COVID Cases Surge in Brooklyn’s Hasidic Hot Spots After Large, Mask-free Kaporos Events; Mayor and DOH Ignored Warnings
The News
Advocates warned the governor, mayor, city health officials and media that Kaporos events in COVID hot spots would lead to a surge in cases
The surge of COVID cases left New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, staunch allies of the Hasidic community, with no choice but to designate some of their neighborhoods as “red zones” and publicly state they were instituting partial shut downs. In spite of the fact that COVID safety guidelines had not been enforced in their communities before, they took to the streets of Borough Park, Brooklyn, to protest. Many of the protesters burned their masks in a show of defiance.
“The Hasidim will not change their behavior due to the pandemic unless they want to because, in New York, their actions don’t have consequences,” said Donny Moss of TheirTurn.net, an animal rights news magazine that documents Kaporos events each year. “Because of their voting power, elected officials move mountains to curry favor with them, even if that means helping them break the law and jeopardize the public health.”
Kaporos, a ritual animal sacrifice that takes place in the week leading up to Yom Kippur, is a perfect example. Each year before Yom Kippur, the Hasidim in Brooklyn erect approximately 30 makeshift slaughterhouses without permits on public streets and kill over 100,000 chickens (a conservative estimate) in violation of 15 city and state health and cruelty laws. Invariably, Kaporos practitioners and advocates who rescue chickens contract e. Coli and campylobacter. Nevertheless, the city provides the Hasidic community with police officers, floodlights, barricades and traffic cones which are used to bleed the animals out onto the streets.
In 2020, the animal rights community thought that Kaporos would be canceled for two reasons. First, elected officials and health authorities knew in advance that social distancing and mask wearing guidelines would not be practiced during Kaporos events, which, incidentally, would be taking place in areas already designated as Kaporos hot spots. Second, the Kaporos sites are wet markets where tens of thousands of customers physically handle the live animals before they are slaughtered. In light of the fact that COVID19 is a zoonotic disease that is widely believed to have jumped from animal to human in a wet market, the advocacy community thought that the City would cancel Kaporos to prevent the potential outbreak of another zoonotic disease.
In the weeks leading up to Yom Kippur, the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos plastered hundreds of posters throughout NYC sounding the alarm about the health risks posed by Kaporos.
To the dismay of the advocates, the COVID pandemic, the risk of another zoonotic disease outbreak, and the health and cruelty violations didn’t compel the City to stop Kaporos from happening.
“One day, however, the victims of Kaporos will fight back in the only way they can – by unleashing a zoonotic disease on us that will rapidly spread through the Hasidic communities and lead to another global pandemic,” said Moss.
Before Yom Kippur, hundreds of thousands of Hasidim in the NYC tri-state area practice Kaporos, a ritual animal sacrifice (photo: Unparalleled Suffering Photography)
Animal rights and public health advocates have pledged to continue to educate the public about the health and cruelty violations and to hold past and present NYC health officials like Drs. Mary Bassett, Demetre Daskalakis, Oxiris Barbot and Dave Chokshi accountable for their decision to prioritize politics ahead of public health.
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Donny,
Do you attend Anti-abortion Protests?
If you are an animal rights website what does Measles and COVID and Jews voting in a bloc to gain political support have to do with anything? You don’t care about others not wearing a mask because they aren’t doing Kapparos? Wow what a hate filled man you are. More of your double standard.
You are allowed to be against Kapparos, but when you blame a whole Jewish community for Measles and COVID and try to tie that to Kapparos and say they get away with it because they vote in a bloc for political reasons it’s flat out Anti-Semitism. Not all Orthodox Jews practice Kapparos with a Chicken and they all don’t vote in a bloc; and the majority of Orthodox synagogues and jews practice social distancing and wear masks. you are spreading the same blood libel in the middle ages. But I don’t expect a bigot and fraud like you to understand….
