Poll: Three-quarters of Israeli Jews fast on Yom Kippur

Half of Jews plan to attend Yom Kippur services in synagogue this year, according to poll, while 74% plan to fast.

By World Israel News Staff

Most Israeli Jews plan to mark Yom Kippur through fasting, refraining from driving or attending synagogue, according to new polling ahead of the holiday, with the customs remaining widespread even among Israelis who identify as secular.

Data released by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) on Tuesday showed that 74% of Jews in Israel fast on Yom Kippur, including 63% who fast through the entire holy day.

A separate survey by the Tzohar Index for Judaism and Tradition found that 61% of Jewish Israelis plan to fast to some extent this Yom Kippur. Fifty-four percent said they intend to observe the complete fast, while another 7% plan to fast partially.

The near-total disappearance of cars from Israeli roads on Yom Kippur appears to be an even broader tradition than fasting.

Among respondents who own cars, 96% said they do not plan to drive during the holiday, according to the Tzohar survey.

That custom extends overwhelmingly to secular Israelis: 92% of secular car owners said they would stay off the roads, despite much lower rates of fasting and synagogue attendance within the same group.

The Tzohar survey found that 46% of respondents expect to attend synagogue during Yom Kippur, while 51% said they plan to give charity ahead of the fast.

Religious observance differed sharply according to respondents’ backgrounds.

Among Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews, 68% said they plan to observe the complete fast, compared with 48% of Ashkenazi Jews.

The IDI poll also found that Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews were more likely to say they fast on Yom Kippur, with 88% saying they fast, compared to just 64% of Ashkenazi Jews.

According to the IDI survey, 57% of Jews plan to attend Yom Kippur services at a synagogue, with 51% attending Orthodox services, and just 6% attending services held at Reform or Conservative congregations.

The two polls diverged more sharply regarding the percentage of self-defined secular Jews who plan on fasting this Yom Kippur.

Among secular respondents polled by Tzohar, 34% said they intend to fast at least partially. Twenty-four percent plan a complete fast and another 10% a partial one.

The IDI poll, however, found that nearly half (47%) of secular Jews plan on fasting this Yom Kippur.

The Tzohar survey, conducted through the Mashav channel in late August, polled 1,330 Jewish Israeli adults via the internet.