MK Moses: Don’t Ban My Shtreimel

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menachem-eliezer-moses-smallArutz Shevah reports that Knesset Member Reb Menachem Eliezer Moses, chairman of Yahadus HaTorah, has found that an animal welfare bill supported by the Israeli government could make his shtreimel an endangered species. The proposed legislation, which gained the cabinet’s support, was brought to the attention of the broader coalition leadership forum yesterday. The amendment to the Animal Welfare Law would outlaw the import of products made from the fur of dogs, cats or rabbits. Specifically noted are furs imported from east Asia. The penalty for violation of the clause, which would be treated as a criminal offense, would be up to a year in jail.Reb Menachem Eliezer, a Belzer chossid, wants fur imported for use in making shtreimels to be exempted from the general prohibition. “It is inconceivable,” he said, “to support a bill that outlaws imports for such a clear and important religious need.”

Reb Menachem Eliezer, reports Arutz Shevah, explained to the coalition representatives the meaning and importance of the shtreimel to chassidim. He said that he does not oppose the proposed law entirely, “but I request that the law include an appropriate exception stating that import for religious purposes will not be infringed and will not be considered a violation of the law.”

With a call for the government ministers to amend the law, he added, “We are not in the Middle Ages, when Jews were forbidden to use explicitly Jewish symbols.”

The shtreimel can be made from genuine or synthetic fur, with the latter actually more common among Israeli chassidim than those overseas. The Gerrer Rebbe has actually stated that his chassidim should only purchase spodiks made of fake fur and that cost less than $600, the Arutz Shevah report states.

{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/Arutz Shevah}


6 COMMENTS

  1. If fake fur is available and if it is good enough for the Gerrer Rebbe and his chassidim, why do the others need a special exemption? It is this sort of thing that makes people dislike charedim.

  2. “It is inconceivable,” he said, “to support a bill that outlaws imports for such a clear and important religious need.”

    stupid !!!

    what religious need ???

  3. Anat-synthetic shaitles are available, too. but how many women walk around with Eluras?

    7:16-how nasty can you get? An esrog for each person is also not a religious need but if the US would ban imports on citron fruits, we would also all be up in arms!

  4. soon they will ban peopl from wearing shaitles because of abuse of human hair maybe it will be good all will have to wear synthetic ones

  5. first of all -there is nothing wrong al pi torah to kill animals for human use. lets not fall into modern thinking which has no place in torah hashkafa. secondly i have freinds that are gerrer chasidim and the told me it is absolutely untrue about the gerrer rebbe instructing anything about fake shtreimels. what is true is that the rebbes’ father the lev simche and also the bais yisroel made sure that there shouldn’t be any price gouging in regard to spudiks.

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