Former UK Conservative Agriculture Minister George Eustice has spoken out against shechita and wants a free parliamentary vote on the matter.
He said he wouldn’t ban shechita entirely but wants to see “major improvements,” including the stunning of slaughtered animals or the labeling of un-stunned meat.
In a parliamentary debate, Junior Environment Minister David Rutley assured Muslims and Jews that the government respected their freedom to practice their religion.
A Shechita UK spokesman said, “Shechita is supported by an ample body of scientific evidence. It’s disappointing that Mr. Eustace only presented one side of the argument.”
BBC Program To Reveal New Anti-Semitism
Charges Against Labour
The anti-Semitism problem within the Labour Party just grows and grows.
In a BBC Panorama program on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party (scheduled to air Wednesday evening, July 10), seven former Labour staff accuse Karie Murphy and Seumas Milne – aides to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – of protecting Labour members accused of being anti-Semitic.
Sam Matthews, the former head of disputes in Labour, is said to have been warned by Labour lawyers that he could face legal action for breaking his non-disclosure agreement by appearing on the program despite the fact that the Labour Party has vowed to protect whistle-blowers.
Labour has accused BBC of “bias and political interference.”
Meanwhile, former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking at London’s Hampstead Synagogue on Sunday, called for the automatic expulsion of any Labour member found to be anti-Semitic. His call was echoed by Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, who may be Corbyn’s successor.
Long-Bailey last week suffered vicious social media abuse after it was revealed that she had had a constructive meeting with the Jewish Labour Movement.
MP Dame Plans to Fight
Veteran Jewish Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman has vowed to stand again in a coming general election despite a local backlash against her because of her constant pro-Israel stance.
The 73-year-old Liverpool Riverside MP, who has held the safe Labour seat since 1997, confirmed that she would contest her seat if need be.
But she told The Jewish Press, “There is great hostility towards me from many members in the Labour Party, so we will see what happens.”
Ellman, who has always spoken out fearlessly in Parliament on Israel and the Middle East, told The Jewish Press in February that she was likely to face deselection from her constituency party, which contains many members of the pro-Corbynite Momentum group.
MP Reeves Threatened With Deselection
Labour MP Ellie Reeves was threatened last week with deselection because she recently opposed the re-admission into the party of Chris Williamson, who is accused of being anti-Semitic.
Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and former acting Labour leader strongly condemned the move against Reeves, who is pregnant. “This reprehensible behavior cannot be tolerated,” he said.
Ofsted Rates Nine Jewish Schools ‘Inadequate’
Ofsted has rated 22 London schools “inadequate” this year. Nine of them are Jewish.
Beis Chinuch Lebonos Girls School was downgraded for lack of safeguarding.
Bnois Jerusalem Girls School reportedly provides little education about other communities, inadequate careers advice, and little respect for “protected characteristics,” including those associated with alternative lifestyles.
Lubavitch Senior Boys’ School was found inadequate in secular studies teaching. Talmud Torah Bobov Primary School was also rated poorly on secular studies, and teachers in the school apparently refused to cover “protected characteristics.”
Wiznitz Cheder School was marked down for poor management and leadership. Beis Medrash Elyon was criticized for lack of respect towards different sexual orientations. The school would not even allow inspectors to discuss the matter with pupils.
According to Ofsted, Talmud Torah Toldos Yakof Yosef School pupils speak mainly Yiddish and have inadequate secular education. Shiras Devorah pupils reportedly lack respect for difference and diversity and have poor secular education. Beis Ruchel D’Satmar suffer from poor health and safety.
Man Pleads Guilty To Burning Shul
A man pleaded guilty to burning Exeter Synagogue last year while undergoing a psychotic incident.
Tristan Morgan was spotted on CCCTV pouring petrol on the historic shul, the third oldest in the UK. Morgan has been hospitalized indefinitely under the Mental Health Act. He also pleaded guilty to encouraging terrorism.
Sue Hemming of the Crown Prosecution Service said, “Tristan Morgan’s violence was partly driven by the hatred of Jewish people which was clear from the library of extremist literature he had.”
Orthodox Jew Nearly Stabbed in London
An Orthodox man was threatened with beheading by a knife-wielding man in London’s Whitechapel last week.
The victim was on his way to work in the morning when he was chased down the street by a man with a knife making anti-Semitic remarks.
Barnet Councillor Nizza Fluss, who witnessed the scene, said, “A man started running behind him saying `I’m going to kill you. I’m going to chop your head off.”
Fluss said she was so upset at the sight that she could not function. She said about the near victim, “He’s such a nice, lovely person and is a very religious man.”
The attacker was arrested for committing a racially-aggravated public order offence.