Rosh Hashanah is here which means Yom Kippur is around the corner and you know what that means? Time for the annual protests of the annual chicken swinging ritual known as kapparot. The generally fatal chicken "swinging" and slaughtering most often performed on the day before Yom Kippur (but can be held anytime between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur) and has some very vocal adversaries. Opponents, who this year advertised briefly in Times Square, aren't against the ritual so much as they're against the chicken killing. more ›

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. more ›

Every September as Yom Kippur arrives, demonstrators head out to protest the annual sacrificial chicken slaughter, a Jewish ritual known as kaparot. Yesterday was no different, as the Crown Heights blog reports back that "a group of demonstrators gathered in front of the Jewish Childrens Museum on Eastern Parkway to protest.. the group began with just a few demonstrators, and steadily grew as Jewish people engaged them, arguing principles and beliefs." The ritual is most often performed after dawn on the day before Yom Kippur, but can be held anytime between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. more ›

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. more ›

With Yom Kippur coming up this Monday, South Williamsburg will be the stage for many a sacrificial chicken slaughter on Sunday. The Jewish ritual known as kapparot raises eyebrows each year, and now Dr. Allan Kornberg, Executive Director for Farm Sanctuary, has released a statement. more ›

Ah, Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. What better way to spend the eve of the holiday than by slaughtering an animal? The NY Times reports that the tradition of kaparot--"Orthodox Jews take live chickens, swing them over their heads as a means of symbolically transferring sins to the chickens, and then slaughter them"-- is attracting protest. Rabbi Hecht (whose father revived the tradition) says he received threats via email, phone and letters. His number one suspect, PETA, denied the accusation, met with Hecht, and says, “If anyone is really sending threatening or anti-Semitic e-mails, that is both immoral and counterproductive. It’s unfortunate when someone hands an animal abuser cause for self-righteousness.” How much does it cost to slaughter a chicken? Just $2 for Hecht's Crown Heights congregation (he bought in bulk). After slaughtered, they go uneaten and, in the past, have actually been shoved in to traffic cones once killed (video here). more ›