After celebrating Rosh Hashanah last week, the Jewish community will be fasting for 24 hours in celebration of Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, and is the Day of Atonement, said Claire Seid, a freshman studying sociology.
“It’s a day where you ask forgiveness from everyone you hurt that year, as well as asking forgiveness from God,” she said. “You also think about what you’ve done and what you can do better throughout the year.”
Yom Kippur begins Friday at sundown with Kol Nidre, a special prayer and evening service, said Lauren Goldberg, engagement professional for Hillel at Ohio University.
“It’s where we begin to recite our confessional prayers; acknowledging our sins and asking for forgiveness,” she said.
Hillel will host a morning service, Yizkor, and an evening service complete with a break-the-fast potluck dinner on Saturday.
“Yizkor is a service where we remember people that we love that have passed away, and we say a special prayer in memory of them,” Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, executive director of Hillel, said.
Leshaw said the High Holidays are directly linked in a large season.
“It starts with Rosh Hashanah and includes the days leading up to Yom Kippur,” Leshaw said. “It’s a multi-week celebration, and Sukkot follows the week after.”
Being at school can sometimes make celebrating holidays difficult, but Leshaw said many students make an effort to try and do what they can.
“Because of rush this weekend, we have a group of girls that will be having a second evening service on Friday night because they can’t come to Kol Nidre,” Leshaw said. “It’s great knowing that these girls want to celebrate and are making it work.”
Although this is Seid’s first time celebrating Yom Kippur away from home, she said she is looking forward to experiencing the holiday in a new community and starting fresh.
“I’m excited to hear new ways of worshipping and new opinions on the Day of Atonement,” she said. “Yom Kippur is a day to re-evaluate your life and to basically create who you are going to be in the coming year by wiping your slate clean.”
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