Readers Write: Mashadi center opposes ritual killing of roosters

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Readers Write: Mashadi center opposes ritual killing of roosters

am the president of the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America, the governing body of the Mashadi community in Great Neck, in particular and the United States, in general. 

We would like to correct certain inaccuracies contained in an article appearing recently in your publications concerning the use of live chickens in our synagogue for the Yom Kippur Eve ritual known as Kapparot.

The Mashadi Jewish Center has never offered Kapparot services using live chickens. 

In fact, our Chief Rabbi has argued for years against the practice, citing religious grounds, which include the very humanitarian concerns raised in your article. 

Our rabbis’ objections to chicken Kapparot predate any of our community’s buildings in Great Neck and have been repeated year after year.

We wish to note that while it is our community’s custom to perform this religious service through donation of money to charitable causes, we do not pass any judgment on those communities that have a different custom nor do we opine as to the legality or illegality of the chicken Kapparot practice in Great Neck or anywhere else.

We are surprised and disappointed that you did not make a good-faith effort to verify the accusations with an authorized representative of our community and instead relied upon the unfounded and uncorroborated allegations of a single biased individual. 

We expect that your publications publish a retraction of the story and that the retraction be given the same prominence in your publications given to the original false article.

In the future, should your staff wish to obtain our community’s reaction to a story, we ask that inquiries be directed to my office.

Mehran Hakimian

Great Neck

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