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Yom Kippur 5787 in Queens
We're still building our Queens listings for Yom Kippur 5787. Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — is the holiest day of the Jewish year, the solemn culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance that begin on Rosh Hashanah. Observed with a 25-hour complete fast (no food or water), the day is spent almost entirely in synagogue prayer, moving through five distinct services: Maariv with the haunting Kol Nidre on the eve, Shacharit, Musaf, Mincha, and the climactic Ne'ilah as the gates of heaven are said to close. Jews wear white, symbolizing purity and the angelic, and many don a kittel (white robe). The Yizkor memorial prayer honors those who have passed. As Ne'ilah ends, a single long shofar blast pierces the silence, sealing the day's judgment and sending the congregation into the new year cleansed and renewed.
Traditional Yom Kippur Foods
Find these classics at Queens kosher restaurants and caterers.
Seudah Hamafseket (Pre-Fast Meal)
The final meal before the 25-hour fast begins at sundown. Light, easy-to-digest foods are traditional — chicken soup, chicken or fish, and round challah.
Break-Fast Spread
After the fast ends, families gather for a break-fast featuring bagels, lox, cream cheese, kugel, blintzes, and other dairy or pareve foods to gently end the day.
Honey Cake (Lekach)
Honey cake is traditionally given before Yom Kippur as a sweet wish for a good new year, and to fulfill a custom of accepting a gift so one need not receive it as a heavenly decree.
Bagels and Lox
The quintessential Yom Kippur break-fast centerpiece — smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, and fresh bagels from a kosher bakery.
Kosher Yom Kippur in Queens
Know a Yom Kippur-ready kosher spot in Queens?
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