The Israeli television show "Reality," in which contestants are filmed and heard 24 hours a day while being cut off from the outside world, will take an unprecedented break for the Yom Kippur holiday. The Big Brother production company has agreed to shut off the cameras for the Day of Atonement and have built a temporary synagogue.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

"Reality" requires all of the contestants to live in the same house for 100 days while viewers can see and hear everything that occurs and then disqualify contestants by voting. The winner stands to win nearly $285,000 (one million shekels.)

 

During the 100 days, the contestants have no idea of anything that is happening in the world outside of their house, located outside of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Jerusalem. They do not even know that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has resigned or that the stock markets throughout the world are in a tailspin.

However, they do know that Yom Kippur begins Wednesday night, and the producers have allowed volunteers to use an adjacent building, complete with Torah scrolls, for prayers on condition that no one speaks to Simoni or any of the other contestants who might enter.

One of the contestants, Asher Simoni, is observant and officials of the television show have made sure that the house where he and others are staying is completely kosher. The production team also has organized volunteers to allow him to pray with a minyan of 10 men for the Yom Kippur prayers.

 

Other contestants besides Simon include an Arab woman and a formerly observant Jewish woman.

  

At the conclusion of the Yom Kippur holiday at nightfall Thursday, a shofar will sound, marking the return to the television show's version of reality