Yom Kippur in Israel

The Festivals and Events in Israel usually bear a religious flavor as most of the festivals have their roots back in the episodes mentioned in the Bible. As the occasions connote different phases of Jewish history, the country observes each festival with an equal sincerity. Yom Kippur is one of the most important days in the Jewish calendar, and Yom Kippur in Israel is an occasion which the country celebrates with an austere devotion.

Yom Kippur, according to the Bible, is a day for atonement of the sins done in the past year. As the day is observed on the tenth day of the Tishri, Yom Kippur is a perfect time for recalling the wrongs done so far and trying to make amends for them with the hope that the present year would be spent in virtue and goodness. To afflict the soul and thus make amends for the sins done, the Jewish community spends the day in an ascetic sobriety. Yom Kippur, for them, is the final chance to acknowledge their wrongs and make penitence before the divine judgment. Fasting and praying are therefore an inherent part of Yom Kippur.

A twenty five hour fast stretches from the evening before Yom Kippur to the dusk on the day. To chastise oneself further, the Jews refrain for any kind of luxury or merriment on the day, spending it in a complete solemnity and severity. Yom Kippur in Israel is a time when the entire country stops still to observe the day meticulously. Not only are the streets devoid of any vehicle, the local television too stops featuring any program of entertainment. As the solemn tunes from the synagogues waft across the silent streets, the country spends a day in reverence and contemplation.

Yom Kippur comprises of a succession of prayers which end in the evening with the tekiah gedolah, a long blow on the shofar. Kol Nidre is the service offered in the evening while Kol Nidre, the last service is performed before the scrolls of the Torah. After the candles are lit and the shofar is blown, the Jews return home to break their fast and pledge for a better life. As the day signals a time for purging the sins away, the Jewish community in Israel dresses themselves in white, taking the color to be a symbol of purity and virtue.