Israel comes to a halt for Yom Kippur

[King_David]

About 40,000 worshippers are expected to attend some 200 prayer sessions organized for people who do not pray regularly; air traffic to and from Israel halted over holiday, border crossings to Jordan and Gaza closed down.

Silence fell over Israel at around 5 P.M. on Friday, as the Yom Kippur fast began. Air traffic to and from Israel halted from 1 P.M. on Friday and is not scheduled to begin again until 9:30 P.M. on Saturday, while the border crossings to Jordan and Gaza have been closed down.

The weather forecast bodes well for fasters, with comfortable temperatures. Saturday will be slightly warmer than Friday but not more humid, so the heat stress will not rise - good news for fasters.

Public opinion surveys over the past few years show most Jews in Israel observe Yom Kippur. A survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2009 found 26 percent of Israeli Jews who describe themselves as "secular" or "not religious" fast on Yom Kippur and 24 percent of them have attended prayers at a synagogue.

A number of organizations will be holding mass prayers, intended for people who do not frequent synagogues on a regular basis, as part of a custom developed in the past years.

The Tzohar Rabbis' organization is expecting about 40,000 worshippers to attend some 200 prayer sessions the group is organizing together with the Association of Community Centers for people who do not pray regularly.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-comes-to-a-halt-for-yom-kippur-1.388782

[King_David]

1. Ketiva ve-chatima tovah nt

[mike_c]

2. more religious insanity....

Every time I begin to feel like we're finally pulled ourselves into the twenty-first century the old superstitions rear their silly heads again. Prayer, for pete's sake. Sheesh.

[King_David]

3. It is THE Jewish state after all nt

[holdencaufield]

4. L'shana habaah b'yerushalayim NT

[henank]

5. You don't need to pray if you don't want to.

No one is forcing you. But you don't need to denigrate those who choose to do so.

[King_David]

6. Its Jews praying , I guess nt