Warsaw—The Polish government is going to allow shechita and halal slaughter in Poland, despite the ban instituted by the Polish Constitutional Court in December 2012 after animal rights groups applied pressure to do so. The new regulations still have to be adopted by Polish parliament. Written to “eliminate the most shocking methods of animal slaughter,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk noted that the slaughter of animals in rotating cages will not be reinstated. Any slaughter of livestock must be carried out in a slaughterhouse, with the goal of “reducing the suffering of animals as much as is possible.” The Polish Jewish community has maintained that kosher slaughter remains protected under the 1997 Act on the Relation of the State to the Jewish Communities in Poland, which states that kosher slaughter may be performed in accordance with the needs of the local Jewish community.

WJC to Meet in Budapest

Budapest—The World Jewish Congress (WJC) will hold its 14th Plenary Assembly in Budapest, on May 5-7 2013, to discuss the alarming rise of Neo-Nazi political parties in several European and other countries, and the situation in the Middle East. Five hundred delegates and observers from the WJC’s affiliated Jewish communities and organizations in 100 countries are expected. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has confirmed that he will address the opening dinner on 5 May. Other speakers include officials from Germany, the Hungarian Archbishop and Middle East envoys. The group will also elect a WJC executive. Hungary has been recently plagued with a resurgence of anti-Semitism and anti-Roma hate crimes. Radical nationalist groups intend to protest against the meeting.