People participate in the Jewish ritual of kaporos,
in which chickens are swung and slaughtered during the week before Yom Kippur.
Dear Friends,
Our exposure of the cruelty inflicted on many thousands of chickens each year for the sake of a medieval custom called “Kaporos” (or Kapparot)
is gaining more and more traction.
Coverage this year by reporter Emma Green in The Atlantic on October 11th, and in The New York Times
article
A Raw Deal for Chickens, as Jews Atone for Sins
on October 6th, attests to the growing mainstream media interest in our “street fights” and legal battles to eliminate the
horrific use of chickens in the Kaporos ritual in New York, California and elsewhere, including Israel. See
Agriculture Ministry Launching Campaign to Discourage Using Chickens for 'Kapparot' [video]
published on October 6th which notes that in Israel:
“The Agriculture Ministry suggests the ritual is causing the birds needless suffering, which, incidentally, is against Jewish Law. Also, the
presence of hundreds of chickens in and out of their cages in the middle of towns and villages may lead to the spread of disease. And so, the ministry
would much prefer that faithful Jews donate their money to charity rather than do it with chickens.”
Taking on religion (so-called) is never easy where animal victims are concerned, even when, as in the case of Kaporos, the law is on our side, as
discussed by Daniel J. Solomon in
Animal Rights Group Presses Fight Against Kapparot as Yom Kippur Approaches, published
in the Forward on October 10th, and by Marcy Oster in
California Judge Blocks Pre-Yom Kippur Kapparot Rite Over Cruelty Concerns,
published in the Forward on October 10th.
We are pleased to announce that, thanks to your generous support, we are nearing our target goal of $30,000 to support our lawsuit against the City of New
York which is now in the Appeals court. At this writing we’ve raised $23,552 and need only $1,448 to reach our matching donation of $5,000 which will
bring us to $30,000! Don’t be shy! DONATE! Help us help the birds in our legal battle on their behalf!
Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos activists rally at New York City Hall
on October 5th to demand that Mayor de Blasio enforce the law.
Photo by Daniel J. Solomon
The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos is a project of
United Poultry Concerns.
Formed in New York City in June 2010, the Alliance is an association of groups and individuals who seek to
replace the use of chickens in Kaporos ceremonies with money or other non-animal symbols of atonement.
The Alliance does not oppose Kaporos per se, only the cruel and unnecessary use of chickens in the ceremony.
