PETA is working with the Jewish animal-welfare organization The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute, along with caring individuals everywhere, to turn kapporos—a religious ritual in which ultra-Orthodox Jews swing live chickens over their heads in order to symbolically transfer their sins to the birds, who are then killed—into a compassionate, lifesaving custom. Jewish laws mandate that animals be treated with compassion and respect, but there’s nothing kind or merciful about this ritual. Being swung around and slaughtered is just part of what the birds endure.

Before the ritual, which takes place in the days before Yom Kippur, chickens are crammed into small crates, often without food and water, and transported to kapporos sites. Some are kept for days in these filthy conditions and can die from dehydration, starvation, and exposure to high temperatures. Those who survive the long, stressful ordeal are thrown into plastic bins or garbage bags after their throats are slit. Video footage shows young boys laughing as they tie a plastic garbage bag, sealing a chicken inside to suffocate.

After the ritual, slaughterers cut the chickens’ necks in makeshift killing areas, often on a public street. Even though only a small percentage of Jewish people practice the kapporos ritual using live chickens, tens of thousands of birds are confined for use in it each year. Investigators have found that the chickens—whose carcasses are supposedly given to hunger charities—are often just tossed into the trash.

Many rabbis express opposition to the use of chickens for kapporos. Orthodox Jewish authorities permit symbolic sacrifices as alternatives, including performing the swinging ritual using money and then donating the funds to charity. The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute has started a #Kapparos4Compassion campaign, which aims to reframe the ritual into a life-giving, rather than a life-taking, custom. The institute urges participants to donate money from the kapporos ritual to an animal-advocacy organization, such as PETA.

PETA is encouraging participants to consider making at least an $18 contribution, since the number 18 symbolizes life in Judaism. Compassionate Jews agree that this is a humane and benevolent option. If you wish to donate to PETA for kapporos, please fill out this form. Thank you and wishing you a good yontif!