Unlike direct hate-based attacks—whether verbal or physical, the issues surrounding circumcision and kosher slaughter are much more complex. And while Jews may interpret opposition to these practices to be anti-Semitic, it’s hard to deny that both issues involve key value trade-offs. The arguments for and against circumcision are by now well known. And as animal rights continue to rise above the radar and farming technology becomes more sophisticated, there is also a legitimate debate over whether knife-slicing is indeed the most humane way to kill an animal, as the spirit behind the laws of kosher slaughter intend. Add to this the question of religious freedom and the importance of tradition in collective identity, and these debates become that much muddier—but still legitimate ones to have. As I’ve argued before in the case of circumcision, Jewish communities need better rejoinders than simply “it’s our religion.”
thedailybeast.com/articles/201…lleged-anti-semitism.html
