Running to Their Deaths

By Tali Lavie

April 26, 2006

The "Susiyada," equine fair, whose focus was obviously horses, was held in Kibbutz Urim last week. Hakol Chai was there to protest against the event, which is intended to promote the horse-racing industry. Tali Lavie explains why we must object to authorizing these races in Israel.

Protest demonstration and the police. Photo: Avi Hirschfield

It appears there is no end to the cynical use of animals in Israel. An event produced by so-called horse lovers for horse lovers took place last week. However, the organizers did not highlight one important aspect — one of the event's central goals was to promote an industry whose main purpose is to make a profit on the backs of horses — the horse-racing gambling industry.

The organizers of the "Susiyada," held during the Passover holidays on Kibbutz Urim, tried to make it look like an attractive, popular, glamorous family event, as if hinting that this would be the future character of the horse-racing industry, should it be allowed in Israel. According to its initiators, approximately 15,000 people were expected to attend the event.

In actuality, the highly problematic nature of the industry made its mark on the event. Despite efforts to shut the mouths of protestors, the protest vigil organized by Hakol Chai was an immense success. Our aim was to inform the audience of horse lovers about the abuse of horses inherent in this industry, which occurs in every country around the world in which this industry exists. Distributing this information is particularly important in view of the fact that horse lovers are constantly exposed to the misleading mantra which claims the racing industry will improve the condition of horses in Israel.

The success of the campaign against this event was evident in the fact that families who arrived at it without knowing the true purpose behind it, and who were exposed to the facts about the industry, turned around and left, saying "You're right; we're leaving!" They understood that had they entered, they would have been tools in the hands of those who regard animals as merely a source of income.

The protest vigil did not disturb the passersby, and it included the distribution of informative pamphlets as well as answers to questions coming from those interested in knowing more about the harsh cruelty of this industry around the world. However, the local police force did not appreciate our presence. They forcefully pushed back the activists, tore some of the banners, and tried to prevent us from handing out pamphlets.

Yossef Farajan, Captain of the Police, outdid his subordinates, violently snatching a megaphone from the hands of one activist, without the legal authority to do so, and without having first declared his intention to do so. After a while, the officers got used to us there, everyone calmed down, and we continued our work.

At the end of the day, our impression is that even without our protest, the event would not have fulfilled its organizers' high expectations. Only several thousand attended (according to our estimate, some 5,000), despite this being a well-publicized, unique event held in excellent weather, at the height of the Passover tourist season.

The Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, has not yet discussed the issue of gambling on horse racing. To establish such an industry would require legislation to exempt the industry from existing laws prohibiting it.

But our challenge has grown. In all that concerns the introduction of this industry to Israel, many whose work revolves around horses have strong economic motives that clash with horse welfare. Instead of acting to protect animals, as part of their moral responsibility, some choose to make bad use of their reputation and to mislead the public, arguing that an industry based on greed will improve the condition of these innocent animals, when in fact, it will condemn many horses in Israel to a life of suffering and premature death.

We will not sit on our hands and do nothing.

We know from experience how long it takes to uproot cruel industries once they penetrate Israel. We have yet to free ourselves from some of them. This is precisely why we must act now. We who care more for animals than for narrow economic interests are the ones who must continue to work to communicate the message to the public about the cruelty of this industry. Anyone who cares is invited to join us!

To write a letter to the government of israel against establishing gambling on horse racing in Israel, click here.

Article reprinted courtesy of NRG.