Rabbis and lay-members of Holland’s Jewish community are lobbying against a bill now under debate in the Dutch Parliament. If passed, the bill would effectively ban kosher and other forms of ritual slaughter in the Netherlands.

According to Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, Chief rabbi of the Inter-provincial Chief Rabbinate in Holland and Head of the Rabbinical Committee of Holland, the bill has garnered support because it appears to propose humane slaughter—calling for the “anesthetization” of animals prior to slaughter.

Stunning an animal makes it unkosher, and as Jacobs is quick to point out,  “the practice of electrically stunning is a rather messy process,” and that there is no scientific consensus that it’s a more humane method of slaughter.

While the Dutch press has reported that a “Lower House majority recently backed the Party for Animals (PvdD) proposal to ban ritual slaughter,” key members of the parliament have begun to withdraw their support.

Lubavitch.com, has learned that at a recent event, Marius Job Cohen, the leader of the Labour Party (PvdA) in the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament, unofficially voiced reservations about the ban, and is considering withdrawing his support for the bill.

If the Labor Party, which holds an Opposition role in the Dutch Parliament and was previously seen as a key backer of the ban, indeed withdraws its support, a successful vote for the bill is seen as highly unlikely.

In the meantime, Holland’s Jews remain apprehensive about Dutch policy towards their faith. While the majority of Holland’s 50,000 Jews do not keep kosher, Jacobs has seen immense support from across the Jewish community.

 “People understand that this is not just a problem for the observant, but rather for the community as a whole.”