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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Amy O'Malley looked ahead to her preparations for one of the holiest of days on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, as she gathered her children, Benjamin and Emma, from nursery school at Beth El Synagogue Center Wednesday.
"We will be attending Torah for Tots on Saturday morning," O'Malley said of Beth El's Yom Kippur service for families with young children.
Yom Kippur, which means Day of Atonement, starts Friday evening with Kol Nidre, the name of the song-text that starts the service. Until the evening of the next day, observant Jews fast. Exceptions include young children and those who are ill.
The phrase "kol nidre" means "all vows" and essentially declares that all vows made with God be annulled if we fail to live up to them. All Jews are supposed to reflect on their behavior during the previous year and seek God's forgiveness. Prior to Yom Kippur, Jews are encouraged to seek reconciliation with people whom they might have wronged. Yom Kippur ends at sundown Saturday when the fast is "broken."
Speaking at Beth El on Wednesday, Rabbi Melvin Sirner said that while the synagogue may have been quiet then, it would soon be packed full. Even Jews who don't regularly attend services usually go to synagogue on Yom Kippur, Sirner said.
"I think it's a time of introspection, and a time for each of us to think about the ideas and people who most matter to us," Sirner said. "By putting aside our everyday BlackBerrys and our computers, I think we get in touch with the best within ourselves."
Another mom, Tami Novoseller, who was picking up her sons, Gabriel, Jordan and Corey, said that observing Yom Kippur has aspects to it that extend beyond the religious meaning.
"I enjoy the traditions," Novoseller said.
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