Language:
English
Year of publication:
2007
Titel der Quelle:
Leo Baeck Institute Year Book
Angaben zur Quelle:
52 (2007) 167-184
Keywords:
Shehitah
;
Antisemitism History 1800-2000
;
Jews History 1800-2000
;
Antisemitism History 1800-2000
;
Jews History 1800-2000
Abstract:
A campaign against Jewish ritual slaughter of animals erupted in German-speaking countries in the last third of the 19th century. Conducted largely by various animal protection societies, it pretended to be a campaign for "human" methods of slaughter. In fact, however, the "Schächtfrage" (ritual slaughter question) had more to do with antisemitism. It enabled antisemitic agitators to construct an image of the Jew as culturally alien, cruel, and divorced from nature, with no compassion for animals. The campaign was successful in Switzerland, where it ended with a federal ban on ritual slaughter in 1893, but failed in Germany. Remarkably, in their struggle against the ban on "shehitah", Jewish religious leaders for the first time turned to scientists, who for the most part supported claims that Jewish slaughter practices were no more cruel than Christian practices. The Jewish physician Isaac Dembo published a book in 1894 arguing that "shehitah" was a less cruel and more hygienic method of slaughter. In the 1890s the "Schächtfrage" was linked with ritual murder accusations by antisemitic agitators.
DOI:
10.3167/lbyb.2007.5209
URL:
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