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Withdrawal from EU results in essential trade becoming a cauldron of confusion
- 25 November 2021
- 1:05 am
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- 25 November 2021
- 1:05 am
An invisible line that bisects through homes, businesses, roads, and would separate a church and a graveyard, represents some of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. With EU trade rules imposed, Jews in the north cannot access affordable kosher meat. (Photo: Mark Sugrue)
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Rabbi David Kale and other members of Northern Ireland’s Jewish community lament that their traditional lifestyle is at risk since kosher food hasn’t been available since June, due to confusion caused by implementation of Brexit.
As Hanukkah approaches, the fears are more realised.
The Northern Ireland Protocol prevents checks along the land border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (in the EU).
During Brexit negotiations, all sides agreed that the 1998 Northern Ireland peace deal, better known as The Good Friday agreement would be honoured. Part of honouring said treaty meant keeping the existing land-border open.
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This was not an issue in the past when both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were part of the EU, because they automatically shared the same trade rules.
Hence, you now have a situation where the North – politically part of the UK – is treated as part of the EU even though they all have UK passports and use the British Pound as currency rather than the Euro used by Ireland and other EU members.
So pretty much, Northern Ireland is in a situation where it is sitting on the fence between the EU and UK and essential trade has become a cauldron of confusion.
Jewish community leader, Michael Black, says that the cost of a non-kosher chicken in Belfast is 5 pounds, but a kosher chicken is 20 pounds. They have to go across the border to buy it from Dublin (where it probably came over from the European mainland), at 21 euro (18 pounds). Then, having to account for the cost of traveling, this increases the price further – even though it’s just a 2 hour drive away. Instead, to get a kosher chicken from England costs 10 pounds (better than the former option’).
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DUP (Democratic Unionist) MP Jim Shannon expressed concern and said that importing essential items like medicine is also quite “complicated.”
In fact, more than 2,000 medicines face withdrawal over such Protocol.
He says that he has expressed to Ministers in Westminster about the urgency of the situation with regard to restricted access to both medicines and kosher products.
In June, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said in a statement he anticipated deep challenges to the future of Northern Ireland’s Jewish community as a result of “inadvertent collateral damage arising out of current trade differences between Britain and the EU”. The next month, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Commons Committee, “They’re talking now about an exodus from Northern Ireland by the Jewish community. We want to do everything we can to avoid that and sort it out.”
The North’s Jewish community has but 67 members now, but it was much bigger before World War II. The community history reaches back to around 1870 and peaked at 1500. They have been influential in both UK and Israeli history – This includes current Israeli President Herzog, whose father was also a President of Israel – Chaim Herzog who had a notably Northern Irish accent!
So, while there is so much talk and red-tape over the dilemma of bringing in kosher, nothing productive seems to have transpired for this year age-old, well-established historic community to simply continue their traditional lifestyle this holiday.
Avi Kumar is a historian of Sri Lankan descent who lives in New York.
He has a unique spin on current affairs.
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
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