Crown Heights, NY – The battle lines are being drawn between The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization and the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE) with the advent of the season of Kapparot, the ancient Jewish rite of slaughtering chickens to atone for one’s sins before the holiday of Yom Kippur.
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PETA zeroed in for the second year in a row on NCFJE’s annual Kapparot project. The organization raises funds for its outreach activities by selling the chickens used for the ritual.
In an exclusive interview with Israel National News, NCFJE Chairman of the Board Rabbi Shea Hecht said he believes PETA is really aiming at the Jewish People, however, and not simply the NCFJE. “Jews all over the world are keeping this tradition,” he said. “It’s not New York they’re concerned with. They are really targeting Jews in Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, and everywhere else in the world. That’s what I believe.”
The chickens are slaughtered after they are gently lifted over one’s head in a circle while saying a prayer that notes it is the chicken that goes to its death, as opposed to the person for whom it acts symbolically as a proxy to carry one’s sins away.
They are later donated to poor families throughout the area, Rabbi Hecht said. “More than a thousand chickens are donated to local families in neighborhoods here in Brooklyn alone,” he said. Thousands more are donated to organizations in the metro New York area.
PETA, however, objects to the project and has made great efforts to put a stop to the practice. Last summer the organization complained to state and city agencies that NCFJE was guilty of cruelty to the birds, as well as a variety of health and safety violations.
No Independent Support for PETA’s Claims
According to Rabbi Luzer Weiss, director of the New York State Department of Agriculture’s Kosher Law Enforcement division, every Kapparot center is mandated to have a rabbi on site from the time the chickens arrive through the time of slaughter, in order to provide proper supervision. The rabbi is expected to ensure that the chickens are provided with food, water and appropriate shelter.
Last year, special inspectors made the rounds to ensure that the laws were enforced. “It went very well,” Rabbi Weiss said. He added that he received no reports of dumping any chickens, including at the NCFJE sites.
New Year, New Tactics in Battle for the Birds
PETA claimed in a formal complaint to the state, however, that NCFJE dumped thousands of dead chickens in garbage dumpsters last year rather than giving them to poor families. In a letter to the division of Kosher Law Enforcement, PETA called on the state to investigate Rabbi Hecht and NCFJE for possible consumer fraud in connection with the organization’s Kapparot Center in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
PETA charged the organization with a triple sin: lying to consumers about donating the chickens to poor families, violating Jewish law by wasting food (ba’al tashkes) and violating civic law by creating a burden for city sanitation workers.
The animal rights group said that on September 20, 2007, NCFJE threw the carcasses of thousands of chickens into hundreds of trash bags, which were then disposed of the next day by Greg’s Express trash collection service. “These are chickens that consumers expected to be processed for meat that would be distributed as tzedakah, or charity,” read the letter by PETA.
PETA’s Video: Sins of Omission?
Peta Video investigation see below
Rabbi Hecht bluntly denied PETA’s claims that NCFJE wantonly wasted chickens, and noted that PETA’s “investigative methods were not so kosher themselves.” The video footage shot by the animal rights group that allegedly showed the violations, he said, was itself misleading.
Greg, the owner of Greg’s Express, also said that the charge was unfair, and inaccurate, stressing that no one could possibly have any way of knowing what was in the bags or containers. “To my knowledge, the waste did not contain ‘thousands of chickens,'” he said.
Rabbi Hecht also noted that PETA had instigated a major email and fax campaign by thousands of its supporters that jammed the “in box” and phone lines in the office. “We also received one of the most vicious, anti-Semitic messages I have ever seen,” he said.
That letter, also apparently from a PETA supporter, had been faxed after the sender was unable to get it past the email spam checker on September 24, 2008.
Handwritten at the top of the printed page was the following: “I guess you are ‘blocking’ all e-mails from PETA. Go ahead and ‘Hide’ like the little ‘[expletive deleted]’ you are. Go molest your sisters.
The letter, addressed to a former member of the Crown Heights kosher certifying agency and faxed to NCFJE, continued:
LISTEN UP [expletive deleted]. I’M “GERMAN”, AND I WOULD LOVE TO EXECUTE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU… MAYBE WAVE YOU OVER GERMANS’ HEADS IN APPRECIATION OF THE HOLOCAUST. HOW DOES THAT SOUND? STOP DISGRACING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY BY INHUMANE TREATMENT OF CHICKENS. “KOSHER” MEANS “KOSHER”… YOUR PRACTICES ARE A DISGRACE AND I HOPE YOU, RABBI LEVERTOV, RABBI YOSSI BROOK, & LET’S NOT FORGET, RABBI ZALMAN OSDOBA (rabbis in the community –ed.), ALL ROT IN HELL. HAVE A [expletive deleted] LIFE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO E-MAIL YOU AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE THAT.
