When: Sunday, July 27 2014, 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Where: Home of Cheri Shankar in Beverly Hills, CA

Tickets available at: www.indiegogo.com

Suggested Donation: $75

Please join animal activists and other compassionate people for a congenial evening as we build community support to stop the unnecessary, cruel slaughter of chickens in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles.

We will be gathering together at the beautiful home of Cheri Shankar (animal advocate who was instrumental in passing the bullhook ban for elephants). Our "Stop Chickens as Kapparot” fundraiser will be held on Sunday July 27, 2014 and will feature a video presentation as well as wine and beer, a light vegan dinner and an in-depth explanation of the ritual and how we can save thousands of chickens.

TICKETS
Every penny counts! If you cannot attend the fundraiser, we would still greatly appreciate your financial support for the benefit of the hens and roosters.

BACKGROUND
On September 28, 2014 the Jewish week-long ritual of Kapparot begins. Practiced by a small minority of Orthodox Jews, the hardhearted tradition involves symbolically passing one's sins onto a chicken while swinging the frightened bird in the air, slitting the bird's throat while she or he is conscious and using the corpse to feed “the poor.” Most Kapparot practitioners have abolished the animal sacrifice and instead give a coin-filled bag to the poor.

In 2013 California activists successfully rescued over sixty chickens, transporting them to safety and nurturing care. Amazing transformations were made as these birds learned to stand and walk on solid ground for the first time, free from harm and the constant stress of Kapparot or factory farms.

Last year, after our powerful, week-long protests, the California Department of Food and Agriculture shut down three Los Angeles Kapparot operations, citing sanitation and illegal operation violations. Our protests drew virtually every major media outlet in Los Angeles, including the LA Times front page and Israeli media as well.

This year we are ramping up to prevent this cruel ritual via neighborhood outreach, legislation, legal routes, and news media. Street activists, together with Faith Action for Animals, have partnered with EARN (Expand Animal Rights Now) to provide legal defense for these innocent birds. To put an end to the brutal killing of thousands of chickens, our attorneys advise we need to raise $25,000 to cover marketing, organizing, and legal filings.

In Los Angeles two businesses have arisen in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, in which Jewish adherents pay as much as $26 per chicken for this “religious” service. The chickens cost the businesses pennies, netting them a huge profit, allegedly for charity. However, activists documented that the majority of birds were tossed in dumpsters or incinerated through private trash haulers.

We will gather to raise money to stop the use of “chickens as Kapparot” in the City of Los Angeles.

Join us!