Yom Kippur, Gut Yontif

In Hebrew, Yom Kippur is written יוֹם כִּפּוּר and means Day of Atonement.

• Yom means day

• Kippur means cleansing or atone for sins

The Jewish New Year falls 10 days before the holiest day for the Jewish people. While dipping apples in honey and hearing the shofar are still fresh in our minds, we begin to prepare for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. These days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are known as the Ten Days of Repentance or the Days of Awe. Jews reflect and make amends with those whom they have wronged, as well as do Tzedakah (charity).

Tradition states that Rosh Hashanah is when the Book of Life and Death is opened for the coming year. Through sincere repentance and tzedakah, it is hoped God would forgive transgressions, inscribing them in the Book of Life for a good year ahead, which closes at the culmination of Yom Kippur. These Ten Days of Repentance are critical, since forgiveness is determined by both attitudes towards transgressions and genuine attempts to rectify them through self-reflection and actions.

On Yom Kippur we are also commanded to fast. According to the Torah, Yom Kippur is designated as a sacred occasion for “self-denial” (Leviticus 23:27). This observance is complete fasting, which entails refraining from eating and drinking throughout the entire observance from sunset to sunset.

Here is a little bit more about what will happen at school:

Observed:

• Gregorian 2026: Evening of Sun, Sep 20, 2026 – Mon, Sep 21, 2026

• Jewish 5787: 10 Tishrei

  
  

What We Say:

• G'mar chatima tovah: A good final sealing (shortened often to G'mar tov)

• Tzom kal: An easy fast

• Have an easy fast 

• Have a meaningful fast

• Gut yontif: Good holiday

  
  

What We See:

• Shofar = A ram’s (or similar animal's) horn that makes a unique sound when blown

• Torah = 5 Books of Moses

What We Hear:

• The sound of the shofar blowing

• People saying sorry

• The Story of Jonah and the Big Fish

• People saying they’re hungry or looking forward to sundown

  
  

What We Touch:

• The smooth texture and shape of a shofar

• Storybooks about the holiday

  
  

What We Smell:

• Apple cake baking in the oven for break the fast

What We Taste:

• Round challah baked with special holiday spices during break the fast

  
  

What We Explore:

• The story of Jonah and the Big Fish

• Expressing our feelings

• What it means to be a good human being

• It’s not always easy to do the right thing

• Gratitude - being thankful for what we have

• Teshuvah (Repentance): Apologizing to people you hurt AND making things right.

• Tzedakah (Charity): Giving money, items, or time to help others in need

...and so much more!

How Can Our Family Participate?

• Help your child choose something to share, such as an apple, a pomegranate, or honey.

• Think about a value or set of values that are important to your family, like kindness, generosity, truthfulness, and consider how you will weave these values into your everyday life to establish a solid foundation for your child. These are the formative years when instilling your family’s values will help to shape how your child approaches the world and every living thing in it.

• Join us on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM to celebrate with Cantor Ilan from Temple Beth El and bake a round challah with your child.

  
  

Special Holiday Hours:

• Monday, September 21, 2026 – We are closed (Yom Kippur)

• Friday, September 25, 2026 – We close at 3:00 PM (Erev Sukkot)

• Friday, October 2, 2026 – We close at 3:00 PM (Erev Simchat Torah)

Have you noticed that some public schools also have modified hours in September?

A little background...

The Jewish calendar follows a lunisolar system. While there is a set order to the annual cycle, holidays do not fall on the same dates every year in the Gregorian calendar (January–December). This is why you may see public school calendars accommodating "random" days off in September or October.

Because public school funding is based on daily attendance, districts often schedule a day off for Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. In addition to Jewish students taking off to attend services, Jewish teachers and staff also take time off to observe. This creates a dual financial challenge for schools: increased expenses for substitute teachers combined with decreased funding due to lower student attendance.

According to the 2020 American Jewish Population Project, 7.6 million people (about 2.4% of the total US population) identify as Jewish. Nearly half of this population resides in just three states: New York (21%), California (15%), and Florida (10%). Additionally, Los Angeles accounts for 8% of the total US Jewish population (AJPP, 2021). Within Los Angeles, 5% of the local Jewish population resides here in the South Bay (Aronson et al., 2022).

References:

• Aronson, J. K., Brookner, M. A., Saxe, L., Bankier-Karp, A., Boxer, M., Seeskin, Z. H., & Dutwin, D. (2022). 2021 Study of Jewish LA: By the Numbers. Waltham, MA: Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, Brandeis University. https://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/community-studies/los-angeles-report.html

• American Jewish Population Project. (2021). US Jewish Population Estimates 2020. Brandeis University. https://ajpp.brandeis.edu/us_jewish_population_2020