The table is quiet, a calm stillness after a day spent in silence and reflection. A single candle flickers beside a platter of round challah bread, dates, and warm bowls of soup. Family members gather, their faces soft with relief and gratitude. After nearly twenty-five hours of fasting, they finally break it together with a few sips of water and a shared meal.
For many Jewish families, this scene marked the close of Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish calendar, this past Thursday, October 2.
Observed ten days after the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur— known as the Day of Atonement— is a complete, 25-hour fast from food and drink. Devoted to introspection, prayer, and reconciliation, Jewish people around the world spend this day seeking forgiveness from both God and others for their misdeeds over the past year. Unlike many holidays defined by celebration and abundance, Yom Kippur is marked by simplicity and restraint. Traditional observances include abstaining from work and spending much of the day in synagogue services.
The themes of Yom Kippur are deeply personal yet universally resonant: accountability, forgiveness, and renewal. Central to the holiday is the goal of being inscribed in the Book of Life, a symbolic record believed to determine one’s fate for the coming year. According to Jewish tradition, this book is opened on Rosh Hashanah and sealed at the end of Yom Kippur, making the ten “High Holy Days” in between a window for reflection and repentance.
At Westborough High School particularly, the Jewish Cultural Club (est. 2020-2024) played an important role in spreading educational awareness about various Jewish traditions, especially sacred holidays such as Yom Kippur. Former club advisor Mrs. Freedman shared her experience overseeing the club’s mission to share a piece of their Jewish culture with the student body and faculty:
“Whenever there was a holiday coming up we would have a meeting as close to that date as we could, and it was to inform others about what our holidays are about, and then if there’s food involved they always brought in food that was significant to that holiday, and then if games were involved we’d play games as well.”
Freedman shared that she misses the club and would be eager to revive it in the future, stating “It was nice just to have a place for Jewish kids, and even non-Jewish kids to…just, come and be together. It had a good vibe.”
Mrs. Freedman herself practices Judaism and celebrates holidays such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by hosting her loved ones. This past weekend, she enjoyed a classic egg bagel with chive cream cheese following a solemn day of fasting and attending religious proceedings at her temple.
We wish a peaceful and fulfilling fast to all those who observed this holiday.
What Is Yom Kippur? – The Day of Atonement – Chabad.org
What is Yom Kippur? – Hillel International
Yom Kippur | Fasting, Rules, Meaning, Holiday, Bible, & Rosh Hashanah | Britannica
