Yom Kippur - '45 Aid Society

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, this is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

There is a 25 hour fast during which nothing must be eaten or drunk. Much of the day is spent in synagogue in prayer to repent and seeking forgiveness for one’s sins over the last year.

On the eve of Yom Kippur it is traditional for a father to bless his sons and daughters. The service that introduces Yom Kippur is called Kol Nidre after the prayer that is recited.

“A huge warehouse was used as the synagogue, with the rabbi at its head. Although the place was enormous, by the time we arrived it was nearly full and their were no more prayer books. We followed the service as best we could, but being Rosh Hashanah, the praying was very emotional, with a lot of tears.

For Yom Kippur we made sure we got there early, to get a prayer book for Yizkor, (prayer for the dead). The place filled up even sooner than before. When the time came for Yizkor, the atmosphere became charged with emotion. As is the custom, the rabbi gave a sermon that ended with the meaning of Yizkor. There was not a dry eye in the place. The cantor who took the service had a beautiful voice and as soon as he began the prayer there was wailing, screaming and crying. Everyone there had lost loved ones and this was just too much to bear. It hit me then that I would never feel my mother’s arms around me or see my father or the rest of my brothers and sisters. The tears poured out of me. I could not stand it any longer and ran out of the synagogue.”

Ivor Perl, Chicken Soup Under the Tree: A Journey to Hell and Back (Lemon Soul, 2023).

Perl was 13 years old when he was in the Feldafing DP camp.