If people were abusing animals at this event in this video, then we would have been there documenting and attempting to help the victims. TheirTurn is an animal rights website. We expose Kaporos because, in Brooklyn alone, over 100,000 six week old chickens are intensively confined in crates for up to several days with no food, water or veterinary care before they are yanked out of the crates by their fragile wings and swung in the air. This year, thousands of chickens died in the crates before they could even be used in the ritual. Thankfully, activists rescued over 500 survivors who received veterinary care and will spend the rest of their lives in sanctuaries. Invoking anti-semitism in response to legitimate criticism is an insult to the real victims of anti-semitism.
Yeah that’s what I am talking about. It’s called selective enforcement. Both Coumo and Deblasio also fully supported thousands of BLM Protests and rioting without masks or Social distance in the middle of the pandemic but they let it happen. Coumo and Deblasio will go down in history as leading the Anti-Semitism in NYC and theirturn will be seen as their Proproganda arm.
John Doe
Check this out? Where are the masks or police enforcement? Amazing how it’s ok here but for Jews not.
https://youtu.be/QR8xHD7pwig
We need to treat all life (6 week old chickens and six week old embroys) as precious. Let’s stop abortion too! Only if animal rights activists spent the same amount of time Protesting at abortion clinics we would bring more life into this world. In a time of COVID and people dieing why do we kill unborn babies?
Donny tens of the of people protested Police Brutality not wearing masks or social distancing in the midst of the Pandemic and even the other day stopping traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. There were tons of Muslims celebrating their holiday with no masks. Nothing gets done to stop that
And those Orthodox Jews are individuals and do not represent all Jews….. that’s what the issue is. Why selective enforcement? Why a blanket statement all Orthodox Jews are like this? You sir are part of the problem and it makes no difference what religion you are. You are a fool of you don’t see how targeting an entire community is bias….have you read any of the comments on your social media? Please you aren’t fooling anyone….you were harassing the Orthodox before COVID started and even claimed they spread measles.
John. In Brooklyn, tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews congregated without masks in crowded and semi-enclosed (in some cases) Kaporos events in Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Borough Park and Midwood. It was business as usual in spite of the fact that some of those areas were already designated as COVID hot spots. This year, Kaporos practitioners not only inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on six week old animals, but they also knowingly participated in events that could spread COVID to the general public. The Orthodox media watch folks, like you, can invoke “anti-semitism” all you want, but, as you must know, the Jews protesting Kaporos and rescuing the survivors are motivated by protecting animals from terror and protecting people from COVID.
Donny
I hope that, one day, you face inward and acknowledge the needless pain and suffering you have inflicted over the years upon millions of Jews (Gods Creation) and make the switch to peace.
John Doe,
Amazing Donny says “we are a media watchdog in the Hasidic community who trolls the internet crying “anti-semitism” any time someone publicly exposes the harm you cause to others.”
Yet when you expose the harm he has fosterd on the Orthodox community he goes on a rant about it. Hypocritical much? I guess publicly exposing a community of people for the actions of individuals doesn’t count as hate speech anymore? What’s next? All Asians have COVID?
Donny you have a right to be against Kapparos; but you are attacking the whole Orthodox community with your comments. Not all Orthodox Jews follow the ritual and most Orthodox Jews follow the mask mandate and social distance. Being against a ritual does not make you Anti-Semitic…… Making a case against the whole community when only certain individuals follow it is what makes you Anti-Semitic….just like Coumo.
More Anti-semitism from your twitter
Punished Oswald
@OswaldPunished
Replying to
@CowsProtector
@theirturn
and 4 others
Yes they are. This is one of the more minor things Jews do that’s evil. 109 countries they have been kicked out of for a reason.
