October 12, 2005

The Day of Atonement

On October 13, Jews around the world will celebrate the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is an unforgettable experience in Israel. By law, everything shuts down. No driving (except for emergency vehicles), no television or radio stations broadcast, and all businesses are closed. For the only time of the year, you can walk down the middle of the street throughout the day. It’s an amazing thing to behold. Silence pervades the land and some describe it as a holy hush. Jews throughout the nation flock to their local synagogues to celebrate the day that is also known as the Day of Atonement.

The biblical roots go back to instructions given by god to Moses: “the Lord said to Moses, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present and offering made to the Lord by fire” (Leviticus 23: 26, 27). In synagogues, the book of Jonah is read, which demonstrates that repentance and forgiveness is for all people.

While the biblical history goes back thousands of years, it’s the recent history that is never too far from Israeli consciousness. Thirty two years ago, surrounding Arab nations launched a surprise attack on Israel. The 1973 Yom Kippur War was a watershed event in Israel’s modern history. During the first few days of the war, some Israeli leaders despaired Israel would even survive. Despite the devastating attack, Israel withstood the initial onslaught, re-grouped, and then swept back Syrian forces to the outskirts of Damascus and Egyptian forces back across the Sinai.

Yet, after 32 years, Israel remains at war. Although Egypt signed a peace treaty, after more than two decades, it remains a very cold peace. Lebanon and Syria still maintain a state of war with the Jewish state. The recent Gaza pullout leaves – at least in the view of some prominent military analysts – Israel in a severely compromised military position. The head of the shin bet, Israel’s version of the FBI, says al-Qaeda is now operating in the Gaza Strip. The head of Israeli intelligence says that al-Qaeda also operates bases from the Sinai. Some Israelis hope technology will help protect them. Just today, a published report revealed that a laser gun derived from a missile defense system called the nautilus might be able to stop the kassam rockets and mortars that have plagued Israeli communities within and just outside the Gaza Strip for years.

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