Yom Kippur And Fasting In Elie Wiesel's Night

During the Holocaust, many Jewish people were killed, imprisoned, and taken away from their families from the years 1940-1945. This didn’t stop them from practicing their beliefs and celebrating their culture. Yom Kippur was one thing most people still wanted to celebrate, even though times were tough, they still wanted to show faith and loyalty to God. What is Yom Kippur? It is also called the Day of Atonement, and is known as the holiest day of the Jewish year. is a holiday where Jewish people reflect on their sins and ask for forgiveness from God and those they have wronged in the way of fasting. The fasting itself is generally meant to last for 25 hours. In the book “Night” the mass of prisoners debated whether or not they should obey the religious beliefs of Yom Kippur and fasting.

Prisoners receive three meals per day. In the morning, they received only half a liter of coffee, or rather boiled water with a coffee substitute tea and these beverages were usually unsweetened. The noon meal consisted of about a liter of soup, The soup was unsavory, and new prisoners were often unable to eat it, The Supper consisted of bread, The bread they got in the evening was supposed to cover any hunger in the morning as well, The low nutritional value of these meals were apparent, especially how much they were working the little rest. After some time in the camp, eating tiny amounts of calories and suffering from diarrhea, and crippling abdominal pain and, in consequence, many of them died from weakness. “Those who are healthy fast” In traditional Jewish practice, children under 13 are not expected to fast. Neither are pregnant women or anyone with a medical condition that fasting would harm. The idea isn't to cause harm, it's a spiritual practice. If any SS officer decided they were not worthy of food that day, then they wouldn’t eat at all, which just furthers the fasting every