Dear Mr. Wilders,

Having over the years written a number of columns in the Jerusalem Post broadly supporting you, a number of readers have pleaded with me to communicate with you regarding the Freedom Party’s efforts to outlaw the Jewish ritual slaughter of animals for food consumption.

I am aware of the fact that there is no anti-Semitic element involved and that this emanates from groups concerned to outlaw cruelty towards animals.

I am not going to enter into a discussion on the merits of this form of animal slaughter against other methods, although I could make a powerful case that this method is probably far less cruel and painful to animals than the more conventional approach towards animal slaughter.

But recognizing that you are a friend of Israel and the Jewish people I would ask you to consider intervening and doing whatever is possible to withdraw this action because it creates enormous problems for the Dutch Jewish community and sends the wrong message to Jews throughout the world who have been accustomed to interpreting such initiatives in the past as being motivated by anti-Semitism (which I realize does not apply in this case).

If there is anything further that I could do to encourage such an initiative please let me know.

With warmest best wishes,

Isi Leibler

[email protected]