In the shadow of October 7: How Yom Kippur has changed for some secular Israelis

Adele Raemer is an avowedly secular Jew from Kibbutz Nirim, along the Gaza border, who is preparing for Yom Kippur.

“I’m not an observant Jew, and I don’t fast on Yom Kippur because I think it would be hypocritical,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “For me it’s a day of quiet introspection. Sometimes we have discussion groups, but it’s a day that I appreciate that I’m in my kibbutz, in my country, and the Jewish nation.”

On October 7, 2023, about 150 Hamas terrorists infiltrated Nirim, killing five members of the community and kidnapping five others to Gaza. Three, all women, were freed in a ceasefire deal with Hamas, and two men were killed in the tunnels.

Three Israeli soldiers were also killed fighting in the kibbutz. Raemer hid in her safe room for many hours before she was rescued by Israeli soldiers and taken to Eilat.

“When we finally arrived in Eilat, I took out my phone and googled Birkat Hagomel (the traditional Jewish prayer said after surviving a potential life-threatening event),” she said. “It was just this instinct. The terrorists tried to murder me because of my Jewishness, and it was just my instinct to do this.”

The October 7, 2023 attack has affected all Israelis somehow, as everyone knows someone who was either killed or taken hostage. Some have questioned God’s existence.

“Where was God on October 7?” asked Jonathan Livny, a Jerusalem lawyer. “I think we invented God because it can’t be that a God would not prevent such a catastrophe.”

Others, even if they are not religious in the traditional sense, do observe Yom Kippur.

“This year I can’t fast because I’ll be eight months pregnant, but I’ll go to shul,” said Danielle Glickman, 34, adding that she usually fasts. “I think I’ll try not to use technology. Since October 7, I think it’s even more important to keep traditions, especially when we are growing our family.”

Others, including some of the former hostages, have drawn closer to religion. 

At his recent wedding, former hostage Eliya Cohen, who was held in Hamas tunnels for more than 500 days and who had believed that his partner, Ziv Abud, had been killed, said that he had vowed that if he ever married Ziv he would publicly say the “Shema Yisrael” prayer, which he did before over 1,000 guests in an emotional moment.

Agam Berger spoke of keeping Shabbat in captivity, and Daniella Gilboa spoke of singing “Shalom Aleichem” in Arabic while in captivity. Other hostages said they fasted on Yom Kippur.

Israel's special relationship with Yom Kippur

ISRAELIS HAVE always had a special relationship to Yom Kippur. The country, including the airport, completely shuts down, and kids ride bicycles on major highways.

A recent study by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 60% of Israelis fast completely on Yom Kippur while another 5% don’t eat but drink liquids. This comes as less than 25% of Israelis describe themselves as “Orthodox,” according to the Pew Research Foundation.

Several rabbis said that since October 7, more Israelis are connecting to Judaism, although not necessarily in a traditional way. Rabbi Haviva Ner David runs Shmaya: A Mikveh for Mind, Body, and Soul in Kibbutz Hanaton.

As part of her work, she helps those converting to Judaism via the Reform movement immerse in the mikveh (ritual bath). She said she has seen an increase in people converting to Judaism since October 7, especially non-Jews who are married to Jewish Israelis.

“Many of them have been living in Israel for years, and they say that after October 7, they want to throw their lot in with the Jewish people,” she told the Post.

Israelis have grown in spirituality since October 7, rabbi says

Yom Kippur is often the busiest day of the year at the mikveh, she said, as there is a tradition to immerse on the day before Yom Kippur as part of the process of atonement.

Rabbi Yael Vurgan, who works with all of the kibbutzim near Gaza in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council, said there is a growing interest in non-traditional ways of connecting to Judaism. She said the Reform Movement has long offered alternative services on Yom Kippur at one of the kibbutzim, and this year there will be services in two kibbutzim.

Just a few days before October 7, she said, she officiated at a bar and bat mitzvah ceremony for people in their 80s and 90s who had never had this traditional Jewish rite of passage. She taught the group of six for three months, and on October 3, 2023, they held a celebration.

Since October 7, she said, there has been growing interest from many in her area for more connection to spirituality, including get-togethers that might include song and poetry.

The outbreak of the war – and especially the fate of the hostages – encouraged prayers and psalms in almost every synagogue.

“Many people had more and more need for ways to express their feelings in a cultural, spiritual way as a community together,” she said.

“I felt that people want what I have to offer – spirituality done by liberal voices and texts and songs,” she said.