People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for criminal charges to be filed against Rabbi Avraham Dov Levin after the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem rabbinical court he heads ordered the stoning of a stray dog because it believed the dog is a reincarnation of a secular attorney the rabbis disliked.
"By sentencing an innocent animal to a painful death for such an absurd reason, this rabbinical court has not only completely discredited itself but also violated tza'ar ba'alei chayim ("the suffering of living creatures") -- one of the most important principles in Judaism," PETA said in a statement Thursday.
"Rabbi Levin should be given a mandatory psychiatric evaluation, and PETA intends to call for criminal charges against him for inciting cruelty to animals," the statement continued. [Link]
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