As the Sun sets today, the Jewish Community will begin fast in observance of Yom Kippur, which translates to “Day of Atonement”, is considered to be the holiest day of the Jewish year. For Matt Baram, Hillel 818’s Executive Director, this time not only serves as a day of atonement, but a day of self-assessment.
“What type of person am I? What type of person do I want to be? What changes do I need to make for my soul to be at peace?” Baram says over email. “It’s a day to ask forgiveness for your shortcomings, to forgive others for theirs, and to forgive yourself for your own, all while charting a path to do better.”
According to Chabad.org, the purpose of Yom Kippur is for Jewish people to be cleansed of sin by ‘afflicting their souls’, or refraining from applying lotions, wearing leather shoes, washing or bathing, having marital relations and eating or drinking for a full day.
Traditionally, no work is done on Yom Kippur, so Baram spends the majority of his day at his local synagogue like many in his community. At sunset, when the shofar is blown signifying the end of the fast, Baram says he comes together with the ones he loves. “At the conclusion of Yom Kippur, family comes over for breakfast with the traditional fare – bagels, lox and other delicious treats.”
Odelia Sheelo is a CSUN student, and to her Yom Kippur is a day to say you’re sorry. “I always get texts, and text friends and we always say ‘I’m really sorry if I hurt you this year,” says Sheelo. “You might not know if you hurt someone unless they told you, so this is our way of making sure we are always apologizing and taking accountability.”
Although Sheelo has a 30-minute commute to school and cannot observe the holiday with her friends in-person, she still finds the time to show her support. “On campus yesterday when I was leaving my Jewish friends, I said ‘Gmar Chatima Tova’… which is the traditional greeting that means ‘may you be sealed for good in the book of life,’” says Sheelo.
Since last year, Sheelo and many within the Jewish and Israeli community have added another apology to their day of atonement; an apology to the hostages of Oct. 7. “We’re sorry to the hostages that are still there because they shouldn’t still be there after one year,” says Sheelo.
According to the Jewish Journal, the United Nations officially recognized Yom Kippur as an official holiday in 2016, however it is not recognized as a federal holiday in the United States. The holiday occurs on the 10th day of Tishrei, a month in the Hebrew calendar and while it fell on a weekend this year, it is set to begin on Wednesday, Oct 1, 2025.
