Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava pardoned piglets Manchita, David, Shlomo, and Sakura at a ceremony Tuesday.

(JTA) — A Cuban restaurant is no place for a Jewish piglet to be so close to Christmas — unless of course, that pig is being pardoned in Miami’s annual pig pardoning ceremony.

Since 2017, Miami has celebrated a pig pardoning event ahead of Christmas in recognition of the large Hispanic population in the South Florida city.

While turkey may be the animal more typically associated with holiday animal pardoning ceremonies, pork is the more popular holiday centerpiece among Latin-American families, hence the city’s pig pardoning ceremony.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

This year’s pigs — named Manchita, David, Shlomo, and Sakura — were raised by Yariv and Asuka Mashav, two Jewish farmers who raise goats, ducks and pigs on their South Florida farm. The piglets were pardoned by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who is also Jewish.

“So this may sound like bad news for pork lovers, but it’s a great thing if you’re a pig since your Christmas-related activities in Miami-Dade County primarily include slowly rotating over an open fire,” Levine Cava said at the ceremony, according to NPR.

After the ceremony, the pigs will move to a foster home where they won’t have to worry about becoming somebody’s dinner. Not they were ever in much danger.

“It’s not kosher. They’re very safe in a Jewish house,” Yariv told NPR.

—
The post Christmas pigs raised by Jewish farmers get pardoned by Miami’s Jewish mayor appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount