Kapparot killing--Mary Cummin's blog

Kapparot chicken swinging/killng ritual is not humane or legal

Woman holds cup of chicken blood to take home and put over door and on children's foreheads


Iranian Jew drinks chicken blood from a cup in front of us

Jewish rabbi swinging a chicken over someone's head to take away his sins
Every year for six days before Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement on October 2) some Jews perform the ritual "Kapparot." Kapparot is a custom in which the sins of a person are symbolically transferred to a fowl. The fowl is held above the person's head and swung in a circle three times while certain words are spoken. The fowl is then slaughtered so that the person may have a good, peaceful life. Sometimes the chickens are given to the poor as food but unfortunately the chickens are not always cared for or killed humanely.

In Los Angeles, California ritual animal sacrifice of any kind is illegal under Municipal Code SEC. 53.67. "No person shall engage in, participate in, assist in, or perform animal sacrifice. No person shall own, keep, possess or have custody of any animal with the purpose or intention of using such animal for animal sacrifice. No person shall knowingly sell, offer to sell, give away or transfer any animal to another person who intends to use such animal for animal sacrifice. 'Animal sacrifice' means the injuring or killing of any animal in any religious or cult ritual or as an offering to a deity, devil, demon or spirit, wherein the animal has not been injured or killed primarily for food purposes, regardless of whether all or any part of such animal is subsequently consumed."

The First Amendment "Freedom of Religion" does protect animal sacrifices except when a municipality or state has an existing animal cruelty statute that forbids it. If the religious sacrifice of an animal violates that statute, then the city or state can prosecute that act. If the animals as in this case were cared for, used or killed in a way that violates California's existing anti-cruelty statutes, then the defendants will not be able to fall back on the First Amendment as a defense. They would be guilty of animal cruelty which is punishable by a fine and/or jail time.

Kapparot is not mentioned in the Torah or in the Talmud. Several Jewish sages opposed the ritual, with some considering it a senseless heathen superstition. The Ramban (Nachmanides) and Rabbi Joseph Caro the compiler of the "Shulchan Aruch," the most authoritative code of Jewish laws called Kapparot "a foolish custom that Jews should avoid."

General Manager of LA Animal Services and ex-pastor Ed Boks stated, "Some of our nation's healthiest animal husbandry practices and laws originated in the ancient traditions of the Torah. Nowhere is the practice of Kapparot even mentioned in the Torah. It is a pagan tradition that has been muddled into the religious practices of a small Jewish sect. Kapparot should have no place in the 21st Century Los Angeles community."

Andrew Smith of Chicken Rescue asks people who customarily partake in this ritual to instead consider the humane and legal alternative. One may place money in a handkerchief and use this instead of a chicken. The money is then given to the poor. Former Chief Rabbi Israel Shlomo Goren stated, "Kapparot is not consistent with Jewish teachings and law. Repentance and charity can be better accomplished by using money instead of a slaughtered chicken."

Dr. Karen Davis President of United Poultry Concerns said, "Kapparot includes the pre-ritual cruelty to the chickens, who are forced to sit crammed together in their own excrement for days without food, water or shelter awaiting their terrible death. The mercy ascribed to God by those who seek God’s mercy for themselves is thus withheld from the chickens who have the same capacity for pain, fear and distress as human beings. That Kapparot is a medieval custom, and not a Jewish law, makes it even more reprehensible."

Dr. Richard Schwartz, a respected Jewish author & educator, stated: "The use of money rather than chickens is consistent with Judaism's powerful teachings on compassion to animals. At a season when we ask for God's compassion, we should have compassion on God's defenseless creatures." 

List of temples in Los Angeles which perform this inhumane ritual. Please, send simple polite letters asking them to stop. English is not their first language. 


Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDAMary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Her latest posts are about Gary Michelson and Found Animal Friends.  Mary knows everyone in animal rescue and welfare in LA and has her opinions and fact on each.

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I support tigers in Malibu--by Mary Cummins

I support tigers that want to move to Malibu - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates




Animal Rights attorney Orly Degani and white tiger



White tiger enjoying the pool
I'm probably going to get some heat for this post but this must be said. The white tigers that want to move to Malibu are clients of one of my vets. They are not declawed or defanged. I have photos of the tigers in my page as I've visited them. Residents of Malibu and sheep owners have more to fear from wild mountain lions, coyotes than tigers in enclosures. If the tigers escaped, they would not eat a person or animal. Anyone remember what happened with the Moorpark tiger that escaped? It only knew how to eat cubed steak. It didn't kill any animals and lost a lot of weight when it had escaped for two weeks. 

They bought the tigers to rescue from a breeder. One was going to be euthanized and was very sick. I was there when it was very sick. The owners have a lot of money and just love tigers. Their move to Malibu is akin to the PAWS ARK 2000 elephant sanctuary in California. They are not circus or movie people by any means.

They only have an exhibit permit because that is the only way you can keep them legally. I have the same permit. If I don't have the exhibit permit, I must kill my sanctuary animals. I've taken animals from some of you that end up in sanctuary at my facility. Should I kill them instead? Should we kill all animals in all sanctuaries? I only take my skunk and opossum to events because they're easy to handle and enjoy getting praise and treats. All animal rescue sanctuaries must have this same permit. You must exhibit them a certain amount of time or you can't have the permit.

The animals are already here in Southern California. They just want to make a bigger, better enclosure and rescue a few more tigers. They have never escaped. They obviously can't be released back to the wild. They are not wild tigers but domestically bred tigers. They're white tigers.

Below are photos of animal rights attorney Orly Degani with the tiger. Also a photo of Dr. Jennifer Conrad with the tiger. The sisters exhibit the tigers for free for pro-animal education or animal causes such as the push to make declaw of big cats illegal. They support the Paw Project. I have photos in my page when they took the tiger to the Eco Station to support anti-declaw and educate people.

I personally know they get the best care, tons of enrichment and are in a huge enclosure many times larger than the legal requirements. I've met Irena Hauser and her sister Sophia Kryszek. They are true animals lovers and wonderful people.  They just want to move their facility to a bigger, better place. They chose that area because it is zoned for wild and exotic animals. The people who live there bought their homes knowing that it was zoned for exotic and wild animals. Quite a few have wild and exotic animals in that area. I support these two women and their plans. People should have probably talked to the sisters before jumping to all these false conclusions. 

Dr. Jennifer Conrad and white tiger client showing tiger's claws