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Activist Arrested for Liberating Chickens; Hundreds of Others Found Dead

September 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment


The News

Kaporos, the annual chicken-swinging ritual that takes place before Yom Kippur, doesn’t start until Tuesday night, but, already, an activist has been arrested, and hundreds of chickens stacked in crates on the street have died.

Activist Arrested (photo: Yeshiva World News)

Activist Arrested (photo: Yeshiva World News)

Wearing a Mercy For Animals t-shirt, an activist from New Jersey was arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing chickens from a “Kaporos Center” in Brooklyn. Authorities found the liberated chickens in his vehicle. Sadly, these animals, who had a brief taste of freedom in the back of a van, will most likely be used in the Kaporos ritual and then slaughtered.

Liberated chickens are free no more (photo: Yeshiva World News)

Liberated chickens are free no more (photo: Yeshiva World News)

In a separate incident, Brooklyn resident Rina Deych, a founding member of the advocacy group working to end the chicken-swinging ritual, made the grisly discovery of hundreds of dead chickens stacked in crates, and she took footage with the hope that authorities would charge the perpetrators with animal cruelty.

stacked chickens kaporos2

Ms. Deych suspects that the chickens, who are deprived of food and water for several days, died of dehydration: “We just witnessed hundreds, possibly thousands of chickens dead in crates in Brooklyn. We called the police, but they would not take our report. NYPD is supposed to respond to animal cruelty and neglect cases.”

stacked chickens kaporos1

Ms. Deych’s video documentation of dead and dying chickens:

Your Turn

If you live in or near NYC, please attend one or more of the three anti-chicken swinging protests organized by the Alliance to End Chickens for Kaporos. The protests take place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Brooklyn, New York.



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TheirTurn.net Comments

  1. Vicki ZAREMBA says:

    I am invalid . Please stop this! I can donate, for all animal abuse causes below. Defenders of wildlife, Soi Dog, Earth Justice, PETA, and The Pig Stand, I have donated to as one time donations as I have no income at this time. My father passed and left me his savings, which I use mainly for my rescued animals. I have no funding or SSI yet, but I want to help these wonderful activists for all the causes listed below! Where can I send Pay Pal or Cashiers Check to? Thank you, to all you wonderful people. I wish I could be with you! Please contact, Paul Harvie at Stumblingbuffalo1@juno.com. LUV

  2. Kelvin says:

    I was there…. and we’ve only manage to rescue 17 of them, out of 50,000. That’s only in NYC, 50,000 more in California. Not only they’d kill them in cold blood, but they enjoy it… I witness their evil smile, it was a horrible scene. If religion has the right to kill, how can it be a word of God? if God wasn’t blood!! so why should we be afraid? We need a law to protect animal cruelty, regardless of religion!

  3. Abuse and death of birds will not occur in our State with our presents during this rite of “Faith”.

  4. Linda says:

    This is SO DISGUSTING….this Jewish tradition is SICK. Grown, supposedly religious men, leave these chickens in the heat, can’t stand up, no food or water then are swung around and necks slit, to show God that they want their SINS forgiven. WHAT….and where is the Rabbi? Isn’t the Rabbi the one who is supposed to kill animals.
    I sure don’t think that God will forgive their sins to sin further killing a helpless creature that God has created.
    Don’t these people remember the Holocaust? Well, they have created a Chicken Holocaust and should be SO ASHAMED.
    There are wonderful activist that go out on a limb to help these creatures and get arrested because they are trying to save these creatures. I thought Animal Cruelty was against the law. Why was this young man arrested. NYPD whould have arrested the Jews for abuse and not the people who are trying to help enforce the laws (The Animal Activist)…Thank you to the good people for watching and caring. I’m sick to my stomach that so many chickens died for nothing and will be tossed in the garbage for someone’s sins.

  5. marlen arciniega says:

    The activists are great people that shouldnt be jailed, the murdered are the one should be jailed. Leave the activists alone.

  6. Kelvin Diaz says:

    I completely lost my respect for those cops, the ones stealing lives are those murders!! by killing those innocent animals. I lost hope in the system, but I haven’t lost my hope. To fight for their rights to be free.

  7. Kim says:

    This is a crazy story! The activists are so brave!

  8. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!! These people are MURDERING animals. They are the ones who should go to jail!!!!!!!

  9. Paula says:

    I would like to thank the individuals that are a voice for the chickens! Rina, the woman that recorded the brutality the chickens face and Hesa who was arrested, are in my prayers.

Comments are closed.