In the last few weeks, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel was on a campaign whose goal was to encourage the public to replace the cruel ritual of Kapparot [atonement], during which tens of thousands of chickens are slaughtered, by the giving of charity to the needy. On the pretext of atonement for sins a great sin is made against the chickens, who are raised in very crowded conditions, shipped to the organizers of the custom in difficult conditions and often are made to wait long hours without food or water until the traumatic ceremony and their slaughter.
Various rabbis joined the campaign, and a brochure published especially for the campaign was distributed with the encouragement of synagogues throughout Israel.
A number of days before Yom Kippur the activists of the Society, together with volunteers from the “Anonymous” Philanthropic Society and the Conservative Movement, demonstrated in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. The participants marched along the alleyways of the market, at their head a man wearing a gigantic chicken costume and a sign saying “Save my life. Yes to contributions, no to slaughter”. They handed out explanatory material and asked people to stop the killing and abuse that were part of the traditional ceremony.
We want to thank all the people who contributed to the success of the campaign and we believe that this explanatory activity, as well as many others, is an additional step towards the creation of a humane society, which condemns appalling and unnecessary actions such as abuse and slaughter of chickens.
