What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, one of the High Holy Days. It is traditional to pray in a synagogue to atone for last year’s sins. Typically services start in the morning and last until the early afternoon. Jews may then take a nap or participate in discussions about Jewish teachings, then evening services conclude the day. Jews often fast as a sacrifice symbolizing their atonement and attempts at self-improvement, but because Judaism values health above all else, fasting is not encouraged if medically inadvisable. Some Jewish people also refrain from wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur, so as not to tread on the cow from which the leather came.
