Jerusalem Court Rules for Jewish Temple Passover Sacrifice
Pastor Dale Morgan
Jerusalem Court Rules for Jewish Temple Passover Sacrifice*
by Ezra HaLevi
(IsraelNN.com) A Jerusalem court ruled Friday that the Jewish Temple
movement may, under state law, slaughter a sheep on Sunday as a “general
rehearsal” for the renewal of the Pesach (Passover) sacrifice.
The slaughter is planned as part of a conference dedicated to studying
and restoring the Jewish observance of the Korban Pesach, as it was
called since it was first observed in Egypt. At the time of the Exodus,
Jews slaughtered a sheep per family group, despite its status as a deity
to the Egyptian oppressors. The blood was then applied to the doorposts
of the Jewish homes.
Animal rights group "Tnoo Lachayot Lichyot" ("Let the Animals Live") had
argued that the planned slaughter constituted illegal cruelty to an animal.
Although the slaughter will be identical to any correctly-performed
kosher slaughter, and the animal consumed in a manner resembling the
popular Israeli pastime - the mangal (barbecue) - the animal rights
group compared it to dog-fighting and other spectator events performed
at the expense of animals' pain.
In her ruling, judge Hagit Mac-Kalmanovich said, “I was not convinced by
the argument that the given event would cause the animal more pain and
suffering than the accepted methods of slaughter in slaughterhouses.”
She rejected the group’s comparison of the planned slaughter to illegal
fights between animals, pointing out that only one animal was involved,
and that it would not be harmed in any way prior to the actual
slaughter. The event must be allowed under laws protecting freedom of
religion, she concluded.
The conference will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at
Yeshivat HaKotel, in the Old City of Jerusalem, overlooking the Temple
Mount.
Maayana Miskin contributed to this report