Israel banned the sale of natural fur products

Israeli Environment Minister Gila Gamliel signed a document banning the sale of animal fur for clothing production in the country. The law will come into force in six months, in December 2021.

It is the first country in the world to have such a law.

The minister stressed that the fur industry kills hundreds of millions of animals around the world, and is also associated with great suffering and cruelty. Animal rights activists have already described the decisive step as a “historic victory.”

 The ban on the fur trade makes Israel the first country in the world to do so, although there are already similar cases at the regional level. For example, the US state of California banned the sale of natural fur products back in 2019.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the ban will not apply to “scientific research, education, teaching and religious purposes and traditions.” The last point caused the most controversy. The fact is that ultra-Orthodox Jews wear shtreimels on Shabbat and holidays – hats trimmed with sable and fox tails. At the same time, in the hot climate of Israel, fur products are not very popular among the general population.

A shtreimel (Yiddish: שטרײַמל shtrayml, which they wear only on special occasions (on Saturday, a holiday, at a wedding, or when they meet a rabbi). on the head is the fur of an “unclean animal” – the tail of a fox to distinguish Jews from other nations, but the Jews turned this “badge of shame” into a “badge of distinction.”