“Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, and the culmination of the High Holy Days. It’s a time to reflect on the year gone by and to prepare for the year to come. Rather than wishing someone a happy holiday, due to the solemn nature of the day, it is traditional to wish someone an easy and meaningful fast.

“During Rosh Hashanah, I spoke of the concept of Tikkun Olam, our shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world. On this day of reflection, I ask New Yorkers to pause and consider the specific realities of what that commitment means for the upcoming year. Though we are of many faiths and backgrounds, New Yorkers have a shared story that binds us together as one community. It is an experience that allows us to collectively work for and achieve the greater good. We are diverse – our diversity is part of what makes New York great, and it is the very core of who we are.

“On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend warm wishes for a meaningful day of prayer and contemplation, and an easy fast to those observing. Gmar Chatima Tova.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)