Israeli rabbinical group to host tens of thousands of unaffiliated Jews for Yom Kippur services
Published October 11, 2016
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Tzohar rabbinical organization will host more than 55,000 people at 300 locations throughout Israel for Yom Kippur services.
The services, which attract thousands of unaffiliated Jewish Israelis, are run by hundreds of volunteers who bring traditional holiday prayer services to locations outside of traditional synagogues, to be welcoming to all who wish to join.
The group hosted prayer services in 200 locations for Rosh Hashanah. It also hosts public megillah readings for Purim.
Participants will be provided with the same prayer book to make it easier to follow along, as well as with an explanatory pamphlet written by Tzohar about the customs, prayers and meaning of the High Holidays to help guide the participants throughout the services.
“Tzohar is deeply proud to have become a central part of the prayer experience for tens of thousands of Israelis for the High holidays,” said Rabbi David Stav, cofounder of Tzohar. “The success of our 200 Rosh Hashanah programs and 300 Yom Kippur locations come from the fact that they provide an approach to the prayer in a manner that is designed to be accessible and relatable for Jews of all backgrounds and levels of familiarity with tradition. People come out of our programs feeling energized and engaged and better educated about the meaning of the holiday and its customs.”
The organization of religious Zionist rabbis started the Yom Kippur “Praying Together” program, which organizes the explanatory Yom Kippur services, 17 years ago.
