The Man Behind The Free Kaparos

Behind every community success story stands a generous soul who makes it all possible. This year’s revolutionary free Kaparos initiative in Crown Heights was made possible through the vision of Mr. Yossi Popack, which transformed how an entire community approaches this sacred tradition.

When Rabbi Shimon Hecht — who helped his late father, Rabbi JJ Hecht, bring the minhag of Kaparos to Crown Heights and has been overseeing Kaparos for NCFJE since his father’s untimely passing in 1990 — had discussions with community members about making Kaparos more accessible for families, a bold new idea emerged: offer it for free, allowing people to donate per their individual means. Mr. Yossi Popack enthusiastically supported this initiative, and pushed it forward to make it a reality.

This model aligns with Halacha, which emphasizes the importance of the “pidyon” (monetary exchange) alongside the use of a chicken for Kaparos.

The results exceeded all expectations. “Thank G-d we’re happy to say that it was a beautiful success,” noted Rabbi Shimon Hecht. “We were able to supply enough chickens for everyone in a smooth and dignified manner.”

Significant effort was also invested in streamlining the setup at the Beis Rivkah Crown Street parking lot to handle the large crowds, resulting in a quick and seamless experience for all.

Rabbi Hecht, reflecting on his decades of experience, shared: “I have been working in Kaparos together with my father since he brought this minhag back to Crown Heights, and have been blessed since my father’s passing to have run the Kaparos at NCFJE for the last 35 years. This year was a new experience, and BH in all positive ways.”

Kaparos continues Tuesday night at 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Beis Rivkah Crown St. with Shchita. People doing Kaparos on money can send their contributions to NCFJE to distribute at NCFJEkaparos.com

The organizers express heartfelt gratitude to community pillars Mr. Yossi & Batsheva Popack, Mr. Tuvya Greisman, Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin, The Hecht Team, Mr. Shneur Minsky and the other anonymous benefactors for their support.

Special thanks also go to Rabbi Sholom Goldstein and Beis Rivkah.