Kaparot Chicken Saved!

Yesterday the Farm Sanctuary aided in the rescue of a chicken that would have otherwise been part of the sacrificial slaughter during the Jewish ritual of kaparot. They tell us the chicken was saved in Crown Heights, and later named Chesed, meaning mercy or loving-kindness in Hebrew. He joined the over 200 other NYC chickens the organization has rescued from this ritual over the past three years.

The rescuer was Brooklyn resident Wayne Johnson, "who witnessed a massive kapparot gathering at a seminary in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn on Saturday night. At 9:30 p.m., a large truck transporting approximately 2,000 chickens, packed four to a crate, arrived at the seminary. A long line of people waited to purchase chickens for $13 apiece, which they then swung over their heads while reciting a prayer before taking them over to a table where a butcher slit their throats with a knife. Around 11 p.m., a man shoved a chicken into the arms of Johnson, who had made it known he did not approve of the inhumane ritual, and told him he could have the bird. Johnson gladly accepted the frightened chicken and took him to his Brooklyn Heights home to await safe transport to Farm Sanctuary’s shelter in upstate New York. Halfway through the subway ride home, Johnson says the chicken began to relax and nestled into his arms."

It's a kaparot miracle! The Farm Sanctuary's executive director says, “Saving Chesed is in keeping with the true spirit of Yom Kippur. [His] life will serve as a reminder to the thousands of visitors who come to our sanctuary that all life is deserving of mercy and loving-kindness.”

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By Jen Carlson in News on September 29, 2009 1:42 PM

Comments [rss]

Ron

"Johnson who had made it known he did not approve of the inhumane ritual..."

So Johnson does not approve. So what? Who is this Johnson who is under the illusion that anyone must answer to him anytime for anything. Think I'll go make some chicken soup now and hope that that nobody, Mr. Johnson does not show up.

Steven

What a joke. Religion is really stupid. It makes people feel a fake good inside of them. Last year sins are washed away only for them to make new ones right away.

Think2wice

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

NannyState

A chicken sanctuary. A CHICKEN SANCTUARY!!

Think2wice

Jehovah have mercy on us! They've defied Mosaic Law #523.

TheKlaus

What really pisses me off about this ceremony is when THEY DO IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIKE LANE!

camera_club

I went down there and witnessed everything, shot a few rolls of film of the whole ordeal. I've heard the donation aspect is often a lie. Maybe some organizations donate them but there are others who find it cheaper and easier to throw out the birds

hotstepper

to be fair, i think we should let the chickens decide if they would like to participate in Kaparot.

Boogie Down

I'm going to reiterate what many have said before me: religion is stupid.

camera_club

you commenters are jackasses. these chickens die by the truckload in Williasmburg. There's a truck full of chickens every few blocks that get slaughtered and thrown in the trash after the ritual.

This ritual supposedly transfers all your "evil" or sins or whatever into the chicken by slinging it around your head and kicking it a few times. The chickens then get slaughtered and never eaten as they are full of this "evil" now. What kind of asshole would defend this practice?

jack144

Check your facts. They don't get thrown out, they get donated to poor people so they can have something to eat.

I can understand if you are against twirling the chickens around, but as far as saying that it's a "ritual slaughter" and that the chickens are just discarded afterword, that is blatantly untrue.

Also, I never heard of the "kicking it a few times" version...

silver

Farm Sanctuary is anti-semitic neo nazis filled with hate!

whitecastlerock

Is that felixthecat2 in the photo?

The Man Bat

So lovely to see the mythologies of a bunch of bronze age goat herders played out in full view of the 21st Century. Someone commented the other day how Israel has full health care for all of their citizens. Hhhmmm, I wonder where they get the money from?

Anyone...? Anyone? Bueller...?

bklynbagel

This has what to do with anything?

The Man Bat

We were talking about who pays for the top notch Israeli health care system, including the yokel throwing the chicken around.....what were you talking about?

Tricksta

And the proof of your bullshit claim is...?

(Whoops, sorry, I'm feeding the trolls again!)

CR

From their taxpayers.

The Man Bat

If by "their taxpayers" you mean the U.S. taxpayers, then Yes, you are correct.

Colochita

"inhumane ritual?" How is this worse than what happens to your average Perdue chicken?

Soggy

Exactly. Chickens get killed every day because they are part of the food chain, who cares about a religious ceremony that happens once a year?

Egglantine

This cruelty to animals in the name of religion reminds me of the Buddhist "mercy release"--the releasing of captive animals that is a lot less kind than it seems, as they're often sold specifically for this purpose, die after being released, and are recaptured to be sold again.

The Humane Society has a piece about it:

http://www.hsus.org/hsi/wildlife/mercy_release/