Hikind Attacks Lawsuit To Stop Chicken Ritual
Borough Park Assemblyman Dov Hikind, yesterday, called a Brooklyn group’s lawsuit demanding a stop to the Orthodox Jewish custom of waving a live chicken over one’s head three times before slaughtering it, “a disgusting misrepresentation of our custom.”
The ritual known as Kaporos is performed between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The belief behind the ritual is that it transfers a person’s sins to the bird, and the sins are absolved by the ritual killing.
The Brooklyn-based Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against four rabbis, several Hasidic congregations and the city to stop an annual religious ritual.
But Hikind said the suit which characterizes the practice as filling some Brooklyn streets with, “Dead chickens, half dead chickens, chicken blood, chicken feathers, chicken urine, chicken feces, other toxins and garbage” as having no basis in fact.
“The custom merely involves waving a chicken over a person’s head. And it’s something that I have done every year since I was a little kid in Williamsburg. For anyone to call this ritual ‘barbaric’ is insulting to Jews worldwide. Shame on them!” said Hikind.
Hikind maintained that after the waving of chickens over one’s head, the animals are slaughtered according to Jewish law in a humane way where the chicken feels as little pain as possible. Its meat is then distributed to poor families desperate for food.
“I live here, walk around here, have an office in the heart of the community. And I don’t know what in God’s name they’re talking about. They make it sound like there’s blood running in the streets. It’s just not true,” said Hikind.
Hamilton, Adams Stand Against Violence to the LBGTQ Community
Hamilton noted he has spent his entire career helping people, including over 15 years as President of the School Board and as District Leader. As such, including representing one of the most diverse senate districts in the state, he firmly believes that all people should be treated equally.
Joining the two lawmakers to decry the incident at the site of the attack are several organizations including the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, Chutney Pride, Caribbean American Pride, Empire Pride Agenda, Make the Road New York, and the Brooklyn Community Pride Center.
The stand in solidarity against acts of violence is slated for 1 p.m., tomorrow, Thursday, July 9 at the corner of Utica Avenue and Carroll Street in Crown Heights.
Golden, Abbate Bill Helping 9-11 Workers Signed Into Law
A bill that Bay Ridge Sen. Marty Golden and Bensonhurst Assemblyman Peter Abbate sponsored extending a task force charged with helping workers who’ve become disabled resulting from the work they did in clearing rubble from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was signed into law by Gov. Cuomo.
“I am proud to announce that working with my colleague, Assemblyman Peter Abbate, the New York State Legislature has rightly extended the opportunity for our state to care for those who responded in the wake of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. The Task Force has played a critical role in helping many of those who were exposed to hazards at Ground Zero. Now, it will continue to operate and we can make sure that we assist all in need appropriately,” said Golden.
Many public employees, including police, fire, correction, sanitation and civilians provided rescue, recovery and cleanup at the former World Trade Center site and other designated locations. Statistics indicate that these workers were exposed to numerous hazards which may have, and may continue to, impact their health in the future.
If any public employee was exposed to these hazards and can no longer perform their jobs, even after retirement, this law allows for an additional five years for the employee to apply for an accidental disability retirement. The application would be subject to the respective Retirement System review process by proving, by competent evidence, that the illness or injury was caused in connection with exposure to any
elements at the World Trade Center site.
In continuing the Task Force for another five years, this law also allows for the Task Force’s successful work in identifying additional issues that have arisen from the rescue, recovery, and cleanup of the former World Trade Center site.