The cruelty at your kapporos center, year after year, is a disgrace. Please make the compassionate decision to use money instead of live chickens at the NCFJE kapporos.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit has opened an investigation into the correspondence.
‘Sins of Commission’
Meanwhile, apparently PETA is also not quite straightforward about its own record of dealing with animal rights. An opposition website called “PETA Kills Animals,” notes that the organization euthanized more than 90 percent of the adoptable animals in its care in Virginia in 2007 “rather than take the trouble to feed, shelter and place them in loving homes,” noted Rabbi Hecht.
“Clearly, it hopes to switch the spotlight away from the trouble in its own backyard by attempting to instead create trouble where none exists,” Rabbi Hecht commented.
‘PETA Aiming at World Jewry’
Rabbi Hecht said that PETA members told him that it was because his organization was the most easily identifiable group carrying out Kapparot that it became a target.
“For this purpose, as a Lubavitcher Chossid, as chairman of the board at NCFJE, I suppose I represent world Jewry to these people,” he said. “We will not be threatened.”
As for whether the NCFJE will continue its project, which it has carried out in various Brooklyn neighborhoods for decades, Rabbi Hecht was equally firm. “As long as there is a Constitution in this country, and there is a First Amendment that guarantees me the right to practice my religion, and my religion includes the tradition of using chickens for Kapparot, I will continue to use a chicken.
“That is my Constitutional right under the United States law, it is protected by the First Amendment, and I am going to do it, and make sure that other Jews have the same opportunity. Thank G-d for this country that guarantees us that right, to practice our religion as our forefathers commanded us.”
I almost felt bad for those chickens until I watched the end of the film and they show them being taken to a special home…Come on a sanctuary for chikcens…these guys are blown
R’ Hecht is giving PETA too much credit. In actuality, they didn’t have to lift a finger. The self evident truth about the cruelty, and irresponsibility of the organizers and patrons of public kapporos events did all the work for them.
The Mechaber equates kapores to idol worship. I’ll err on the side of caution and use money this year. Score one for PETA.
PETA is just trying to protect animals. They are not an anti-semitic organization. In fact, many of their members ARE JEWS.
Unfortunately, some of their issues are in conflict with ours. That does not make them evil, mean, or anti-semites. They just focus on different things.
Yes, sometimes they sound harsh on us. But, when we look closely, we can see that often they are right. There is no reason for us to torture the chickens for kapurois. They could and should be treated properly. They should be kept clean, well fed, well housed, and not over crowded, etc., None of these things would in any way interfere with our Kapurois needs.
We also need to clean up after ourselves. To leave the premises a pig stye, is really a major chillul Hashem.
This Kapporos practice is disgusting and, K’halacha, unnecessary. It is unbelievable Tzar Ba’alei Chiam, and probably a major chilul hashem as well. It has turned into a circus freak show every year and desensitizes jewish children to cruelty in the same manner as violent video games and TV shows. We are supposed to be an empathic and compassionate people, but sometimes we just don’t seem to be living up to that standard. Regardless of whether this Kapparos practice is allowed, we should be acting Lifnim meshuras hadin, and avoid hurting animals needlessly. If Money is as acceptable as chickens, we should not be using these animals.
Rabbi Shea Hecht is shamelessly lying. On the afternoon of December 31, 2007, in a private face-to-face meeting with PETA, Rabbi Hecht and Rabbi Yosef Moya of the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE) admitted that more than two-thirds of the slaughtered chickens at the NCFJE kapporos were disposed of and not given to tzedakah. NCFJE didn’t have the capacity to process thousands of chickens, and so the volunteers threw the garbage bags containing thousands of the slaughtered chickens into the dumpster. We also filmed an NCFJE representative during kapporos telling a questioner that the NCFJE couldn’t process the high volume of chickens and that it would use the purchase money to buy other chickens for the poor. Not only is this a tremendous waste of lives and money, it also resulted in the additional suffering and slaughter of thousands of “replacement chickens.” The garbage bags full of the dead, unused chickens are clearly shown in the PETA undercover video.
The chickens at NCFJE were not given food or water, and they languished in the filthy, cramped cages piled on top of each other. You can see all of these inhumane conditions and other violations of tsa’ar ba’alei chayim in the video of PETA’s undercover investigations of kapporos: http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/kapporos.
PETA is asking compassionate Jewish community members to perform kapporos using money instead of live chickens.
