Rabbi Yona Metzger Says No to Fur

I posted on my reservations about wearing fur a while back, and now the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel has issued a ruling on the matter:

Jews must not wear fur skinned from live animals, Israel's chief rabbi said in a religious ruling on Tuesday.

'All Jews are obliged to prevent the horrible phenomenon of cruelty to animals and be a 'light onto nations' by refusing to use products that originate from acts which cause such suffering,' Rabbi Yona Metzger said.

Animal rights campaigners in Israel and abroad say that animals are skinned alive at fur farms in China.

Metzger issued the edict in response to an appeal by an Israeli legislator who looked into the reports of animal cruelty in China at the request of a constituent.

The ruling stopped short of banning the use of fur from animals skinned after they were slaughtered.

Mati Korinio of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority, which oversees fur imports, said much of the fur sold in the Jewish state did not originate in China.

The fact that this ruling only covers fur from animals skinned alive, and that most fur in Israel is not imported from China, where this practice is most prevalent, makes it seem as if the ruling doesn't have much in the way of teeth. The fur industry is known for its cruelty in the methods used to trap the animals they use for fur - even if they stop short of skinning them alive. An imperfect ruling, yes. But it's certainly a start.

(hattip)