News Brief08:29 AM

(IsraelNN.com) A Jerusalem court ruled Friday that the Jewish Temple movement could slaughter a sheep on Sunday as a “general rehearsal” for the renewal of the Pesach (Passover) sacrifice.  Animal rights group "Tnoo Lachayot Lichyot" ("Let the Animals Live") had argued that the planned slaughter constituted illegal cruelty to an animal.

In her ruling, judge Hagit Mac-Kalmanovich said, “I was not convinced by the argument that the given event would cause the animal more pain and suffering than the accepted methods of slaughter in slaughterhouses.”  She rejected the group’s comparison of the planned slaughter to illegal fights between animals, pointing out that only one animal was involved, and that it would not be harmed in any way prior to the actual slaughter.  The event must be allowed under laws protecting freedom of religion, she concluded.