PETA video against Kapparot ritual

Every year, devout Jews around the world engage in an age-old ritual called kapparot, in which an individual swings a chicken over his head imbuing it with his sins. The chicken is then slaughtered and its meat donated to a local food charity. In this video, the animal rights activist group PETA documents abuses inconsistent with Jewish ethical laws in an attempt to convince the Jewish public that the ritual should no longer be practiced -- especially considering that Jewish law permits that money be used (and donated) as a substitute for a live animal.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• peta
• kapparot
• kapores
• yomkippur
• roshhashanah
• jews
• jewish
• judaism
• ritual
• religion
• animal
• rights
• ethics

[safeway56]

To believe a person can transfer his / her sins to an innocent animal is ludicrous. The barbarians are at the gate.

[santhony]

Times have changed and so should some traditions.

I'm ashamed to call myself a Jew knowing that G-d himself would not want his creations to suffer like this. It's time for a change.

[gurufabbes]

They don't suffer. The whole point of Shechita is to make sure that Gd's creation doesn't.

If human beings have to kill an animal to eat, it should at least be done in a proper way.

So I'm sorry but I completely disagree with you and you should be 100 percent proud to be Jewish.

[ScooterMcBean]

I wasn't happy about the claim that 2/3rds of the chickens are dumped. This is disrespectful of life.

I think I can see why though. Raising, transporting and killing chickens is a fraction of the final cost of a fully dressed and inspected broiler bird. Add to that the effort of storage and preparation and you can see why "charities" are not lining-up to take these excess carcases.

[dovid4mufc]

can i just say holding the chickens by the wings is the best way to hold a live chicken, the shechita prosess is done that way as it is the least painful way for a chicken to be killed and finally i dont think the way the chickens r handled afta there dead is such a big deal becasue they are dead!! the chickens r taken frm there cleaned, cooked and given to the poor

[carter102]

This is akin to the idea of a 'scape-goat', except its a chicken. Ethically speaking, the idea that you can transfer misdeeds to another then be in the clear is ridiculous. The only way you learn from your misdeeds is to suffer the consequences, that suffering invokes a lasting memory to not do it again.

I think it would be hypocritical to condemn this, as most people eat chickens, they just don't do the dirty work themselves...

[almoncharles]

I don't think chickens have the thought processes to know they're being abused.  If you eat any kind of meat or fowl some sort of 'abuse'is required.

I'm told pigs are reasonably intelligent. At least Jews don't eat pigs.

[jde1757]

There are perfectly acceptable alternatives - Maimonides said it's permissible to use sprouted fava beans if you want to use something living as opposed to money. This is nothing more than yet another example of the Hareidi fear of change - "This is the way we've always done it and my father and the Rebbe did it this way so I have to."

[ZZjuke]

disgusting barbaric ritual - just like our slaughterhouses but done in name of religion?!! Cruelty abounds everywhere.

[scinatma]

I agree, those chickens should be treated in a more respectful way: they should be transported in individual cages with food and water. However, I still defend Kaparos and find it ridiculous and silly that chickens are sent to a sanctuary and children die of thirst in some poor countries.(min. 9:25)