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22

September 19 • 2013

Symbolic Atonement

Locally, a pre-Yom Kippur custom
involves both Jews and Muslims.

I

Shell! Liebman Dorfman
Contributing Writer

n the evening before Yom
Kippur, an astounding 3,000
individuals performed the rite
of kapores (symbolic atonement), with
its after-effects spilling over into both the
Jewish and Muslim communities.
The huge Jewish crowd gathered in
a white-tented area outside the Chabad
House of Farmington Hills on Sept. 12
to participate in the unique custom that
includes the recitation of a prayer and the
circling of a chicken overhead three times.
Participants paid a nominal fee, but
do not own the chickens. Many came as
families, and one representative would
circle a chicken for them all.
After the service, the chickens were
transported to Halal Live Chicken in
Hamtramck, where they were slaughtered
according to Jewish law, with most sold
to the needy in the Jewish community at
deeply discounted prices.
"We brought in a world-class shochet
(ritual slaughterer), Avrohom Greenberg
from Cleveland:' said Rabbi Herschel
Finman of the Jewish Hour radio show,
who has been organizing the service for
the past 25 years, along with Rabbi Chaim
M. Bergstein of the Chabad House. It is
done as a community service.
Kapores is not to be thought of a sac-
rifice.
"It is a humbling experience," Finman
said. "We are made to feel the value of life
and understand that this animal is going
to be losing its life shortly. We do not want
that to happen to us."
More than 200 individuals came to
Halal to watch the slaughter the morn-
ing after kapores. "They want closure
Finman said. "Being there brings the real-
ization of the fragility of
The chickens were processed at Halal.
"The birds must be cleaned, soaked and
salted before they can be consumed,"
Finman said. "With no kosher markets in
the Detroit area set up to process them,
we hired Halal, and they did an outstand-
ing job. This was a Jewish project that
included members of the Muslim com-
munity in an effort to show that the two
communities can work together and that
the differences between us are small.
"Halal's proprietor, Tony Islam, is very
impressed with the Jewish community
and honored to be part of this ceremony:'
Finman said. "He saw how we handled
the birds and was awed that we distribute
the chickens to the Jewish community:'
The chickens were ritually slaughtered

Tony Islam and Rabbi Herschel
Finman worked together.

on Friday morning and were in freezers
by 10:30 a.m. About 200 kosher chickens
are still available and may be purchased
at a low cost. The processing was done
under the supervision of the Council of
Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit
"It was their job to ensure that the pro-
cess was done correctly; a non-Jew may
salt kosher chickens under proper super-
vision," Finman said.
With no kosher poultry farms in
Michigan, the 1,200 chickens used for
kapores at the synagogue were purchased
from a poultry farm in Indiana.
Kapores can also be performed with
money — instead of fowl — which is
given to charity.
Finman is aware there is much concern
about mistreatment of chickens by partic-
ipants of kapores in some cities. "Here in
Michigan, the animals are kept cool and
comfortable he said. "They are handled
with compassion. The shechitah (Jewish
ritual slaughter) is the most humane way
to slaughter an animal. We are very aware
of tzar baalei chayim, the prohibition of
causing pain to animals:'
Finman is extremely attentive to the
manner in which the custom is fulfilled.
"I instruct each person on how to hold
the chicken so they cause no harm," he
said. "I make sure they do not grab in an
improper way and they do not hurt them.
There is no animal cruelty involved in the
kapores ritual.
"Regardless of religious affiliation, peo-
ple who attended kapores said they appre-
ciated being able to participate," Finman
said. "They told me it was like connecting
with their ancestors in being part of the
same rite:' ❑

For information on purchasing a
kosher chicken at a discounted
price, contact Rabbi Herschel
Finman at shliach613@aol.com .