S
@JustaverageV
Replying to
@theirturn
@MarkLevineNYC
and 5 others
We all know they have a secret sacrifice ritual for the goyim.
truthSpeaker
@TrufSpeaker2020
Replying to
@theirturn
@NYCMayor
and
@JoeKGoldstein
Hitler used 1 chicken to cleanse himself from all sin. Hitler is now in heaven because of Kapparot ritual
“all pedofiles physcopaths ppl who have no problem hurting animals get them off this planet they don’t deserve to be here”
artin Vanderhof
@wethinkwerefree
Replying to
@Samaa98293100
@theirturn
and 7 others
They rejected Jesus. That’s why we have a hard time getting along with each other.
the list goes on and on…….but you don’t support this behavior right Donny? (SMH)
If you are against Anti-Semitism join us
Thursday, October 15, #EndJewHatred is holding a protest from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the main entrance of the New York Public Library in Manhattan (476 5th Avenue, New York, NY). We encourage readers to attend this protest and others like it. We echo the protest’s organizers in saying, “We demand that Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio and Social Media stop targeting the Jewish community.”
The fact that you delete the posts I show is Anti-Semitic proves you are one of them. Lmao. You can’t hide anymore!
more Anti semitism! you keep deleting! I will keep posting. Shows you are a fraud!
Sleepy Blinder⚡
@SleepyBlinder
Replying to
@theirturn
@MarkLevineNYC
and 5 others
Are these those innocent, peaceful jews that Hitler supposedly Gassed to death with delouser for absolutely no reason at all?
2:50 PM · Sep 26, 2020·Twitter for Android
Replying to
@theirturn
@MarkLevineNYC
and 5 others
It can only truly be a product of a backwards desert tribe that has no morals and no heart! Sick people!
Cool Casual
@Russian27532787
Replying to
@theirturn
@MarkLevineNYC
and 5 others
I blame the j3ws for this
Replying to
@theirturn
@MarkLevineNYC
and 5 others
Why are so many fools here blaming all humans for the twisted inhumane protocols of Judaism?
Donny why don’t you go to any Anti-abortion Protests? You believe a life shouldn’t be stopped right?
You are a brutal Anti-Semite…..you don’t get a pass because you “claim” to be a Jew. You hate Orthodox Jews and you promote hate Proproganda on your social platforms. You can’t hide behind your animal rights any longer. Your lies will only get you so far. You are no Jew. Like others say a real Jew doesn’t post hateful Proproganda on Shabbat and Holidays. You are a fraud and so is your possie. People aren’t stupid and they see your hate boiling up inside now that you are losing support.
Mr. Doe. With all due respect, I know that you are not a “liberal Jew,” and I know you haven’t participated in Kaporos protests. Like two other people who post comments on my Kaporos articles, you are a media watchdog in the Hasidic community who trolls the internet crying “anti-semitism” any time someone publicly exposes the harm you cause to others.
You, “Fred Isaacson” and “Reform Jew” can call me and my Jewish colleagues “anti-semitic” as much as you want, but I hope that, one day, you face inward and acknowledge the needless pain and suffering you have inflicted over the years upon millions of baby animals (God’s creatures) and make the switch to coins as Kaporos.
https://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/editorial/governor-cuomo-covid-and-the-jews/2020/10/14/
Thursday, October 15, #EndJewHatred is holding a protest from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the main entrance of the New York Public Library in Manhattan (476 5th Avenue, New York, NY). We encourage readers to attend this protest and others like it. We echo the protest’s organizers in saying, “We demand that Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio stop targeting the Jewish community.”
I used to be part of these Protests during Kapparos but as a Liberal Jew I can no longer support theirturn and Donny Moss. This has become Anti-Semitism at it’s worse…..it is no longer about the animals; it is now about the people involved. There is so much hate speech on Social Media and thierturn, twitter and Facebook.
Hateful posts about Orthodox Jews now are at its peak in years so there is no need for this article. All you are doing is adding fuel to the fire and it’s sad.
He does it on purpose; he knows religious Jews won’t see it because they actually follow the holidays and don’t use electricity. It gives the haters a 2 day lead to post comments. Donny isn’t that dumb; just a hate filled man.
Thanks Fred. This is deplorable; the worst part Donny Moss says he is a Jew….what kind of Jews posts this on the Sabbath and Holiday; October 10th was Shabbat and the last day of Sukkot? He is a hypocrite.
