Kaparot Chicken Biz Visited By ASPCA

The annual chicken sacrificing ritual known as kaparot that takes place around this time of year (near Yom Kippur) always gets the demonstrators out. According to the NY Post, the ASPCA is the latest to step up to the protest plate, and a Brooklyn man says they all but forced him to stop the tradition at his place of business yesterday.

He told the paper that his seasonal Satmar Kapparos Center, run out of a parking lot at 12th Avenue and 48th Street, was visited by the organization, and according to him: "They asked me what I was feeding [the birds]. I said challah and water. They said, 'No, you have to feed them grain.'" Not too much arm twisting there, but then they allegedly threatened to bring in the Health Department.

The ASPCA tells the story differently, however, and told the paper that they "visited the center to investigate a cruelty complaint and found no violation of laws. The man decided to remove the chickens on his own."

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By Jen Carlson in News on September 15, 2010 11:14 AM

Comments [rss]

Donnymoss

I observed the chicken tossing ritual for 7 hours today on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. The chickens were left in their tiny crates where they couldn't stand or stretch a wing for hours and hours with no food and water. The chickens had lesions; they're legs were caught in the crate openings; they were covered in feces and urine. It was awful.

HBHB

I just don't understand how you're not shipped off to Bellevue after "transferring" your sins to a live chicken then slaughtering the chicken in order to wash away that sin. I don't care what you claim that's pure mental illness.

FelixtheCat Christine Quinns

A chicken is not stupid, dumbass.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Stop this cruelty. Animal cruelty is a sin. God wi not bless you for this abuse. Shame on you.

John L

Silly custom that's been going on forever and it seems the media just caught wind of it and is making a big deal about it. I'm against cruelty to animals but if we're going to start worrying about chickens' welfare then I think we need to start with the horrid conditions in the chicken coups first.