MK Menachem Mozes, chairman of the United Torah Jewry faction in the Knesset, said Tuesday that a change in the law against cruelty to animals that would prevent the importing into Israel of fur manufactured from some countries in the Far East would hurt the Haredi religious community. According to Mozes, the fur is needed to make "shtreimels," fur hats traditionally worn by Hassidic Jews. Mozes raised his objections at a meeting of the Knesset Education Committee, which is discussing the law in preparation for its second and third reading.
In his comments, Mozes cited Jewish traditions against changing "traditional Jewish dress. We will not change our traditional dress, regardless of whatever law is passed. There is no doubt that harming animals is a serious Torah prohibition, and Judaism has known for generation how not to harm animals." He added that the law would be impossible to carry out practically. "How will a customs agent know where the fur on my hat was made? Will they set up testing labs for when people land at the airport?"