SEPTEMBER 21 • 2023 | 69
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at thejewishnews.com
Looking Back
Wishing You a
Meaningful Holiday
Y
om Kippur begins Sunday night,
Sept. 24. This is the most serious
High Holiday, the day when Jews
make amends for past sins. It is the Day of
Atonement — in Hebrew “yom”
means day and “kippur” means
atonement.
I thought I’d check the
William Davidson Digital
Archives of Jewish History for
stories about Yom Kippur. As
a measure of its importance,
almost 9,000 pages in the
Archive have content on this High Holiday.
Indeed, there are many reports and stories
about Yom Kippur in every year of the Jewish
Chronicle and the Jewish News.
Over the years, one can see that the JN
provided its readers with helpful guidelines
about the holiday for families and children.
For an early example, see “Miriam’s Stories
for Our Boys and Girls” in the Sept. 26, 1952,
issue of the JN. It provides the kids with a
good synopsis of the historical origins of
Yom Kippur customs.
Leap forward to the 1980s and read
“Celebrating the High Holy Days with Your
Children.” In this essay, writer Barbara
Diamond Goldin offers suggestions that
“make the holiday’s theme meaningful to
children” (Oct. 1, 1986, JN).
“Food for the Soul” is a comprehensive
article by JN’s Elizabeth Applebaum that
offers 20 different ideas to “feel a little of
the power of Yom Kippur throughout the
year.” Her suggestions range from giving
tzedakah, spending time with the family
and developing a sense of humor, to visiting
Israel, studying Judaism and remembering
your ancestors. It’s a very interesting read
with lots of food for thought.
For many years, Applebaum was the editor
of the special JN section, “Apple Tree.” Its
mission was “helping
Jewish families grow.”
In respect to this
goal, Applebaum
would write an
annual column
about the High Holiday, such as
“Yom Kippur at a Glance.” These were very
helpful articles that provided readers with
fundamental information about Yom Kippur
on one page (for example, see the Sept. 21,
2001, JN).
Other stories focused on teenagers or
older children. “Meaningful Moments” is
a collection of thoughts about Yom Kippur
from local high school students (Sept.
20, 2007). The author is David Lehmann,
who was a 17-year-old senior at Yeshivat
Akiva in Southfield at that time. His article
includes “meaningful” comments from
other teenagers, Kale Davidoff and Lauren
Mondry, as well as book and website
suggestions for the holiday.
Last year, a young Jewish man made the
cover of the JN: University of Michigan
football player, Mica Gelb. Inside the
issue, JN sportswriter Steve Stein tells
Gelb’s story of “Keeping the Faith” (Sept.
15, 2022). Gelb is a Jewish student who
keeps kosher during Passover and fasts
during Yom Kippur. As you can imagine,
the latter is not an easy task during football
season, but he persevered.
Finally, if you just need something to do
during your fast, the JN published several
“Yom Kippur Crossword puzzles” during
the 1980s (for example, see the Aug. 26,
1988, JN).
I wish you a safe and meaningful holiday.
Have an easy fast.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN archives,
available for free at thejewishnews.com.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair