Shlugging kaparos in Cedarhust

The Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on Spruce Street was one of several locations in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway where the mitzvah of kaparos was performed in the days leading up to Yom Kippur.

Through this ritual an individual’s sins are symbolically transferred to a rooster (for a male) or a hen (for a female). The fowl is held aloft as the words, “This is my exchange, my substitute, my atonement,” are spoken.

The chickens are then shechted and donated to the poor. Alternatively, many perform the ritual with money.