Beginning at sunset this Sunday, September 20, Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Translating to ‘Day of Atonement’, it marks the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance that began earlier this month on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
A time of self-reflection and for making amends for past mistakes, the holy festival is marked by both prayer and the physical act of fasting until nightfall the following day.
For SECAmb colleagues observing Yom Kippur, it can require some adjustments at work.
“On Yom Kippur we fast for 25 hours,” said Paramedic Amba Cooper. “Abstaining from food does have a purpose, it aids us to slow down and truly connect with repentance, self-reflection and soul searching.”
While it’s not easy to fast while being operational, for Amba and her husband Jamie, an ECSW, the focus of Yom Kippur is more than just abstaining from food.
“If we are working our Rabbi says we don’t need to fast, as saving a life takes precedence. However, on a personal level, we choose to honour the fast, as hard as it is. Last year we were both working and fasted the full period and then when we finished work we had a wonderful meal as a family.”
Fasting on Yom Kippur is part of removing physical pleasures for one day to reflect on what really matters. But not to the point that it should make someone ill.
“If we did begin to feel unwell while working during the fast, our Rabbi would encourage us to eat as the aim of it is not to make you poorly,” said Amba. “It’s why some people are not expected to fast, such as pregnant women, a person with a medical condition or an eating disorder that would endanger them by fasting.”
In terms of SECAmb colleagues supporting those who are observing Yom Kippur, Amba said it helped knowing they were aware of the holy day and what it meant.
“Perhaps ask how people are feeling, just to check,” she said. “Yom Kippur is a significant day, and simple awareness from colleagues can mean a lot.”
Amba also reflected on the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester when two Jewish community members were killed, which took place on Yom Kippur last year.
“The attack was deeply upsetting,” she said. “It will likely be on the minds of many as they observe Yom Kippur this year, and the support and understanding of those around us can mean a great deal.”
Amba and Jamie are both on rest days for the holy day this year.
“We will meet our friends and community at our Synagogue for the day’s service and currently we have plans to break the fast on Monday evening with our friends and their children,” she said.