Chicago's Jewish Aldermen Urged On Religious Grounds To Keep Foie Gras Ban

In April, Chicago's City Council, concerned about animal cruelty issues, voted 48-1 to ban the sale of foie gras in Chicago. The Illinois Restaurant Association and a coalition of chefs have filed suit to overturn the ban, and some politicians, including the Mayor, are now pushing for repeal. The Chicago Sun-Times yesterday reported that two Jewish Aldermen have been urged on religious grounds to oppose the ban's repeal. Rabbi Asher Lopatin wrote Aldermen Burton F. Natarus and Bernard Stone, saying: "Beyond the Kosher dietary laws, God has told us to do what is 'good and proper in the eyes of God'. The cruelty inflicted on animals in the production of foie gras is unspeakable. It is undeniably disgusting in the eyes of God and in the eyes of any civilized person." And Jana Kohl, former director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, wrote the same two Aldermen: "As the only two Jewish members of the Council, it's particularly shameful and disgraceful of you to turn your back on our cherished concept of 'tikun olam,' namely our obligation to make our world a better, more compassionate place."