Thousands Take Advantage of Subsidized Kapores

Thousands of Crown Heights residents took advantage of Kapores being offered at a subsidized price of just $5. The discount was offered thanks to the generosity of a number of philanthropists who enabled NCFJE to offer the deep discounts. Also, This year special pens were set up to allow the chickens to roam freely.

The chickens were offered in the parking of of Beis Rivkah, and was set up in a neat and organized fashion.

Also, this year special pens were set up to allow the chickens to be released from the cages and roam in a much larger area while waiting to be purchased for the use of Kapores.

Photos by Sholem Srugo

20 Comments

  • malky

    was ANYONE bothered by the mistreatment of all the chickens that died from lack of water and food? this flies in the face of yiddishkeit that respects animal life, and deprecates the meaning of the minhag

    • larry

      Why don’t you follow the trucks the transport chickens to other parts of the country on a normal day and see how many are dead and suffocating in those trucks what’s your point

  • To #1

    Tzaar Baalei Chaim, the suffering and mistreatment that chickens go through for kapporas is not acceptable.
    I will use money instead.
    I will teach my children, which is 1/365 Mitzvot, to be kind to animals.
    I’m not a fanatic protestor, but I also think for myself, I will no longer follow blindly I the Rabbonim’s, and I definitely don’t need to ask a Mashpia what to do with Kapporas.

    • Milhouse

      There is no source for doing kaporos on money. It’s an extremely recent idea, and it makes no sense. How is the money’s life being exchanged for yours? If you can’t or don’t want to use a chicken, then use a fish. Buy a goldfish from a pet store, shlog kaporos with it, and then feed it to a cat, or just flush it down the toilet.

  • ahavasyisroel

    This anti kapporos thing does seem to be rooted in kefira. Valuing chickens over the Rebbe!

  • Till when is the $5 deal

    Is this $5 deal gona be going on till EY”K in the morning, meaning is it gona go from now till Fri morning or is it over today – Wed or Thurs being that EY”K is Thurs nite, if u have info please share in the comments, ty

  • S

    I too am very bothered by the thousands of chickens that died. I’m an ordinary person in crown heights, and was taught the importance of being careful with Tzaar Baalei Chaim. I learned this from the famous story by the frierdike Rebbe about the children who were chasing the animals in the farm.

    Aside from tsar Baalei chaim this is very bad business practice

    I believe the question we need to ask ourselves is, Does Hashes really want us to do Kaporos while putting the chickens through such torture?

    Perhaps it’s time we did Kaporos in small groups of retailers, this way, although it maybe more expensive, each retailer will ensure that he does not have losses from dying chickens and will ensure that they are provided with what they need.

  • malky

    to 8 and 7
    are we like the nations of the world? Do you think I care what goes on in the country. I care how we, as Jews treat animals. How do you teach your children respect for animal life.
    Do you honestly believe that the Rebbe wouldnt be angry at the wasteful and inhumane treatment of the chickens?
    just say..you know, it wasnt right….hire more labor to take care of the animals before shechita. That is all, nothing to do w anything else, except not making a Chilul Hashem..you know it is not right.

    • ahavasyisroel

      The Rebbe used chickens for kappores so we have to do things just like the Rebbe did it. Not with waste but also not with money and not by throwing out our rabbonim because we think we know better

  • S

    As anyone spoken to a Rov and asked if it permitted according to Torah to do Kaporos with such widespread Tsaar Bali Chaim?

    • ahavasyisroel

      We can watch how all the rabbonim do their own kappores and do it just like them. They know what the actual halacha is and we shouldn’t go by what the halacha ‘feels’ like it should be

  • malky

    to ahavas yisroel…follow halacha and not destroy and waste animal life. Go and learn what happened to communities that wasted food…. Learn your shulchan aruch and stop being so ignorant.
    it is obvious that we are not against using chickens for kapparos. Its just a fact that the operation is not handled right, and if you dont have the man power to do it…dont do it.
    I think S is right. Go in small groups. Have a little compassion and kavanna. This was absolutely horrible what was going on. It is clear that you didnt see what was happening, but it was wrong.
    in Williamsburg, the mistreatment was terrible, and all they said..why bother giving them food and water for three days? they are being killed anyway.”.is this our position? Why cant the leaders of our community stand up and say something?
    Great…that is just great..a fine example of Jewish people being a light to the nations. Just great. This is a mitzva that is clothed in an aveira. And everyone knows it.

  • Arizal

    The Arizal once stayed at the home of a pious and G‑d-fearing man, who welcomed him with great honor and fulfilled the mitzvah of hospitality with a lavish hand. The Arizal remained in his home for several days, and his host’s devotion moved him deeply.

    As he prepared to leave, the Arizal said to his host: “How can I repay you for the abundant kindness and affection you have showered on me while I was your guest? Ask me what you will, and I will bless you!”

    The man sighed. After a short silence, he said brokenly, “What can I ask for, Rebbe? I have everything, thanks to G‑d. I have money and do not have to worry about my livelihood, and I am also healthy. There is only one thing I need.

    “My wife, may she live long, has borne several children. But many years have passed, and she has not been able to bear any more children. We have asked doctors what the problem is, but they have found nothing wrong.”

    His holy guest contemplated for a moment, and then said, “I see the reason. Know this, my friend: The trait of compassion, which is a mark of the descendants of our forefather Avraham, is very important. A person must be extremely careful not to cause suffering to his friends, to other people, or to any living creature.

    “On your property is a chicken coop. In the past, a small ladder was fixed at its entrance, so that the chicks might go down to find bowls of food and water for their nourishment. When your wife noticed that the ladder and the ground beneath it were becoming dirty, she instructed the maid to place the food and water directly into the coop, and to remove the ladder. From that day on, the chicks have been greatly distressed. Being young and small, they find it hard to fly, and now the pleasure of going up and down the ladder has been taken away from them.

    “In their distress, the chicks have cheeped and chirped, and the sounds of their sorrow have risen to the Throne of Glory, where they stand as an accusation against your wife. Since then, she has been prevented from bearing children.”

    The host listened to this revelation with amazement. At once, he ran to find the ladder that had stood by the chicken coop. He quickly picked it up and returned it to its original place, at the entrance to the coop.

    It was not long before G‑d blessed the man’s wife, and she began to bear children as before.

    In the zechus of keeping our holy minhagim properly, may we all be zocheh to a gmar chasimah tovah bG”ur.

  • Moishe pipek

    #16 First the gemorah states that if somebody tells a maise shyoya when a halocha is discused he is not to be beleived.Second Malky is not against,. the minhag of kapress just against the cruelty praticed now.The Ari zal even according to you was speaking to an individual not to mass production factory.The chickens probably was crying because it did not want to slaughtered not because of torture

  • Yossel

    I’m sorry, but the whole Kapporos thing is like a giant, noisy, smelly circus!!! There is virtually no organization, people shove and push in the lines, the chickens stink, and Israeli bochurim (whom I assumed were on Kevutza, which means they are supposed to learning full time) harrass the customers for money, banging their boxes in your face. Ecccch! Where is the spirituality in this mess?