Yom Kippur - Hebrew for "Day of Atonement" - is a day of fasting, prayer and introspection. The country will essentially be closed down from sundown Sunday until the same time on Monday, with no public transportation, public electronic broadcasts, stores or services (including Arutz-7 news).
Though bicycling has become a popular pastime on the holy day, to the dismay of many rabbis, even more prevalent on this day are prayer services - yet many non-religious Jews still refrain from attending, for various reasons. In an attempt to encourage more participation, more than 250 special Yom Kippur services in which religious and secular worshipers will pray together will be held throughout the country.
Sponsoring many of the services are the Tzohar ("Window") rabbis' organization and B'Yachad ("Together"), Tzohar is dedicated to reaching out to the secular public and helping to fashion the country's Jewish identity via dialogue and "the search for common elements of identity." The guiding principle is that many Israelis who are not familiar with Judaism and who generally do not take part in High Holiday services will feel more comfortable participating in "prayer and study gatherings" of this nature.
The special prayer gatherings will be held in local community centers and schools in cities and towns of all sizes throughout the country. The custom began in 2002, with a well-attended special service in the secular Kibbutz Mitzpeh Shalem on the Dead Sea shore. That same year, then-Deputy Foreign Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior also organized over 100 similar "secular minyanim" [prayer quorums], featuring a chazan [prayer leader], an instructor, and a director, as well as some observant Jews to give "life" to the service.
In one of the services in Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem, a rabbi from Tzohar and several students will help run the show, providing explanations, one-on-one help, and even singing. Between-prayers discussions on religious and religious-social issues often take place as well.
In Kfar Ayanim, a youth village near Yavneh, the residents - Jewish students from Brazil and many secular families - will be buttressed by nine students and a teacher from the Sdei Yaakov Yeshiva High School in the north. A chazan was still missing, however, until Tzohar - just last night - matched them up with a willing volunteer from Beit El, rounding out the picture.
In Raanana, a Gar'in Torani (Torah core group) of some 20 families hopes to make people feel more "at home" in the synagogue this Yom Kippur. "Another 5-6 yeshiva boys will be coming, as well," a representative said. "These services correspond with our purpose in being here in general - to raise religious awareness, to set a tone, and to reach a situation where people feel that the Torah belongs to them as well."
Tzohar's other activities in seeking to present Orthodox Judaism in a tolerant and welcoming fashion include conducting weddings for secular couples, pre-wedding counseling for brides and grooms, educational activities, counseling for community rabbis with the goal of elevating their status and involving them in all areas of public life, and more.
The IDF will impose a total closure on the Arab areas of Judea and Samaria over the Yom Kippur holiday, in light of 17 specific warnings of possible terrorist attacks. The intelligence information includes word of attempted kidnappings, suicide attacks and rockets.
Though bicycling has become a popular pastime on the holy day, to the dismay of many rabbis, even more prevalent on this day are prayer services - yet many non-religious Jews still refrain from attending, for various reasons. In an attempt to encourage more participation, more than 250 special Yom Kippur services in which religious and secular worshipers will pray together will be held throughout the country.
Sponsoring many of the services are the Tzohar ("Window") rabbis' organization and B'Yachad ("Together"), Tzohar is dedicated to reaching out to the secular public and helping to fashion the country's Jewish identity via dialogue and "the search for common elements of identity." The guiding principle is that many Israelis who are not familiar with Judaism and who generally do not take part in High Holiday services will feel more comfortable participating in "prayer and study gatherings" of this nature.
The special prayer gatherings will be held in local community centers and schools in cities and towns of all sizes throughout the country. The custom began in 2002, with a well-attended special service in the secular Kibbutz Mitzpeh Shalem on the Dead Sea shore. That same year, then-Deputy Foreign Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior also organized over 100 similar "secular minyanim" [prayer quorums], featuring a chazan [prayer leader], an instructor, and a director, as well as some observant Jews to give "life" to the service.
In one of the services in Pisgat Ze'ev in Jerusalem, a rabbi from Tzohar and several students will help run the show, providing explanations, one-on-one help, and even singing. Between-prayers discussions on religious and religious-social issues often take place as well.
In Kfar Ayanim, a youth village near Yavneh, the residents - Jewish students from Brazil and many secular families - will be buttressed by nine students and a teacher from the Sdei Yaakov Yeshiva High School in the north. A chazan was still missing, however, until Tzohar - just last night - matched them up with a willing volunteer from Beit El, rounding out the picture.
In Raanana, a Gar'in Torani (Torah core group) of some 20 families hopes to make people feel more "at home" in the synagogue this Yom Kippur. "Another 5-6 yeshiva boys will be coming, as well," a representative said. "These services correspond with our purpose in being here in general - to raise religious awareness, to set a tone, and to reach a situation where people feel that the Torah belongs to them as well."
Tzohar's other activities in seeking to present Orthodox Judaism in a tolerant and welcoming fashion include conducting weddings for secular couples, pre-wedding counseling for brides and grooms, educational activities, counseling for community rabbis with the goal of elevating their status and involving them in all areas of public life, and more.
The IDF will impose a total closure on the Arab areas of Judea and Samaria over the Yom Kippur holiday, in light of 17 specific warnings of possible terrorist attacks. The intelligence information includes word of attempted kidnappings, suicide attacks and rockets.