Philip Schein
Senior Researcher
PETA
Dear Philip Schein – sr researcher. Why dont you use yourntime efforts and resources to protecting the abused children of this world. I love animals but I Think protecting people is more important. Dont you. If you could save a child or a chicken which would you choose? Because as you go around the world saving chickens there are children being beaten and starved to death in every corner of the globe. As I have said before, I’ll support the efforts of PETA when all the humans are taken care of
ANIMAL RITUAL AND OTHER STUFF HAPPEN AROUND THE WORLD BUT ITS ALWAYS A PROBLEM WHEN IT HAS TO DO WITH JEWS. THAT OUR LIFE.
The people that belong to PETA are seriously disturbed. They routinely express more outrage over supposed “animal suffering” and say nothing about human suffering. It would be ironic if in their next gilgul these people became the animals they waste their lives defending.
“The Mechaber equates kapores to idol worship. I’ll err on the side of caution and use money this year. Score one for PETA.”
It’s idol worship whether with chickens or with money.
Why not watch these?
http://petakillsanimals.com/
http://animalscam.com/
You decide what PETA’s motive is.
Peta are a bunch of liars. Philip Schein really needs to klop Al Cheit very hard this year. I did Kaporos
NCFJE this year as always and everything was very orderly & calm, despite the massive crowds of hundreds.
There were people filming & taking pictures. No body stopped them or argued with them because they had nothing to hide and there were no violations or animal abuse. On the contrary, I saw plenty of animal-on-human abuse, namely, chicken dirt on heads!!
hey peta, i think if it was your life or the chickens, you would choose the chickens. that just shows how low u guys are. well we on the other hand, think that we are more superior than a chicken (we have brains!) and we rather the chicken die instead of us. and then we elevate it, to become a part of us. (with brains) I think it’s brilliant . if you have no brains!!!, then you should die instead of the chicken!!! (because you waon’t elevate the chicken!!!!!!!
In Nazi Germany, people were being killed in the most heinous ways. At the same time, there were organizations for the protection of animals. They would not tolerate cruelty to animals, such as not feeding a pet on time. Anyone guilty of not feeding their dog or cat properly was arrested and the animal would be confiscated and fed at government expense–at the very same time, an hour earlier or an hour later, they treated humans in the absolute opposite manner. It is therefore evident that kindness and charity must be based upon a devotion to Torah instruction Then we may be confident that the devotion to charity will be with true kindness. (from a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Chabad.org) the handwriting’s on the wall-this organization must be stopped
PETA Dehumanizes humans and elevates animals. No surprise that PETA; a bunch of animals, would advocate for animal rights! PETA, stop shaming the animals by having people call you animals. That would be an insult to animals!
i am shocked to see people defend this peta schmutz against our torah and rabbis whats wrong with you all
Just do what I do. Whenever I see a Peta ad or article I go out and by myself a delicious burger or piece of chicken. If enough people would publicly do it hopefully they will go away.
I myself worked in the Kashering process and I myself have seen that all the Kosher chickens were Kashered.
Is this Philip Schein the same Philip Schein that went to Ivy League a summer program of NCFJE? I think I smell a dead chicken here!
Anyone who questions the validity of this holy minhag is a morediker am haaretz. Please crack open a Shluchan Oruch. The Gaonim, Tur, Rosh, Ramo, the Ari Hakodosh and the Shaloh are the ones who gave us this holy tradition.
From where did PETA get its smicha to tell yidden to change their minhagim???
Any yid that would change yiddishkeit because of PETA menuvalim is from the erev rav.
Is this not the same group that wants Ben & Jerry Ice Cream to use HUMAN BREAST MILK????
Leave me in peace with my chicken…
“Anyone who questions the validity of this holy minhag is a morediker am haaretz.”
Who is the am haaretz? The Shulchan Oruch calls it a minhag Emori.
Tayere Chevre,
I was present at the meeting with Rabbi Shea Hecht and Philip Schein of PETA.
At this meeting, Schein conceeded that the NCFJE operation (cages, transport, storage of birds, etc) was according to the industry standards. He also said that NCFJE had one of the best organized kapparos he had seen.
Schein’s expectation was that NCFJE would make some sort of public statement endorsing PETA and their position on animal welfare. When Rabbi Hecht refused, things got nasty very quickly.
Has anyone wondered why PETA filed complaints of “consumer fraud” against NCFJE instead of animal cruelty?
It’s because there is no cruelty. Animal cruelty is already illegal. If there was abuse, we could be shut down.
Both the NYC and NYS government have dismissed the notion of kapparos as “animal cruelty”. Now PETA “consumer fraud” complaint has been dismissed. What’s next is anyone’s guess…
Maybe illegal immigrant workers, who knows…?
To Philip Schein, kapparos is murder, your tefillin are toevah, your volleneh tzitzis are exploitation, and our one hope as the Jewish nation –to be able to bring karbonos to the bayis shlishi–is total depravity.
