Hollywood, FL - Judge Slashes Fine Against Jewish Family for Keeping Chickens

Steve Cohen holding one of his chickens in front of his house

Hollywood, FL - A more than $200,000 fine against a family for keeping a gaggle of backyard hens has been reduced to $100, upon order of a Broward judge.

The fight between the city and an orthodox Jewish family over the chickens in the upscale Emerald Hills neighborhood has been ongoing for more than two years.

The 12-member Kohn family says its 17 chickens were legal “small domestic” kosher pets. The city says they’re illegal “fowl or poultry.”

The Kohns, whose ancestors were from Syria and Morocco, claim they’re being harassed because of their Middle Eastern descent.

City officials dismissed the Kohn’s claims of discrimination.

Towbin Singer ruled that according to city ordinance, the fine for keeping illegal fowl or poultry within city limits cannot exceed $100.