Yom Kippur in United States
Quick Facts
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is a very important and solemn Jewish holiday around the themes of atonement and repentance for sins against God and other people. In 2008 Yom Kippur is from sunset on October 8 until nightfall on October 9.Name
Yom KippurYom Kippur 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008Yom Kippur 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.
See list of observations below
Before sunset, many Jewish people gather in a synagogue for prayer. Men may wear a white robe and a prayer shawl during the service. ©iStockphoto.com/Abba Richman
What do people do?
Nearly all Jewish people, including those who usually live a secular lifestyle, mark Yom Kippur. On the day before the start of the holiday, people prepare and eat a festive meal, give charity and visit people seek or give forgiveness. Before sunset, they gather in a synagogue for a prayer service. In some communities, particular customs are associated with this service. Men may wear a kittel or sargenes (a white robe) and a tallit (prayer shawl) and may prostrate themselves at certain points in the service.
On Yom Kippur, Jewish people abstain from eating and drinking, wearing leather shoes, washing themselves, anointing themselves with perfumes or lotions and engaging in sexual relations for a period of about 25 hours from sunset on one day to nightfall on the next. Many choose to wear white clothes as a symbol of ritual purity. Outside of Israel, some Jewish people may take some of their annual leave at this time to allow them to mark Yom Kippur.
Public life
In Israel Yom Kippur is a public holiday and public life closes down almost completely. Stores, post offices and other businesses are closed, public transit services do not run and there are no radio or television broadcasts. It is considered impolite to eat in public or drive a motor vehicle, although secular Jews may ride bicycles, particularly on the eve of Yom Kippur.
In other countries, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, Yom Kippur is not a public holiday and public life is not affected. However, Jewish stores, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed and the streets around synagogues may be busy.
Background
The origins of Yom Kippur lie in a ritual purification of the Temple in Jerusalem from any accidental ritual impurities that had occurred in the last year. On Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol (high priest) entered the Holy of Holies at the center of the temple and it was important that he was spiritually and physically as pure as possible. For this reason, a long list of rituals was carried out to ensure that the Kohen Gadol was pure and that he did not carry any ritual impurities into the Holy of Holies. After the destruction of the Temple, Yom Kippur became the solemn holiday that it is now.
Symbols
At Yom Kippur, many Jewish men wear a kittel or sargenes and a tallit. A kittel is a simple white robe that is also used as a shroud and is worn by bridegrooms in some Jewish communities. A tallit (tallis, taleysm) is a prayer shawl with tzitzis strings tied through each of the four corners. The strings are tied in different ways in accordance with the tradition of the wearer. Traditionally, one or more of the strings were dyed using a blue dye known as tekhelet, which may come from the murex trunculus, a type of sea snail.
Yom Kippur Observances
Note: Many Jewish holidays begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday.| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | Sep 20 | 1980 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 8 | 1981 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 27 | 1982 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 17 | 1983 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 6 | 1984 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 25 | 1985 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 13 | 1986 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 3 | 1987 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 21 | 1988 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 1989 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 29 | 1990 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 18 | 1991 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Oct 7 | 1992 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 25 | 1993 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 15 | 1994 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Oct 4 | 1995 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 23 | 1996 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 11 | 1997 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 30 | 1998 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 20 | 1999 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 9 | 2000 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Sep 27 | 2001 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 16 | 2002 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 6 | 2003 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 25 | 2004 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 13 | 2005 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Oct 2 | 2006 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 22 | 2007 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Thu | Oct 9 | 2008 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Mon | Sep 28 | 2009 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 18 | 2010 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 8 | 2011 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 26 | 2012 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Sep 14 | 2013 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Sat | Oct 4 | 2014 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday | |
| Wed | Sep 23 | 2015 | Yom Kippur | Jewish holiday |
Other holidays in October 2008 in United States
- International Day of Older Persons (Wednesday, October 1, 2008)
- Eid-al-Fitr (Thursday, October 2, 2008)
- Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi (Saturday, October 4, 2008)
- Feast of St Francis of Assisi (Saturday, October 4, 2008)
- World Teachers' Day (Sunday, October 5, 2008)
- World Habitat Day (Monday, October 6, 2008)
- Child Health Day (Monday, October 6, 2008)
- International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (Wednesday, October 8, 2008)
- Leif Erikson Day (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- World Post Day (Thursday, October 9, 2008)
- World Mental Health Day (Friday, October 10, 2008)
- Columbus Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- Native Americans' Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- Indigenous People's Day (Monday, October 13, 2008)
- First day of Sukkot (Tuesday, October 14, 2008)
- White Cane Safety Day (Wednesday, October 15, 2008)
- World Food Day (Thursday, October 16, 2008)
- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Friday, October 17, 2008)
- Alaska Day (Friday, October 17, 2008)
- Alaska Day (Saturday, October 18, 2008)
- Last day of Sukkot (Monday, October 20, 2008)
- Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (Tuesday, October 21, 2008)
- United Nations Day (Friday, October 24, 2008)
- World Development Information Day (Friday, October 24, 2008)
- Halloween (Friday, October 31, 2008)
- Nevada Day (Friday, October 31, 2008)
Other calendars
- Perpetual yearly calendar - make yearly calendar for any year
- Perpetual monthly calendar - shows only one month at a time
- Custom calendar - make customized calendars
