MADISON, Wis. — Yom Kippur, which means “Day of Atonement” in Hebrew, is the holiest day of the year for members of the Jewish faith.
Rabbi Andrea Steinberger of Hillel at University of Wisconsin-Madison she set tables for a pre-fast meal Friday and prepared for services that hundreds of students were expected to attend.
Fasting for Yom Kippur starts at sunset Friday and ends at sunset Saturday. Steinberger said doing it together as a community on campus is important.
“I think that there is something so sweet and strong about being able to take time to reflect and to pause even when the world seems to be going so fast,” she said.
Yom Kippur is a solemn, contemplative holiday in the Jewish faith. It’s focused on forgiving the sins of others and repenting for your own sins.
Junior Erika Klein said it feels more profound this year, as fighting continues overseas.
“Normally, I'm reflecting on my friendships and how I've interacted with my family and my teachers,” she said. “But this year it's more about the community and what's been going on.”
Monday marked one year since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,000 people. Hundreds of others were kidnapped. That prompted an Israeli military attack on Hamas in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians.
As the fighting rages on, so do instances of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S.
Steinberger said it’s a lot for students to process and she tries to help counsel them.
“We’re working on finding feelings of peace,” she said. “Thinking about being able to articulate their feelings to their peers, being able to articulate feelings to administrators about what the Jewish student feels on campus and also being able to have a wide open heart and open ears to understand other perspectives and to grow.”
Klein said despite the difficult feelings, being able to gather in friendship and faith on campus for Jewish holy days means a lot.
“Just being around other Jewish people on campus has just meant the world to me,” she said.