MIDDLE EAST: Israeli Jews make final preparations and conduct religious rituals on the eve of Yom Kippur to cleanse themselves of the past year's sins

Israeli Jews gathered at Jersalem's wailing wall on Friday (September 21) on the holy day of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, Hebrew for 'Day of Atonement', is one of Judaism's holiest days in which Jews in the holy land and across the world perform religious customs to repent and cleanse themselves of sins. Hours before the start of the 24-hour-long holy day, Jews in Jerusalem held a mystical custom called 'Kaparot', in which a chicken is waved in circles over one's head while reciting "This is my exchange, this is my atonement". The chicken is then slaughtered by an Orthodox Jew in a "Kosher" manner, the chicken, or its cash value, is then given to charity. The 'Kaparot' is meant to symbolically transfer the sins from human to bird and thereby cleanse the individual of their sins. The custom is performed mostly in Jewish Orthodox neighbourhoods, like in 'Mea She'arim' in Jerusalem. There are worshippers who substitute the chicken with a bag of money and perform the same ritual. Another ceremony aimed at clearing the sins is "Tashlich", in which participants stand by the sea, empty their pockets and throw bread crumbs, a symbolic act of casting sins into the sea. "This is an old prayer that Jews do usually before Yom Kippur and it's a very symbolic thing that you are throwing all your things to the sea and you are coming clean and very empty from any bad things before Yom Kippur," Jewish resident Arnon of Tel Aviv told Reuters. Yom Kippur, the holiest day on Jewish calendar will begin at sundown on Friday (September 21). Observant Jews will not eat or drink, including water, for 25 hours, from the start of the holiday until three stars appear in the sky on Saturday (September 22).

ITN Source | September 22, 2007

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