Synagogues across Israel were making final preparations for Yom Kippur late into the night on Tuesday. Because of the social distancing measures made necessary by the COVID pandemic, many synagogues set up additional seating outside.
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Moshe Mizrahi, gabbai of the Zechor LeAvraham Synagogue in Givat Massua in Jerusalem, said, "I've been doing this for over 20 years, happily and with love, because it's important to me to give people the feeling that we want them at synagogue. Even those who don't pray regularly, I want them to feel like they belong at synagogue because it's a place that brings us all together."
Israel's municipalities have long since started preparations to accommodate the crowds wanting to take part in the Yom Kippur prayer services, whether in a synagogue or an outside minyan. The Jerusalem Municipality has distributed over 500 shades to protect worshippers from the September sun.
"The gabbays do holy work, especially at this time of the year. Yom Kippur gives us strength for the entire year, and we're very happy that the communities and the gabbays open their doors for all the public who want to attend synagogue to hear Kol Nidrei and Neilah," Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon said.
Yom Kippur traditions were already underway on Tuesday morning, including kapparot – whose traditional chicken slaughter is being replaced by charitable donations in an attempt to avoid cruelty to animals.
As for Yom Kippur in the time of COVID, Rabbi Baruch Efrati explained that a person who is in quarantine but asymptomatic should observe the fast as usual, but if symptoms appear, he or she should start drinking moderate amounts of water, as should anyone who has tested positive for COVID.
Efrati said that anyone who has recovered from moderate to serious COVID-19 in the past three months should consume moderate amounts of food and drink, despite the fast.
Anyone concerned that they might have contracted COVID may test themselves using a home antigen kit, Efrati added.
But COVID isn't the only problem making this Yom Kippur a challenging one. The IDF has bolstered forces in several regions and is on high alert for possible escalations of violence. Forces continue to pursue two of the six terrorist inmates who escaped Gilboa Prison on the eve of Rosh Hashanah and have still evaded capture.
Security forces expect that as long as the two remain at large, tensions in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria will continue. Recent days have seen more warnings about terrorist attacks than usual.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday that "Security forces are deployed and prepared to protect the residents of Israel from any threat. I praise our soldiers, police, and Border Police who have responded to recent events rapidly and have shown that they were alert.
"Israel has no desire to disrupt the Palestinians' routine way of life and we want to offer them economic and civil benefits and keep strengthening coordination with the Palestinian Authority. If any terrorist groups rear their heads, we'll take care to push them down. This goes for Judea and Samaria as well as the Gaza Strip," Gantz added.
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