Kaparos Raises Coronavirus Concerns In NYC

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 08/01/20 | News Source: ny1

NEW YORK CITY — Anti-Kapporos crusaders are relaunching a legal attack against the Orthodox Jewish ritual — which involves slitting throats of tens of thousands of live chickens in the streets of New York City — arguing the novel coronavirus pandemic presents new evidence it’s harmful to human health. 

“This is a real danger now that needs to be recognized,” attorney Nora Marino said. “It’s not about what could happen, it’s about what has happened.”

Marino, who represents the Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos (the name has multiple accepted spellings) filed this month a motion to renew her case — struck down in 2018 by the New York Court of Appeals —  and compel the NYPD to enforce Health Department codes she says are routinely broken during the pre-Yom Kippur atonement ritual. 

In her motion, Marino argues the COVID-19 pandemic represents new evidence of the dangers of public animal slaughter, drawing comparisons to the wet markets of Wuhan where some scientists believe the pandemic started its spread, although the origin is still under investigation.

“It’s not about what could happen,” Marino said. “It’s about what has happened because of a live animal wet market.”

It remains unclear whether a Manhattan supreme court judge will sign off on Marino’s motion, or when, considering the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 shutdown. 

But Marino says there is no time to wait. 

“We can’t afford to be reactive, we have to be proactive,” Marino said. “The health codes must be enforced.”

While Marino is among a select group focused on banning Kapporos, she is among a broader group of New Yorkers who worry about more than 80 live markets in New York City. Read more at NY1