Bronx elected officials shared various messages to acknowledge the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. According to the website, hebcal.com, this year, Yom Kippur began on Wednesday, 15 Sept. and ends at nightfall on Thursday, 16 Sept. 

 

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days (or sometimes “the Days of Awe”).

 

Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) tweeted, “To all my constituents observing Yom Kippur, I’m wishing you a meaningful fast and a blessed day of introspection and reflection. G’mar Chatimah Tovah.”

To all my constituents observing Yom Kippur, I'm wishing you a meaningful fast and a blessed day of introspection and reflection.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) September 15, 2021

 

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) whose congressional district is home to a large Jewish community said on behalf of his office and his family, he wanted to take the occasion to wish an easy and meaningful fast to everyone observing Yom Kippur in congressional district 16 and around the world. “This day is a reminder for all of us to contemplate how humility and repentance can help us create a more peaceful, compassionate, and caring world,” he said. “By honoring our universal humanity, we can build greater respect for each other, ourselves, and our interconnectedness as a people.

 

Bowman said it was his privilege to represent the thriving Jewish community in NY-16, a district, he said, where diversity as well as shared experiences make the community stronger. “G’mar Chatima Tovah,” he added.

 

Wishing all of our Jewish constituents and neighbors an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur! pic.twitter.com/hQ4wosp50t

— Nathalia Fernández (@Fernandez4NY) September 15, 2021

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) said the holiday provided the community with an opportunity for reflection and amends. “It is in that spirit that I wish to extend my hand to our Jewish neighbors on this holiest of days,” she said. “My dearest hope for the coming year is that we will work together in love and fellowship towards building a more peaceful, just and inclusive world.”

Wishing all who celebrate a blessed #YomKippur a time to reflect and reconcile. May you have an easy fast and a year filled with good health, peace and love. G’mar Chatima Tovah. pic.twitter.com/hF5AIRkZat

— Mark Gjonaj (@MarkGjonajNY) September 15, 2021

 

The congresswoman added that she knew that this was possible. “I have seen it in our partnerships with local, Jewish community organizations, raising funds to provide food and other critical needs during COVID-19, and in our collective efforts to fight anti-semitism and expose those leaders and institutions whose protect and promote white supremacy,” Ocasio-Cortez added. “I hope to grow these partnerships in the coming years to advance our shared goals of greater health, happiness and prosperity for all.  G’mar Chatimah Tovah. May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

 

Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) tweeted, “To our friends in the Jewish community who are observing #Yom Kippur, we hope you have a meaningful day of self-reflection and an easy fast. #GmarChatimaTova”

To our friends in the Jewish community who are observing #YomKippur, we hope you have a meaningful day of self-reflection and an easy fast. #GmarChatimaTova pic.twitter.com/3tt3RuBvfE

— Rep. Ritchie Torres (@RepRitchie) September 15, 2021

 

State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) also issued a message of goodwill to the community, saying, “Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year on the Jewish calendar, begins this Wednesday, September 15th. Yom Kippur is a day of atonement and fasting, and I wish all those who plan on observing an easy and meaningful fast.”

 

To my Colleagues, Constituents and Friends who observe, we wish you a blessed and meaningful #YomKippur! May all your wishes get sealed. G’mar Chatimah Tovah! pic.twitter.com/E7P0gL0RNJ

— Hon. Vanessa L. Gibson, MPA (She, Her, Hers) (@Vanessalgibson) September 16, 2021

Meanwhile, in a tweet on Wednesday, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80), wished all Jewish constituents and neighbors an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur.

 

Councilman Mark Gjonaj wished all who celebrate Yom Kippur a time to reflect and reconcile. “May you have an easy fast and a year filled with good health, peace and love. G’mar Chatimah Tovah,” he tweeted.

 

G'mar Chatima Tovah!

Wishing all who observe #YomKippur a meaningful and easy fast. pic.twitter.com/PVNQFzV2Zw

— Jamaal T. Bailey (@jamaaltbailey) September 15, 2021

District 16 City Councilwoman and Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president, Vanessa Gibson, wished all her colleagues, constituents and friends who observe Yom Kippur a blessed and meaningful day. “May all your wishes get sealed. G’mar Chatimah Tovah,” she tweeted.

 

State Sen. Jamaal Bailey (S.D. 36) also tweeted his good wishes on the holy day, writing, “G’mar Chatima Tovah! Wishing all who observe #YomKippur a meaningful and easy fast.”