The Difference Between a Holiday and a Holy Day

Wednesday October 5 was Yom Kippur, perhaps the most solemn of the Jewish Holy Days.  It’s the holiest day of the year from sundown Tuesday to sundown Wednesday as those who practice the Jewish faith fast for the entire time while praying for atonement and repenting their sins.

The New York City City Council sent a social media post wishing those who practice a “Happy Yom Kippur” featuring doves, an open book — presumably the Old Testament — a shofar’s horn, and a menorah which is associated with Hannukkah and not Yom Kippur.  The post was taken down and whoever managed the city council’s social media feed apologized.

You don’t wish someone a Happy Good Friday or a Happy Memorial Day, and you certainly don’t wish someone a Happy Yom Kippur because You Kippur is not a celebration.  It is a day to spend with family and friends and its treated as a Holy Day.

At one point, Irvine had three council members who were Jewish — Beth Krom, Larry Agran and Jeff Lalloway– and two Koreans — Sukhee Kang and Stephen Choi.  When a meeting fell on the day of a high holiday, it was understood the meeting would be cancelled.

Irvine council member Tammy Kim’s social media account mirrored the post from New York City except there was a Yarmulke, the shofar’s horn, an open book and a menorah, and a message wishing a “Happy Yom Kippur.”  Ms. Kim, to her credit, can be very in your face on cultural insensitivities regarding Irvine’s AAPI community and educates the rest of us about the celebrations this part of Irvine’s diverse community holds dear.

But an apology from her is going to be in order to the city’s Jewish community over this post.  And for the staffer who put it together, do a little more basic research.

2 Comments

  1. I appreciate the post, but I’m a little more forgiving as the intention of acknowledging the Jewish High Holy Days is a positive one. Yom Kippur is a fasting day and a day of repentance and atonement. It is indeed the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. There actually were times when meetings were scheduled in the afternoon preceding a holiday and I had to explain that since our holidays begin at sundown, I would need that afternoon to prepare the meal and in other ways set myself up for the observance. What is absolutely true is that there will never be a meeting scheduled on Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday, so a certain amount of insensitivity is bound to exist simply by virtue of never having to confront the conflict. When people know better they do better, or at least that would be the hope. Since I just got through atoning for last years shortfalls, I’m going to start 5783 showing some grace.

    • You’re always gracious Beth and far more forgiving of this sort of faux pas that Tammy would be or my other Jewish friends are.

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