-For most Jews, Yom Kippur presents an especially sharp contrast between how things are supposed to be, and how they are. Jay Michaelson has some thoughts on what to do about that. (Forward)
-For Rachel Biale as a child in the world of secular Israelis, “all the other Jewish holidays had been dressed in new secular, agricultural garb, and celebrated with great preparations and intense excitement.� However: “For the adults the non-celebration of Yom Kippur was precisely the point.� And in a way, it still is for her. (J.)
-Reuven Hammer says that Yom Kippur is time out of time itself. (The Jerusalem Post)
-A photoessay on kapparot, as done at Jerusalem’s shuk. (Israel National News)
-After complaints from ASPCA and PETA, Hasidic Jews are revising their kapparot practices, especially in terms of how the fowl are being handled prior to slaughter. (Forward)
-A Petach Tikvah court has just ruled that the ritual slaughter of chickens for the “kapparot” ritual is a violation of Israeli state regulations on animal slaughter. (Haaretz)
Yom Kippur
Pronounced: yohm KIPP-er, also yohm kee-PORE, Origin: Hebrew, The Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and, with Rosh Hashanah, one of the High Holidays.
