Yom Kippur

United Hatzalah volunteers rescue Torah scrolls from Jerusalem synagogue fire

Just as Jews devote themselves first and foremost to protecting human life, United Hatzalah also protects sacred objects when they are threatened.

Rescuing the Torahs just days after Yom Kippur lent the mission particular meaning.
WINDING ROAD on Abano Pass, Georgia.

Ten years later: How an Israeli surgeon saved three lives in on Yom Kippur - opinion

 A woman with diabetes is seen using an injection (Illustrative).

Can young diabetics safely observe Jewish fasts? Insulin pump tweaks can help, Israeli study finds

A rabbi blows a shoat ahead of Yom Kippur at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2026.

Inheriting moral instincts: How choices become a legacy – opinion


Far from the Holy of Holies: How did ancient Jews observe Yom Kippur 2,000 years ago?

New research into ancient Jewish life reveals how Yom Kippur was observed beyond the Temple, from fasting and private prayer to communal reflection.

On the eve of Yom Kippur (Prayer). Artist Jakub Weinles (1870–1935)

Nearly 150,000 people participate in final slihot prayers ahead of Yom Kippur at Kotel

Also in attendance were former hostage Eliya Cohen and his wife, Nova survivor Ziv Abud, as well as former hostages Rom Braslavski, Elkana Bohbot, and Ohad Ben Ami.

Thousands of Jews gather for slihot prayer services at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, ahead of Yom Kippur, September 15, 2026

Most Israeli Jews fast on Yom Kippur, while over half take part in prayer services, survey finds

Only a small number of those reported to be fasting partially or not at all are older people, according to the survey data, suggesting that the reasons are more linked to health or principle.

A Jewish man blows a shofar at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City during the final Selichot prayers ahead of Yom Kippur, September 19, 2026.

Taking decisions in both hands: Ex-hostages Keith, Aviva Siegel find new meaning in Yom Kippur

After being denied the most basic choices in Hamas captivity, Keith and Aviva Siegel are reclaiming their freedom and finding a different meaning in Yom Kippur.

The opening of Keith Siegel pancake house, a former Israeli hostage, at Sarona market in Tel Aviv, March 26, 2025.

The Ebenezer Scrooge model: Can Yom Kippur really bring repentance and change?

From Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge to modern psychology, the journey from remorse to lasting behavioral change reveals why Yom Kippur can be both a reckoning and a starting point.

YOM KIPPUR asks us to confront who we were, who we have become, and who we might yet become.

An American perspective: Why Yom Kippur still brings Jews together, even without belief - opinion

We are made viscerally aware of the value of time, of a moment, of a day. And so it is with Yom Kippur, the Day.

People form a circle and walk on the empty streets in Tel Aviv, on the eve of Yom Kippur, September 24, 2023

Could Ozempic make the Yom Kippur fast easier? Here’s what researchers found

In an August Hadassah Magazine article, a 46-year-old New York mother identified as Beth described getting through Yom Kippur services without thinking about food after starting a GLP-1 medication.

 Boxes of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes made by Novo Nordisk, is seen at a Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. March 29, 2023.

Yom Kippur 2026: Does a text message or social media post count as a real apology?

As digital communication makes it easier to avoid difficult conversations, rabbis and educators weigh whether texts, voice notes, and social-media posts can deliver meaningful apologies.

An Israeli soldier holds a smartphone near Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, November 23, 2023

The Yom Kippur War: How Israel missed the warning signs before the surprise attack - opinion

Israel’s greatest failure in the Yom Kippur War was self-inflicted, as intelligence chief Eli Zeira’s confidence in his own assessment led Israel to dismiss mounting warnings of an Arab attack.

Then-prime minister Golda Meir (R) accompanied by then-defense minister Moshe Dayan, meets with Israeli soldiers at a base on the Golan Heights after intense fighting during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

IDF chief instructs military to increase readiness across all fronts ahead of Yom Kippur

The military also reinforced forces on Yom Kippur two years ago amid the war and heightened security tensions.

Israeli soldiers patrol along the Israeli-Lebanese border, on September 10, 2026.