Kapporos Cruelty and Possible Consumer Fraud Exposed

Kapporos is a ritual performed before Yom Kippur in which some Jews choose to wave live chickens above their heads before the birds are slaughtered. Using money for tzedakah (charity) instead of live birds is a widely accepted alternative.

The JTA reports that PETA sent a letter today to New York government officials asking them to crack down on one particular kapporos center in Brooklyn. A video made by PETA and posted to YouTube by the JTA clearly shows that animals are handled roughly and kept in unsanitary conditions. The video depicts how animals are crammed into tiny transport crates, where they lack food, water, and adequate space to move around for up to 24 hours.

The video also notes that approximately two-thirds of the chickens used were disposed of rather than being donated to tzedakah, which goes against one of the main points of the ritual. Participants in the ritual were not made aware of this. PETA contends that this may constitute consumer fraud.

The bottom line here is not that individuals are aiming to be cruel but rather that inhumane treatment of animals becomes systematic and inherent in any large-scale institutionalized process that treats animals as mere objects.

Resources
The JTA's article
The video on YouTube
Last year's heebnvegan recap about kapporos