Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement and Second Chances in Vienna
The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, marks the end of the ten days of repentance and remembrance that begin with the New Year festival of Rosh Hashanah. In 2025, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Wednesday, October 1 and ends at nightfall on Thursday, October 2. As the holiest holiday of spiritual repentance, it is an essential opportunity for reconciliation with God and fellow human beings and is also observed in Vienna with strict fasting and intense prayer.
In particular, the solemn evening service in the city temple on Seitenstettengasse at the beginning of Yom Kippur traditionally attracts many believers. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; Bella47, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)
According to the Jewish calendar, it is observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishri and always falls on different days in September or October in the Gregorian calendar. Together with Rosh Hashanah, it forms the so-called High Holidays of Judaism.
Yom Kippur is a strict day of rest and fasting, which even many non-religious Jews observe. In the Torah, the Day of Atonement is referred to as the “Sabbath of Sabbaths.” From the beginning of the holiday in the evening until its end the following evening, i.e., for 25 hours, neither food nor drink is consumed; sexual contact and smoking are also prohibited.
The focus is on spiritual reckoning: from a Jewish perspective, on Yom Kippur, God's judgment of humankind is entered into the “Book of Life.” That is why people greet each other with the wish, “May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a happy year,” or the traditional Gmar Chatima tova!
Reconciliation with God is inseparably linked to reconciliation among people. Already in the 3rd Book of Moses (Leviticus 16:29–30) it is stated that this day serves for atonement: "On the tenth day of the seventh month you shall fast and do no work... For on this day your atonement shall be made, that you may be cleansed." However, purification from all sins is only possible if one has also reconciled with one's fellow human beings and personally asked for forgiveness.
The holiday begins on the eve (this year, Wednesday) in the synagogues, where many believers gather in white clothing and light a candle at home for deceased relatives. A special event is the singing of Kol Nidre, a prayer in the form of a declaration in Aramaic and Hebrew that is only recited on Yom Kippur. In it, God is implored to forget all vows, prohibitions, or excommunications of the past or coming year—a moment of deep spiritual significance.
Despite the fasting and penance, the feeling of hope and joy at forgiveness prevails on Yom Kippur, as the prospect of a second chance gives the day a deeply positive dimension. The all-day service ends with the special closing prayer Ne'ilah, which symbolically closes the gates of heaven. The final conclusion of the holiest of all holidays is announced with the solemn blowing of the shofar, a ritual instrument made from a ram's horn.
Historically, Yom Kippur dates back to a ritual from biblical times that is closely associated with the concept of the “scapegoat.” In the past, the high priest symbolically placed all the sins of the people on a goat, which was then sent into the desert to bring about the atonement of the people.
Chief Rabbi Jaron Engelmayer, who serves as Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Vienna, also speaks about the message of forgiveness and hope, calling on believers to seek peace and harmony for the new year during this time of reflection.