Yom Kippur
After every Rosh Hashanah comes Yom Kippur, which arrives a few days later, breaking the continuous flow of the autumn holidays.
Just before the celebrations and joys of the next in line – Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) – the State of Israel takes a 24-hour break, holds its breath, turns off its engine, and falls silent.
Yom Kippur is among the most important dates for Jews in the Hebrew year, but it's not a holiday in the usual sense of the word. There's no family or social gathering for joy and celebration; rather, it's the complete opposite: a personal introspection for every Israeli man and woman, with themselves.
There is no other day like it anywhere else in the world – a single 24-hour period in a year when an entire country ceases all routine activity.
This includes absolutely everything – no work, no restaurants or entertainment, no radio or television. Shops are closed. There are no vehicles on the roads, only children and teenagers riding bicycles, scooters, and rollerblades.
On this day, ten million residents are under a complete, self-imposed curfew.
For just 24 hours, they lower their profile, halt smiles, put joy on hold, clear their minds, and let the silence do its work.
Sacred and mundane intertwine – bicycles glide on the road, memorial candles burn, children ride, children pray, men and women of all ages walk in different directions – a casual stroll on the street, boulevard, or promenade. They go to get some air or clear their heads. Many go to synagogues where they offer one long prayer composed of several distinct sections – beginning with the "Kol Nidre" prayer and ending with the "Ne'ilah" prayer.
Even Arab citizens, the largest minority in Israel, who have no connection to this day, respect its sanctity and stay home without engaging in other activities.
Despite the religious roots of Yom Kippur, the State of Israel has not enacted a special law granting this day a religious character. Being a Jewish and democratic state, each of its residents behaves according to their worldview.
As of 2023, on this day, the 10th of Tishrei according to the Hebrew calendar, the residents of Israel are divided into two:
Those who go to synagogue – and those who stay home with increased activity on their various screens – television, computers, and phones.
And into two more: those who return home from the synagogue for continued private seclusion, and those who go out into the city streets, with their children and bicycles, taking the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk in the middle of the main road and meet friends from the neighborhood.
And into two more: those who fast – and those who don't.
And into two more: those who dedicate the day to soul-searching and ask forgiveness from others – and those who don't.
And into two more: those who stay in the country and those who travel abroad to avoid being part of any of the above.
Israeli Knowledge Bites on Yom Kippur:
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Traditional Blessings: "Tzom Kal" (An easy fast), "Gmar Hatima Tova" (May you be sealed for a good year).
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Rabbinic Insight (from the Sages): One who says: "I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for it" – Yom Kippur does not atone.
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A slug's line with respect for tradition: "Alright, if it wasn't Yom Kippur today, I'd kill you."
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Common Short Form: "Kippur" ("Wanna come over on Kippur?").
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Ecological Insight: A day without greenhouse gas emissions.
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Linguistic Derivative from Yom Kippur: "Kapara Alecha" (A term of endearment, literally "atonement upon you").
Historical Bits:
Yom Kippur is a sacred day with thousands of years of Jewish roots.
Its sanctity is enshrined in the Torah, given to the Jews when they became a nation, and it is indisputable. Even Secular Zionism and the reform movements that emerged in modern times – did not dare to touch it or change it beyond a few cosmetic adjustments, in the spirit of the times and eras.
During the British Mandate period, the Jewish Yishuv (pre-state community) maintained its special character – in the Moshavot (villages) and large cities, there was much activity before the day, and during the day itself, work ceased, with an influx of masses to synagogues.
An exception was Kibbutz members, a significant sector in the Jewish Yishuv and later in Israeli society.
Kibbutzim maintained a lifestyle that aimed to disconnect from all religious symbols. They wove an alternative heritage and shaped the holidays and sacred days in Judaism in a way that suited them, with symbols and content close to their hearts, such as nature and the seasons.
For Yom Kippur, it was difficult to find a substitute in the new heritage.