Donny you could learn from this article
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-dont-let-anger-fuel-antisemitism-20201013-vxzfqs565zghphqbqlngoei4sa-story.html%3foutputType=amp
Hey Reform Jew I went through many of these articles and comments and are indeed Anti-Semitic in nature. It has been reported to Facebook Twitter and ADL. These animal rights activists are disguising Anti-Semitism in Animal rights. The owner of this hate platform and the Anti-Semitic commenters should be ashamed of themselves….this targets a group of people and not the actual practice of Kapparos. This needs to be reported.
Donny Moss you need to do a better job stopping this from turning into Anti-Semitism. Just reading the comments here shows you are fostering hate towards the Orthodox community and Jews in general and not the individuals within it who you feel are not following the law. You want to be against Kapparos; fine it’s your right…..but providing a platform for Anti-Semitism isn’t. There are more comments about the people than the practice and some of them are degrading to even reform Jews. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Why aren’t these activists upset about Abortion? Killing Babies is ok?
Time to end Abortion also! It’s just as barbaric!
Thanks Donnny for more of your Anti-Semitic Propaganda about Orthodox Jews and politicians! You can’t blame the problem on an entire community when only individuals within the Community is the issue. Because of Cuomo, Deblasio and other fools like you Orthodox Jews are now a scapegoat. Just look at the comments you bring here and on your other social media.
BTW How come people are allowed to not wear masks and not social distance at BLM riots or even beaches and parks? I see no enforcement there….double standard?
Hypocrites!
You can’t expect people to show kindness to any living being when people are still killing Embryos waiting to be born.
This is part of a “religion”?? It is a Voodoo ritual based on extreme ignorance and ridiculous nonsense. The supplier/s of the victims are nothing more than profiteers. That’s why they don’t want to close it down. In spite of the ghoulishness of the vile nonsense, the worse offenders are the city government dept’s. In spite of the fact that there are NO laws to protect fowl, this barbarity, on PUBLIC streets, violates a lot of laws including anti-animal cruelty. I truly don’t understand why the local government is allowed to turn a blind eye to such public horror. Local government, at the expense of its citizens, will pay a high price for their own lack of common sense, support of this voodoo ghoulishness, and waste of tax funds!
How these idiots can think that God would want them to sacrifice a chicken to pass their sins to in this modern age is truly insane. This is a barbaric ritual that should never be practiced. These people are in a cult and should wake up and join the real world. This is truly an embarrassment to the rest of the Jewish world. For them to do this in the middle of an pandemic with no masks also shows how ignorant they are. They are spreading disease in the streets and also the pandemic amongst themselves.This is not what the Jewish religion is about. They are making a mockery out of Yom Kippur.They are creating a sin by what they are doing. They should ask forgiveness for this stupid ritual. Just go to temple like every other good Jew and ask forgiveness for their sins. God knows they have many.
Thank you Donny Moss for your continuing coverage of the Kaporos nightmare, its animal cruelty and public health violations and consequences. We are confounded by the madness and badness of the Kaporos practitioners and the City and NYS officials. A conspiracy doesn’t have to be clandestine to be a conspiracy – in this case, a conspiracy of pure evil. Karen Davis, United Poultry Concerns. http://www.upc-online.org
“In their behavior toward creatures, all men are Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they’re the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought.” ― Isaac Bashevis Singer
“We have enslaved the rest of the animal creation, and have treated our distant cousins in fur and feathers so badly that beyond doubt, if they were able to formulate a religion, they would depict the devil in human form. ” — William Ralph Inge
“There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast, it is all a sham.” ― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty
All I can say if fucking outrageous and that poor blood soaked chicken looking up as if begging for help and for his life. That picture is heartbreaking. God, how does this wet market continue to exist when it is such an obvious health violation. “Religious freedom” should go only so far and not to where it can negatively affect the lives of the rest of humanity. These people are not insulated in their own world somewhere. This is disgusting.