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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Poll show most Jewish Israelis observe Yom Kippur

Poll show most Jewish Israelis observe Yom Kippur

09/25/2012

Gesher poll indicates 64% of respondents said they would refrain from eating and drinking; 46% say they will attend synagogue.

Youths ride in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur
Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa


Approximately two-thirds of Jewish Israelis will fast this Yom Kippur and over 80 percent will use the day either to pray or for general introspection, a new survey published on Monday revealed.

In the poll conducted by the Gesher social cohesion organization in conjunction with Ynet, 64% of respondents said they would refrain from eating and drinking for the duration of the 25-hour Yom Kippur fast, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Yom Kippur is traditionally devoted to prayer and fasting to bring about divine compassion for the transgressions committed during the year past.

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The Panels Research Institute carried out the survey among 502 Jewish Israelis aged 18 and over, with a margin of error of 4.3%.

Forty-six percent of respondents said they would go to synagogue for at least some of the daylong prayer services, while 36% said they would use the day to spend quality time on personal introspection or with their families.

Gesher chairman Daniel Goldman said the results of the survey demonstrated that there was a consensus in the country that Yom Kippur represents a central day in the Israeli calendar across the board, regardless of one’s religious background.

“The vast majority of Israelis do something on Yom Kippur reflecting the day’s character as one of introspection,” Goldman said.

“What we also see from this poll is that people want to do something to express the way they feel about Yom Kippur in a way that makes sense to them,” he added, pointing to the large number of people who, although not attending synagogue, will use the time for contemplation and self-reflection.

He nevertheless expressed concern that political wrangling over religious issues, especially with regard to Yom Kippur, could damage the consensus surrounding the day.

The recent public spat between Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and Transportation Minister Israel Katz over the city’s decision to keep the Tel-O-Fun short-term bicycle-rental scheme open over Yom Kippur was entirely unnecessary, the Gesher chairman said.

Katz threatened to cut off state funding for the project unless Huldai closed it down for the duration of the holiday.

“Making Yom Kippur a political football is detrimental and undoubtedly the simplest way to destroy the notion that it is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar,” Goldman said. “The only way to genuinely build consensus around Jewish identity in the public space is to take it out of the political and legal arenas.”

Other information from the poll showed that 14% of people will consider attending some kind of alternative observance or activity, including meditation, study programs and similar events.

Twenty-five percent of all respondents said they would attend synagogue for all prayer services, and 21% said they would attend at least one service. Ten percent of those polled said they would watch movies at home, 3.5% said they would be out of the house with friends and family, and fewer than .5% said they would drive somewhere to a hiking destination.
 
 
 

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Founder
Love For His People
Charlotte, NC USA