The Kippur in J'lem

Yom Kippur in Jerusalem was like no other Yom Kippur I’ve had. It was totally unlike the YK I was expecting I would have – based on what the Israelis told us to expect. It was indescribable, profound, and astounding.

I suppose the Kippur preparation started with Rosh Hashanah, when we made the transition from RH into the ten days between the two holidays. Religiously, we’re take this time and ask forgiveness from our friends and family for things we have done to hurt them in the past year. Emotionally, it’s a time to check in with yourself and reflect on the last year and focus on what I’ve done wrong or what you’re happy with. In the days leading up to RH, I didn’t notice anything special about the city. But the days between RH and YK were electric. Everyone was moving and talking in a more energetic way; the world functioned differently. I could taste Yom Kippur.

The day itself was virtually magical. Whereas RH resembles Shabbat – just two days of it – YK everything shuts down. Everything is closed. No one – no cars – are on the streets. The entre city, literally, is on holiday. It’s the one day of the year when every Jewish resident is observing the holiday together. After Kol Nidrei services, a group of students took a walk down to the German Colony, and there was literally not a single car on the road; it was almost like something out of a zombie movie. Throngs of people were walking in the middle of the streets, talking and walking and thinking and little kids riding bikes and families out together and couples strolling and groups of students learning in the middle of huge intersections and teenagers having song sessions and Israelis just enjoying the evening. The mood was bizarre; it was almost joyful, and yet at the same time very unfrivolous. Everyone was taking themselves seriously, but enjoying life, understanding the gravity of it all, while experiencing the world around them.

The HUC services were so much more rewarding that the RH services. I’m not sure why this is; I think part of me knew what to expect from them, as well as the novelty of seeing my friends and classmates perform in the choir had worn off. I had also gotten to a place where I was more familiar with the melodies and could sing along much easier, which made it feel more like praying, instead of a cantorial and choral concert. It was, again, wonderful to be with community and my friends here, because so much of the chagim is being with your community. I really felt that my last few YKs, in LA, had been missing that, and even though YK is a very personal holiday, the sense of community is very important.

Another reason I think this YK was so powerful was the fast itself. I really felt it the entire day, but it wasn’t debilitating or painful. It was a meaningful fast, definitely. The challenging part was the walking – to and from my apartment to school involves a rather large hill, so I minimized my own apartment walking (I took my contribution to the breakfast potluck over on Wednesday before the fast even started). But it all came and went fairly simply, and really enhanced the spiritual level of the day.

The break-fast as well was a lot of fun. Lisa, Meredith, and Deana (roommates) hosted our entire HUC class at their apartment. They had about 50 people, a shitload of food, a fair amount of wine, and whiskey, delicious cookies, and a lot of lap sitting (but thank God no grape throwing). Something about not-eating/spiritual fulfillment makes 20-something Jewish professionals act about 10 years younger. The evening really capped off a very meaningful, memorable, and amazing Yom Kippur.