For the hundreds of Jewish students at OU, tonight marks one of the holiest days of their faith.
At sundown, Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, begins and practitioners of Judaism fast for the next 25 hours.
'Here at Hillel, we will have a service starting at 7:30 p.m., which will last roughly an hour and a half,' said Hillel House Rabbi Steve Kirschner. 'We will reconvene Saturday morning for a service that will go about two and a half hours. And then, we come back together very late in the afternoon, and we will then finish out the day until darkness.'
The day is officially ended by the blowing of a ram"s horn, or shofar, Kirschner said.
Kirschner said the day of Yom Kippur is a biblical holiday that comes from the book of Leviticus.
'It is the day that you make amends for whatever wrongdoing you did the year before,' Kirschner said.
Kirschner said the day is often mistaken as a one-day holiday. But he said it is much more than that.
'It is part of a 10-day cycle, which began last week with Rosh Hashanah,' Kirschner said. 'The 10 days together are referred to as the Days of Awe.'
Kirschner said it is these 10 days that are the most significant for Jewish people for repentance and atoning of sins.
There are other important dates but most Jewish people think of Yom Kippur as the holiest Jewish holiday, he said.
In fact, Shawn Green, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, said he will miss at least one game of the series with the Giants to observe Yom Kippur, according to espn.com.
Ben Weiner, economics senior, said he will fast during the holiday.
'I"ve been fasting [for Yom Kippur] since I was 13,' Weiner said.
Weiner said he will spend the holiday with the same friend he has spent Yom Kippur with almost every year since he was 13.
'It"s probably the holiest day of the Jewish calendar,' Weiner said. 'It"s the time of the year you get to see everyone you haven"t seen for the past year. Everyone celebrates Yom Kippur.'
Brad Goldsmith, zoology junior, also said he will fast for Yom Kippur.
'I"ll start fasting Friday night and into Saturday,' Goldsmith said. 'It is by far the most important [Jewish holiday].'
However, Goldsmith said he won"t be celebrating Yom Kippur in Norman.
'Normally I"d stay here to celebrate, but since there isn"t a game this weekend, I"m going home,' Goldsmith said.
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