Kaparot ritual
Kaparot ritualFlash 90

Petah Tikva and Rishon Letzion have joined Tel aviv in banning the public performance of kapparot, an annual pre-Yom Kippur ritual in which a chicken is swung over a penitent's head before being slaughtered and donated to the poor.

The Petah Tikva municipality's announcement stated that this year the kapparot ritual would not be performed under the Chief Rabbinate's supervision as before. The announcement also stated that the performance of this custom, even without slaughtering the chicken afterwards, requires the approval of the veterinary services.

The Rishon Letzion municipality published a similar statement after pressure from environmental groups.

Last week the Tel Aviv municipality announced that it would not allow the ritual to take place in public places. "We will not allow slaughtering or any other harm to befall animals in order to fulfill the kapparot ritual in open places or in the public arena.

"As a city which champions animal rights, the municipality sees itself as obligated to prevent their being harmed and to maintain their rights, and for the same reason it proscribed the use of animals in circuses," said the Tel Aviv municipal statement.

Yesterday, a Los Angeles judge issued a temporary restraining order against performing the ritual in any format in the city of Irvine, California.