Honestly, Philip Schein is a very pleasant individual. He is, unfortunately, totally brainwashed and does not make distinctions between animals and men.
Gemar chasima tova
Best wishes for a Gemar chasima tova.
mamamia!!!!
Philip Schein !!!! as a fellow Jew we love you!!!!!
I cant wait untill Moshiach comes and we will stand TOGETHER in the Holy Temple and bring the Sacrifces!!!
I pray every moment for his coming!!!!!!
Why did the Chicken cross the road???
hmmm donnna
maybe PETA was gonna kill it!!!!
http://www.petakillsanimals.com
Ouch
This is absolutely ridiculous!! PETA is so fanatic, I ask that you please look up the latest article about PETA and Ben and Jerry’s and you’ll understand who we’re dealing with here. They are a group of fanatic zealots that have nothing better to do then target innocent people who enjoy cows milk in their cereals… all those supporting Peta’s view, you should know it doesn’t begin and certainly will not end with kaparos… It’s anti Religious neto!!!
Philip Schein, it’s time to retire and move out to the boondocks, a place where you’ll have no contact with other cruel humans who want to enjoy some cereal and a good piece of kishke in their chulent….
I would highly recommend some remote mountains in Laos… pick up a hobby…
We need to clean up our act re: kaporos. I am not talking about the actual act of kaporos, or the shechita, I am talking about the way the chickens are treated before-hand, all squashed in their crates, without water for days. This is not good, and we all know it.
Let’s start treating these chickens better, and not be a part of tsa’ar ba’alei chayim. Forget PETA – let’s do it because our Torah tells us to.
These birds are dying for our aveiros. Let’s treat them with dignity.
I do not live in Crown Heights, but I plan on going there with my family this year just to show them my support!
Shame on PETA!!!!
With all due respect the way chickens are transported has nothing to do with kapores, that’s the standard way of transporting them….
My family has always done kaporos with money, not a chicken, which I continue to do with my children.
Nevertheless, now that PETA is involved, I hope that as many yiddin as possible do kaporos with a chicken. PETA has no moral standing with me, and should be condemned as the Holocaust-trivializers that they are.
Minhag Kaporos is well anchored in halacha. I know the Lubavitcher Rebbe did it.
The commercializiation of the process has attracted attention. And yes, there is room for improvement to the handling of the chickens (how/where/when stored/fed), especially if you’d like to accord them the same quality of life you’d want for yourself. But if
A. you accept the notion that they will soon be killed, in the most humane way (according to ritual halacha) and that it is in the best interest (religiously and financially) of the organizers to see to it that the chickens get eaten later, and
B. you accept the notion that PETA is primarily driven and comprised of undemocratic, anti-religious, agenda-laden, priority-skewed people with people’s blood on their hands (when you are willing to lie and trump up things to put someone out of business in the name of your personal desires and gains, that’s human blood to me)
then for me, the choice of what position to take on the matter is a no-brainer.
If you really care about the chicken until and after it dies, but consider yourself machmir in minhagim, do Kaproros on chicken by getting one off the truck when it comes, store it yourself and feed it, privately hire the shochet to shecht, kasher and use it. I know people who do this. Co$t$? Since when do you tighten your fist for mitzvos realted to Yom Kippur? If you really can’t then ask the organizers to your heart’s content about the process details. And if you still can’t stomach the notion, do it on $. But do as you see fit and let others do as they see fit.
Those who make a living off of finding what others do wrong wear a crown that says – Kol Haposel BiMumo Posel.
Without the consent of their parents. Where are the crown Heights parents to allow their kids to be on public videos without written consent?? I think Parents need to form a class action lawsuit against PETA for publishing pics of their minors when it is clearly not allowed by law?? Why do we always take the garbage, from organizations like this one??? where is our backbone?
Whether Kaparos is a holy minhag or darchei emori is irrelevant. The fact is that the chickens are mistreated and then frightened when lifted over one’s head. No question about tzaar baalei chaim. If people weren’t so quick to judge and stop and think how they might possibly be doing physical or psychological harm to the animal they might reconsider what they are doing. Why is it that frum Jews by and large couldn’t care less?
To Yosef Moya:
I see you do not dispute the fact that at the meeting, you and Rabbi Hecht admitted that over two-thirds of the thousands of slaughtered chickens at NCFJE were just disposed of – not distributed to tzedakah. You were the one who provided this official figure. Rabbi Hecht is now lying about this. And as you know, we already covered all the cruelty and health issues which were detailed extensively in the 2007 complaint to the health department and kosher law enforcement divison. These egregious viloations of tsa’ar ba’alei chayim were also throughly documented in the video.