Sep 26, 2016

Tel Aviv is not Mea Shearim

The City of Tel Aviv has decided to allow the minhag of kapparos to be fulfilled in the streets of Tel Aviv but they are banning the slaughtering of the chickens in the streets.

According to Behadrei, the city spokesperson said that they will not allow slaughtering or harming of animals in the public and open spaces of the city. Tel Aviv is a city that leads the way in the protection of animal rights and will do whatever necessary to prevent the harming of animals and damaging their rights. They also, therefore, do not allow the use of animals in circus performances in the city.

The Haredi representative in Tel Aviv rejected the claim that Tel Aviv is working to prevent the performance of the kapparos minhag, explaining that they are allowing kapparos to be done just not allowing the shechita to be done in the streets - indoors, in a private house, a butcher shop or in a shul is perfectly fine though. To quote Natan Elnatan - "there is no halachic oblogation to shecht the kapparos chicken in the street".

Elnatan also said that the fact that in Mea Shearim they take the coops out to the street and shecht there does not mean that it has become a tradition from our forefathers. In Bnei Braq also, he says, the merchants have taken over Rabbi Akiva street and you cannot pass by because of the shechting of chickens - not in Tel Aviv.

I love his answer. So sensible.







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2 comments:

  1. While I have no problem with banning shechita in the street, the motivation here is off.

    "Tel Aviv is a city that leads the way in the protection of animal rights and will do whatever necessary to prevent the harming of animals and damaging their rights."

    What does the location of shechita have to do with animal rights? Does it make a difference to the animal if it is slaughtered in the street or in a building?

    It sounds rather hypocritical -- you can slaughter the poor chickens, I just don't want to see it.

    (That being said, there are goods reasons to keep shechita in a slaughterhouse -- hygiene and general cleanliness. Not to mention not blocking the street and creating a traffic jam.)

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  2. true. he probably considers shechting without proper facilities to be cruel or bad for the chicken...

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