Areas in front of shops selling furred apparel have become a frontier for groups petitioning for animal rights.

After much effort activists have opened a second frontier for their cause in the Knesset, Israel’s legislative arm.

Knesset member Ronit Tirosh has proposed a bill banning fur imports into the country.

Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members, however, claim that the ban would harm their custom of wearing "shtreimels," which are fur hats worn by religious jews.

[Ronit Tirosh, Knesset Member]:
“At the moment the religious front in the Knesset places conditions and prevents voting on the bill, but I can assure you right here and now that I will keep struggling until it becomes a law in the state of Israel.”

Animal Rights advocates are convinced that the fur industry is the most cruel and pointless industry in the world.

[Jane Halevy, International Anti-Fur Coalition]:
“We are talking about 75 million animals, not including hundreds of millions of small rabbits being murdered just for their furs. That is, just for the sake of fashion and dandyism, without any reason. Most of these film clips come from China. You can actually see how a raccoon is taken, skinned alive, and he just looks at himself, fainting, looking at himself. These are simply horrible images.’

[Mitzi Ocean, Protest Participant]:
  “Just because I would like to wear a piece of fur on a pocket book, he has to leave his life in torture, being skinned alive. And this horrible thing could happen to any living thing. It is not part of my humanity.”   

[Sarit Aylon, Animal Rights Activist]:
“Why don’t they donate this luxury cash which people wear for fashion to children in need, and needy families. A warm jacket can come in many forms. The warmth and love in our hearts directed towards preventing abuse and suffering – this warmth will wrap children and people, instead of furs.”

[Tal Simhon, Protest Participant]:
“I don’t like dogs being slaughtered; I don’t like anyone killing. It is better not to kill.”

A survey conducted by the International Anti-Fur Coalition has found that 86 percent of Israelis think it is immoral to wear furs, and 79 percent support the bill proposed at the Knesset.

[Jane Halevy, International Anti-Fur Coalition]:
“We are preparing ourselves for a domino effect. Israel is going to be the first to pass this bill, then England will be next. That is because England is exactly like us, it doesn’t have any fur industry of its own, only import and marketing.”

The pro-animal activists are optimistic the bill will pass.

They hope in the near future that they will no longer need to protest.

Reporter: Revital yehudai

Photographer: Anat Markram

NTD, Tel-Aviv, Israel