Rabbis from Elad in central Israel have a bone to pick – with dogs and their owners.
Twelve Orthodox ministers last month signed an edict banning dogs from the city and warning owners they will be cursed for keeping them.
The rabbis say in the edict that the dogs are scaring women and children with their barks, “even if it does not bite”.
“We have heard and have seen that lately, a serious phenomenon has spread in our city Elad, in which young boys and children walk around publicly with dogs. This is strictly forbidden. As explained in the Talmud and by the Rambam, anyone raising a dog is accursed and especially in our city where many women and children are afraid of dogs,” the edict stated.
