Atonement in Tel Aviv

City residents hold variety of views on holiest day in Jewish calendar
Yaakov Lappin

Tel Aviv's bustling Dizengoff shopping center showed little signs of the impending arrival of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day.

Come Saturday, however, this sprawling complex of shops and cafes in the heart of the city will come to a silent standstill, along with the rest of the country. Roads will be empty of cars, crowded streets will resemble a ghost town, and even the " non-stop city " will bow its head to Yom Kippur.

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So how do Tel Aviv's diverse residents feel about the day? Sophie Levi, an animal rights volunteer, says she has fasted on Yom Kippur every year. "It's a tradition that goes back to my family - we came from Bulgaria," she said. "My grandfather would place his hand on my head and bless me, wishing me many years of life," she added.

Levi said that ironically, in Israel she feels she has become less observant when it comes to Yom Kippur. "Here in the Holy Land, it's not as intimate. In the Diaspora, we were like one family," she said.

Sidi (left), with friends, will fast (Photo: Yaakov Lappin)

Not everyone in Tel Aviv keeps to the Yom Kippur fast. Yogev, 24, says he has never fasted.

"I come from a secular home, we didn't keep this," he explained. Yogev said he has his own spiritual ideas and does not feel a need to conform to established Judaism. "I believe in my own God," he said. "I believe in positiveness. Donning a kippah and religious clothes doesn't make a person more righteous," Yogev added. "I don't need a specific day to make amends, I can do it any day I choose," he said.

'Tel Aviv has turned into Tel Babylon'

In a clothes shop situated on the upper floor of the Dizengoff mall, Sidi, an aspiring reggae singer, distributed sample songs from his forthcoming album. One of his songs, "Fire in my eyes," protests what Sidi said was the out -of -control Tel Aviv culture. "There are no words of wisdom, just curses, here comes another one who desecrates holiness... Tel Aviv has turned into Tel Babylon, how have my children left me? Our God asks," the song's lyrics say. "The day of judgment is coming and no one will be liberated!"

Sidi, like his friends Liron, and Geula, will fast on Yom Kippur, they tell Ynetnews. Asked if he planned to apologize for past grievances as Jewish tradition calls for, Sidi said, "I have not fallen out with many people, but I will make amends with the few people I need to."

Three women sitting at a cafe in the mall each had a different answer to the question of what they planned to do on Yom Kippur. Orit said she did not plan to break the commandment to fast, which she said she has kept since the age of 12. Her friend, Aviva, said, however: "Not everyone believes, including myself. I won't be fasting."