Yom Kippur celebrations
Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the Jewish year and it is observed even by most secular jews, just like secular Christians continues to celebrate Christmas and Easter. Yom Kippur is celebrated on the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which means that Yom Kippur will be celebrated on October 2, 2006. October 2, 2006, belongs to the Jewish year 5767.

The Bible calls the day Yom Hakippurim which means “Day of the Atonements” in Hebrew. The rites for Yom Kippur can be found in the 16th Chapter of Leviticus, which is the third book in the Torah. Yom Kippur is described as a solemn day of fast, rest and prayer. People visited the Temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices and no work was to be carried out. Today, even secularised Jews who do not regularly participate in religious ceremonies tend to take part in this time-honoured tradition. On Yom Kippur day it is common to fast and attend synagogue, even among those who do not regularly visit the synagogue. The number of visitors can therefore double or even triple in popular synagogues.


In Israel, Yom Kippur is colloquially referred to as the “Festival of Bicycles”. Driving a motor vehicle is considered taboo during Yom Kippur, and the children in Israel can therefore enjoy bike riding in the streets without having to worry about heavy traffic. Yom Kippur is also a day when television broadcasts take a break, the airports close and no public transportation is available.

All Jewish holidays start at sundown on the evening before, and Yom Kippur is certainly no exception. Since Yom Kippur is a day of fast, a festive meal with plenty of delicious as well as nutritious dishes is prepared for the eve of Yom Kippur. Examples of traditional eve of Yom Kippur foods are rice and Kreplach. Before the actually meal, it is common to eat a special meal consisting of fish.

Kreplach are a type of small noodles or dumplings, and therefore sometimes described as “Jewish wontons”. Traditional kreplach are filled with ground meat, boiled and often accompanied by chicken soup. This traditional Jewish dish is not only served on the eve of Yom Kippur, it is also common place during Hoshana Rabbah celebrations and on Purim (the Feast of Lots). You can make your own Kreplach by following this easy recipe.

Ingredients needed for filling: 1 cup of ground beef, cooked
1 small onion, grated
1 teaspoon of saltIngredients needed for dough:
2 eggs
1 ¾ flour
3 tablespoons of oil
½ teaspoon of salt1.) Place ground beef, onion and salt in a small bow and mix well. 2.) Use a large bowl to combine eggs, flour, oil and salt and create dough.3.) Knead the dough and roll it out thin on a floured board. 4.) Place approximately ½ teaspoon of filling roughly 1 ½ inches apart on top of the
     sheet of dough.5.) Cut the sheet of dough in 2 ½ inch squares. 6.) Use water to gently brush adjacent sides of each dough-square; this will make the
     dough more adhesive. 7.) Create a triangular package by folding the dough over the filling and press the moistened side against the un-moistened sides. Press the edges firmly. Place the kreplach triangle on a floured wax paper and proceed to make the next one. This recipe is enough for around 18 kreplach triangles.

8.) You can boil kreplach in water and/or sauté in oil. When boiling kreplach, use salted water and boil for around 20 minutes until the kreplach floats. If you want to sauté the kreplach, use a 10 inch skillet and heat up oil over medium strong flame.