that the fur trade kept the seal population in check and lots of rural Canadians off welfare and practicing an ancient craft. But maybe that’s what the fur lobby wants me to think? Hmmm… Really, to support something like this, I would have to be equally ready to support a ban against the fishery, animal farming, leather shoes, milk, tefillin….Unless, they are turning endangered species into couture, don’t you think we should stay out of it???
This entire move is nothing less than prejudice against Haredim because they dare to challenge the prevailing view that the Middle East is a very hot place with their 16th Century elite Polish garb. To compensate them for taking away their beautiful fur hats with this bigoted law, I propose taking all public transportation vehicles in Israel and dividing them in two with women at the back and men at the front. To make the Canadians less angry with Israel for doing away with the fur trade, I propose giving the public transportation mechitza contract to Bombardier, the large Canadian conglomerate.
Thank you. You may elect me to be Israel’s next Foreign Minister if you wish.
For my last anniversary I bought my wife a White Fox fur jacket. She loved it!