They had no synagogue, nor "Siddurim" (prayer books) and "Machzorim" (holiday prayer books) for prayers. Work? It was impossible to maintain a routine workday while Jews worldwide ceased work. Fasting? It was impossible to close the dining hall and impose a fast on all community members.
In fact, for decades, each kibbutz found solutions for its community. Generally, they tried not to work on this day and attempted in various ways to hold gatherings with a spiritual and social character. Few went to work, and very few, just a handful, would have a barbecue specifically on this day, as a form of defiance.
The secular seclusion did not last long.
In that same decade, in the very first years of the state, Israeli secularism, which was the mainstream in society, sought alternatives that could fill the abundant leisure time forced upon it.
Secular individuals of the new generation, the "Sabra generation" who were born and grew up in the independent Jewish state, connected less to ancient prayers and customs. On the eve of Yom Kippur, during the hours when synagogues teemed with worshippers, teenagers, members of secular youth movements, gathered at their movement's branch (the "Ken"). They came to spend the night of Yom Kippur together, all the "chevreh" (gang).
They arrived on foot from home because public transport was not operating, and the more advanced among them came with bicycles. Year after year, the phenomenon of gatherings spread to all branches of youth movements in large cities, and more and more teenagers arrived on their bicycles at the "Ken." The roads were empty of cars, and when the gathering ended, they went out for "a spin" in the nearby streets.
More and more secular children and teenagers, even those who were not movement members, saw what was happening on the roads, and anyone who had a bicycle went down to the street. Along with them, parents, and neighbors who had no children at home, and young men and women also went down...
And the streets gradually filled up, year after year the phenomenon intensified until it became an inseparable part of the character of Yom Kippur in the State of Israel.
After the establishment of the state, all Israeli citizens accepted the Hebrew date, the 10th of Tishrei, as a unique day.
It was self-evident, without the need to enact a special law, apart from municipal bylaws and regulations that codified it as a general day of rest.
From then on, its character evolved in the spaces moving between the religious, secular, and traditional.
In the 1950s, with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of new immigrants from all over the Diaspora, strong emphasis was still placed on the religious character – including the custom of "Kapparot" (atonement ritual) on the eve of the holiday, strict adherence to the fast, and attending the "Kol Nidre" prayer. Synagogues were full, so much so that in Tel Aviv, movie theaters and theaters were opened.
Even completely secular individuals who didn't go to synagogue didn't dare to defy the sacred heritage. They blended into the general atmosphere and secluded themselves at home – reading a newspaper or book, listening to records playing on turntables, and trying to lower the music's volume. Not to annoy the neighbors. Here and there, people were seen walking in the street for an evening stroll, especially in large cities located on the coast, and if the weather was pleasant.
In 1973, in the midst of Yom Kippur, a difficult and prolonged war broke out between Israel and its neighbors.
The war was named after the day and added a depressing touch that contains something of the new Israeli-ness – a trauma etched in hearts, a memory of thousands of dead and wounded, and a national soul-searching.
For decades, the war provided headlines and stories for all media outlets throughout the week preceding this day.
Fifty years later, the trauma has somewhat faded, the sadness unique to the war has mingled with the collective sadness of Memorial Day, the stories and memories have diminished, and its influence on the day has waned.
In the 1980s, more layers were revealed in the Israeli mosaic of Yom Kippur.
Tel Aviv celebrities, then called "bohemian people," were photographed and interviewed in the media while spending time on the beach and in the pool in the midst of the holy day. A few years later, Knesset member Yael Dayan was photographed sunbathing on this day on a Tel Aviv beach.
The open secret was exposed to the public and became common knowledge:
Yom Kippur is good for the Israeli soul – it is a symbol, a heritage, unique to the Jewish people. Everyone does what seems appropriate to them. And no one bothers anyone else, because it is Yom Kippur – a holy day on which it is forbidden to quarrel or harm others.
And so it is as the state marks 75 years.
All the tribes of Israel living together and fighting each other throughout the year take a 24-hour break where each tribe goes to its corner, and together and individually, they observe this day, which is unlike any other country in the world.
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project.
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