A Menorah for Dutch Parliament

A delegation of Dutch Rabbis representing the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) met with two high-ranking representatives of the Dutch Parliament last night, on the eve of the first night of Chanukah.

The delegation that included rabbi Yitzchak Vorst of Amsterdam, Chief rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, and rabbi Shmuel Katzman of Hague, met with Mr. Fred de Graaf, President of the Senate, and Ms. Gerdi Verbeet, President of the Dutch House of Representatives, to express their gratitude for the rejection of the ban on kosher slaughter, shechitah.

In addition, the group presented a menorah (Jewish ritual candelabra) to the Dutch Parliament. Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, whose jurisdiction as a chief rabbi includes 11 of the 12 Dutch Provinces and who also serves as a senior member of the RCE, explained to the Dutch parliamentarians that the menorah is lit on Chanukah for eight days consecutively and symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.

After presenting the menorah, Rabbi Jacobs prayed the traditional Jewish prayer for the welfare of the Queen of Holland and that the Dutch people will work towards a unified purpose.

“The lighting of the Chanukah candles symbolizes light that cuts through darkness,” Rabbi Jacobs said. “We should not be afraid of the darkness because it allows us the opportunity to bring in light.”

The meeting between the rabbis and the Dutch parliamentarians took place during the week when a bill to ban shechitah was withdrawn by the Dutch Senate days before a scheduled vote.

Ms. Marianne Thieme, the leader of the Dutch Animal Rights Party, withdrew the bill that she initiated after a majority of senators expressed their objection to the ban on shechitah. The measure had passed the lower house of the Dutch parliament in June, but was facing heavy opposition in the upper house.

Holland’s Agriculture Minister, Mr. Henk Bleker, has suggested a compromise where an agreement could be made with Jewish and Muslim slaughterhouses regarding the length of time that an animal is conscious before dying and the number of animals to be ritually slaughtered.

Ms. Thieme’s bill had required that animals be stunned before slaughter. Jewish and Muslim religious slaughter must be performed with the animal fully conscious.
A new bill that would further regulate the religious meat industry, but not ban it, is expected to be presented to parliament in the new year.

Rabbi Arye Goldberg, director deputy of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, welcomes the decision to shelve the ban on shechitah. “This decision is a clear victory for common sense, tolerance and freedom of religion,” Rabbi Goldberg said. “We are grateful to those Dutch politicians who helped us defeat a very problematic bill that could have had a very significant effect on traditional Jewish life in The Netherlands.”

The rabbis were pleased to hear Mr. de Graaf and Ms. Verbeet express their satisfaction that the bill in its current form would not pass. Ms. Verbeet stated that Dutch society required the role of religion and respected religious people.

The RCE is an organization that represents over seven hundred rabbis and Jewish communities throughout the European continent.