The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (Jewish day of Atonement) is coming up… and this is bad news for thousands of chickens.  Every year in Brooklyn and other areas of the country, thousands of chickens are trucked in to serve as the kaporos.  They are swung above people’s heads to represent the transfer of sins, and then are slaughtered pretty much on the spot by having their throats slit.  However, there are more humane ways to perform this ritual.  For example, some Jewish people choose to put money in a handkerchief, swing that around their heads and then contribute to charity.  Why can’t everyone do it this way?  That silly darn word “tradition”.

Using chickens is not required by Jewish law and many rabbis and respected leaders in the Jewish community have spoken out about the practice.  It is cruel, inhumane, and the definition of unnecessary.  United Poultry Concerns (an advocacy group that focuses specifically on domesticated fowl) is sponsoring a demonstration and protest for this year’s Kaporot.  Here is the information about the event as it appears in their recent email about it:

Please Join our End-Chickens-As-Kaporos Demos in Brooklyn on September 23rd and 24th Sanctuaries and Other Animal Groups & Individuals: Please Bring Banners (and Yourselves & Your Friends) to Our Two Brooklyn Demos See Demo Details to End Chickens as Kaporos Below. Please Let the Chickens Know We are There for Them. The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos was started in 2010 to protest the use of chickens in the ritual of kaporos or kapparot, which is a custom practiced by some orthodox Jews right before Yom Kippur. Not mandated in the Torah or Talmud, it is estimated that 50,000 chickens are used in this ritual in Brooklyn alone, every year. In 2010 and 2011, we held demos in Crown Heights, Williamsburg, and Midwood, posted online petitions, placed print ads in three publications, including the Jewish Press, Jewish Week, and Five Towns Jewish Times, placed animated ads that flashed 400,000 times over a week in 30 online Jewish publications and purchased a brief spot on a Times Square billboard. This year, we are inviting the participation of sanctuaries and other animal groups and encouraging them to come with their banners to show that we stand together against this cruel and outdated practice. We realize it is difficult to attend a demo where animals are going to be tortured and killed (it’s one of the hardest things most of us have ever done), but as hard as it is for us, it is infinitely harder for the chickens, and we must be there to speak out for them and show that we care. Participating in this campaign also leads to the broader discussion of the way chickens are exploited and tortured in our society, and it can be a bridge to promoting veganism. When people express horror (which most do) over images depicting what kaporos chickens go through, it provides an opportunity to point out that the chicken on their plate suffered no less. Please read A Wing And A Prayer for more information about the practice. Then please join us in speaking out against it. Let’s let the chickens know we are there for them. What: Protest the use of chickens in the ritual of kaporos When: Sunday, September 23rd 4-6 PM and Monday, September 24th 6-8 PM Where: On Eastern Parkway, between Kingston and Albany Avenues, diagonally in front of the Brooklyn Jewish Children’s Museum (792 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213). Subway: Take the #3 to Kingston Avenue. Subway exits in front of the Museum Bus: The B44 Bus stops just 2 blocks from the museum on E. Pkwy and New York Ave. The B43 stops right in front of the museum on Kingston and Eastern Parkway. Thank you, Rina Deych endchickensaskaporos@gmail.com Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos Please Sign Our Petition Urging Money Instead of Chickens in Kaporos Rituals 29 August 2012 - www.EndChickensAsKaporos.com The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos is a project of United Poultry Concerns. It is an association of groups and individuals who seek to replace the use of chickens in Kaporos rituals 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.